Thank you American Cleaning Institute for sponsoring today’s laundry room safety tips for our readers.
There’s a room that most parents spend plenty of time in. It’s not always the most glamorous area in the home, but it’s necessary none-the-less. Without it, our homes would be filled with dirty laundry. There’s always laundry to be done when you have a home full of young children. Beyond the long trail of laundry, you can see children following my every move including my visits to our laundry room.
Turns out I am not the only parent who is doing laundry with children nearby. According to a recent survey of 1,000 parents:
- 67% of parents of children under the age of 4 said their laundry room is accessible to their children
- 46% of parents say their children help sort and prepare clothing items for wash
- 50% of parents said they do laundry while their children are in the same room
While I appreciate my children’s willingness to help with laundry, I am also aware of the safety hazards a modern-day laundry room can hold. Knowledge is key to preventing the reduce the number of accidents with children and liquid laundry packets. Starting chores early in my mind is never a bad idea. However, there can be some danger in exposing your children to the liquid laundry packets.
The hidden dangers of modern-day laundry rooms
Liquid laundry packets (LLPs) have become increasingly popular for their easy-to-use, pre-measured doses that weigh less than liquid detergents. These highly concentrated packets can cause serious harm if they are accidentally ingested or come into contact with the eyes.
While liquid laundry packets make our lives easier and our clothes cleaner, we must keep them out of the hands and mouths of our curious children. My son especially loves to place many objects in his mouth as a way to explore. He also loves to reach for things. For that reason alone, it is crucial that we minimize any potential for accidents.
Laundry Room Safety Tips
Use these laundry room safety tips to prevent injuries caused by cleaning supplies. Kids act fast and accidents can happen in less than a few seconds.
Keep laundry packets in original containers
All household cleaning products, including liquid laundry packets, must always be stored up and out of reach of children and kept in their original containers to avoid confusion. Always keep product containers securely closed before, during and after use.
Store liquid laundry packets up high
Cabinets that are able to be closed and locked are ideal for storing laundry cleaning supplies. Unfortunately, our home did not come with them. We opted to place our laundry packets in a storage container high above the washer. It’s stored so high I almost have a hard time reaching it. For additional reassurance, we placed a Packets Up! cling on our washer to remind us to always store our liquid laundry packets up high.
Eliminate clutter nearby washers and dryers
Since my children are climbers, we made sure that there are no ladders or items nearby they could potentially climb to reach the shelves.
Teach children that laundry packets aren’t toys
Never let children hold or toss packets into the washer.
The American Cleaning Institute created an activity sheet to help parents teach children that laundry packets are not toys. My daughter was able to identify which items are not toys and which are okay to play through this activity.
Download the activity sheets here.
How to order your Packets UP! Cling
Order a free Packets UP! cling and put it on your cabinet, wall or washer as a reminder to store products safely in your home. Parents should place it in a visible location to serve as a daily reminder to store laundry packets up and away from children
Do make laundry a safe and fun activity for everyone
Believe it or not, laundry with your kids can be fun. I allow them to watch, sort and fold when they want to. Let’s face it, sometimes their assistance slows down the process. It is my hope that teaching them how to do laundry early will instill a strong work ethic.
All that to say, I want them to be safe in the process. Children act fast and accidents can happen in an instant. Until they are old enough to do laundry themselves safely, they can watch me handle the liquid laundry packets from the sidelines.
Learn more about laundry safety
Follow #PacketsUp on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to speed on the latest in laundry room safety habits.
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