June is National Safety Month which focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities. For families, it’s a great opportunity to focus on developing safer practices at home while kids are around more for the summer.
There are countless safety risks in and around your home and educating yourself about these is an important first step in prevention.
One such everyday chore, often overlooked by caregivers, is the laundry and the safe handling of liquid laundry packets.
Liquid laundry packets, made under a variety of brand names, have been an amazing technological innovation for the laundry industry. These packets contain highly concentrated, pre-measured doses of detergent to make laundry time simpler and more convenient for users.
And it’s just this convenience that has made laundry packets a favorite among consumers. They’re smaller and easier to transport for people who have to haul their laundry further than across the hallway to wash, and they can’t spill. They also cause less landfill waste (go environment!), and produce better results (because of sciency stuff about ingredient stability, so here’s a link if you want to read about them: Liquid, Powder, or Pods).
But, there are some important things to be aware of.
Cost is always a factor when it comes to convenience products, but more importantly, ingesting laundry packets also poses a safety risk to families with young children.
Babies, of course, are notorious for putting anything that will fit into their curious little mouths, but even slightly older children fall victim to the laundry packets. Because of their bite-size and bright colors, kids often mistake these packets for candy and ingest them. The concentrated ingredients aren’t safe for consumption and the size of the packets also makes them a potential choking hazard.
For National Safety Month, the American Cleaning Institute is encouraging parents to put their “Packets Up” to help keep liquid laundry packets out of the hands and mouths of children.
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The American Cleaning Institute urges people who care for youngsters to do the following:
- Store liquid laundry packets up high and out of sight and reach of children.
- Completely close and seal liquid laundry packet containers after use.
- Always store liquid laundry packets in their original containers.
And, be sure to remind relatives and friends your children spend time with to do the same. Your diligence can truly lead to a safer summer for your children.
To learn more about liquid laundry packet safety and other cleaning product hazards in your home during National Safety Month, be sure to check out The Cleaning Institute.