0
We get it – single-load liquid laundry pods were a really cool idea at first. You could carry them in a pocket or a purse to a laundry center more easily than lugging a big bottle around. You didn’t have to have a cup or cap handy to measure the right amount – they were pre-measured so you just tossed them in the laundry with the clothes. They were bright and colorful – and it wasn’t too long before we all realized what a health hazard they posed to little kids.
Within six months of their market launch in early 2012, Consumer Reports was already calling on manufacturers to make changes in the packaging to be less attractive to children, who were mistaking them for toys or candy. The first comprehensive study on the dangers of laundry pods, published in 2014 in the journal Pediatrics, found that 17,230 children younger than 6 years old — an average of one child every hour — swallowed, inhaled or suffered skin or eye injury from the products in 2012-2013. Manufacturers in 2015 agreed to voluntarily implement some changes to packaging, including adding an agent to the packet’s outer film to provide a “repulsive” taste, making the container more difficult to open and strengthening the outer film to make it harder to bite through. But consumer groups felt the changes were not enough, and later that year, Consumer Reports decided to stop recommending the pods to consumers and urged households with young children to avoid the pods. In 2016, laundry pod incidents dropped slightly to 11,528, due in part to media reports on the dangers and the voluntary changes to packaging by manufacturers.
It’s important to note that in its 2015 decision, Consumer Reports stated that its warnings did not apply to detergent packets containing powder. Injuries associated with powder-containing packets are less severe and less frequent. When Charlie’s Soap introduced its laundry packets in 2016, the company wanted to provide the same convenience and cleaning effectiveness of other packets, but without the safety concerns still plaguing the market. Charlie’s laundry packets are filled with Charlie’s powder detergent, consumer proven for decades to be hypoallergenic and biodegradable. The powder is enclosed in a cellulose packet that quickly dissolves even in cold water. Like all Charlie’s laundry products, the power pods are safe and effective for all fabrics: silk, wool, linen, cotton, high-tech microfibers, etc. And most important – Charlie’s Soap Powder Packets DO NOT look like candy!
Parents lead busy lives and doing laundry is just one more task on an already overwhelming list. A mundane household chore shouldn’t present a danger to your family. Let Charlie’s make your laundry glisten while keeping your children safe. #LiveGreenDeepClean
