Ever since those convenient laundry detergent pods hit the market a few years ago, safety experts have warned parents to keep them away from small children.
Many toddlers have tried to eat the colorful detergent packs, mistaking them for candy.
Read more: Best laundry detergent for your money
Tide, Gain detergent tubs get safer packaging
After three years of research, development and testing, Procter & Gamble is making a major change to its packaging to reduce accidents related to liquid laundry pods.
P&G is now launching new Tide Pods and Gain Flings tubs with Child-Guard lids:
The company says the new child-resistant tub closure provides an even stronger layer of protection. It requires an individual to squeeze both sides of the lid and twist at the same time to open the packaging.
P&G previously introduced a Child-Guard zipper for bags of liquid laundry packs, added a bitter substance to the product’s outer film and increased the pack’s film strength to delay the release of its contents.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the families who use our products,” said Sundar Raman, North America Vice President of Fabric Care for P&G. “Since last year’s launch of the innovative Child-Guard bag for liquid laundry pacs, we’ve been working hard to launch this same technology for our tubs. Knowing that access is a key factor in accidental exposures, we’ve made the new Child-Guard tub easy to close, but harder to open so parents and caregivers can both conveniently and safely store the product, further driving down accidents. With this key change, child-resistant packaging will now be available for all of our laundry pac products.”
The new Child-Guard tubs hit store shelves this summer and will be widely available by the end of the year.
Of course, safety starts at home. To prevent a trip to the ER, the American Association of Poison Control Centers says parents need to remember these three things:
- Always keep detergent containers closed, sealed and stored up high, out of the reach of children
- Follow the instructions on the product label
- Call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222 immediately if you suspect a child has come in contact with a laundry pack
Read more: Should you leave the clothes washer lid open or closed?
