Thanks for the American Cleaning Institute for sponsoring this post. #PacketsUp
From babies to teens and everything in between, kids create LOTS and LOTS of laundry. That means kids of all ages often spend time in the laundry room with their parents. I certainly remember a time when my toddlers loved to sit in the laundry basket. More recently, my young niece and nephew sometimes like to play “big kids” and help me with the laundry.
Family Wellness is My Top Priority
When my kids were little, I’m sure we had baby gates and child safety locks throughout the house, but I can’t remember if we took extra precautions in the laundry room. Did I drop the ball? I’m lucky that I did not find out the hard way.
The wellbeing of my family is my top priority. Keeping them safe and healthy is my number one job as a mom. This includes my extended family. I’d hate for a niece or nephew to be injured on my watch. If there’s wellness information I think is important to share with my friends and family, I’m on it!
That’s why I’m excited to team up with the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) to help spread the word about keeping laundry rooms safer from coast to coast.
Want to know more?
In 2012, liquid laundry packets were introduced in North America. They have become more and more popular across the US. However, these highly-concentrated packets are meant to be used for laundry – not played with or eaten . So the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) is working closely with manufacturers to inform families about the proper usage, storage and handling of these products.
Haven’t we heard this before?
Yes, accidental exposure to liquid laundry packets has been in the news from time to time, but according to an ACI survey in 2017, we need to further educate parents and caregivers about proper storage of these items, especially when it comes to protecting the youngest family members. ACI has definitely made great progress, but the survey revealed that more work needs to be done.
What you can do today!
First, watch this video to get a sense of how young children see the home through their eyes. Then, check out this website for more information. Next, make sure you are following these tips:
- Store laundry packets high and out of reach of children and pets
- Never store packets on the floor, on open shelves or on top of the washer/dryer
- Keep laundry packets in their original containers
- Lids should be closed and secured during and after use
- NEVER allow children to handle packets
- Avoid storing packets in humid conditions. They can stick together and break open.
- Never attempt to rinse off a packet
- Do not reuse laundry packet containers
Keeping laundry packets out of the view of children greatly reduces the risk of accidental exposure. When they are in sight, kids may be tempted to interact with them.
Go to packetsup.com for more information and sign up for a free laundry room cling. Order extras for the grandparents while you’re there. Also check out this infographic for some great tips on reducing the chance of kids coming into contact with laundry packets.
Help spread the word to make sure your family and friends have safer laundry rooms. Tell them to pass it along too! Follow #PacketsUP on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest in laundry room safety habits!
Our current laundry room is super tiny and extra safe. It’s very hard for my daughter to reach anything in there. These are some great tips!
I do like the convenience of the packets. It makes me think I can trust my kids to do the laundry without overdoing the soap.
Some don’t realize how dangerous it is to keep the laundry products around kids, I always made sure to keep it away from the reach of my child. That’s a good reminder.
I do not use laundry pods but have friends who do. I will share this article with them.
We have a cabinet above our washer and dryer that we store our laundry supplies in. It’s amazing how many people don’t store them properly.
Such a great reminder! I always make sure our laundry stuff (and all chemicals) are put away safely. You can never be too safe with kids around.
Who knew laundry pods would be so dangerous? Got to remember to keep them up for sure.
I recently started using them, and am loving the ease. My kids are old enough to not be concerned about them eating them, but we do have a lot of younger family members visiting. It’s best for all of us to keep them up and secure. You just never know.
It is a helpful reminder to make sure that everything is child proofed when there are young children in the home.
Safety is definitely top priority. I always try to keep my laundry packets up even though my son is grown. It’s just a good habit to have in case a guest comes to visit with a young child.
This is great information. Currently there are no little ones who can get near the laundry detergent but that day isn’t that far away. I’m glad that they have started putting child resistant lids on the containers but on top of that, we’ll be putting them up on a high shelf inside a locked cabinet.
Yikes! I get being safe for babies, but never considered until recently, keeping the laundry room safe for EVERYONE.
Our kids know better than to eat Pods at their ages. But, if they were babies I would worry a lot!! Pods do look so fascinating for kids!
Such a really great reminder. Our stuff is always really high up.
These are helpful reminders. It’s worth it to take some extra precautions to keep the little ones safe.
This is some great information. We fortunately do not have littles, but ~ at some point ~ the grandkids will come. So, we practice safe storage of these (and other items) now, so that the habit is already in place.