Safety over style: Laundry room dos and don’ts
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — September marks Baby Safety Month, and it’s time to air out some dirty laundry, especially if a social media influencer influenced you to update your laundry room using trendy, clear containers to store liquid detergent pods or other cleaning supplies.
According to a recent survey by the American Cleaning Institute, 36% of people think they can enhance their laundry space with decorative jars or containers, and 26% admit they’ve kept liquid laundry packets in a place where children could see or reach them.
“The laundry pods, the laundry sheets, all of these things that we would normally keep out of reach are out there on full display,” said Dr. Andrew Carroll, a family physician in Chandler. “Well, kids like those things. They look like candy. They look like toys. And if they get a hold of it and they feel something squishy and it’s an interesting color, they’re going to want to know what it tastes like, and I think that it’s important that parents really take the precautions that we always recommend. Keep those things out of reach.”
If your child does get his or her hands on detergent or another potentially harmful substance, get it away from the child as quickly as possible and then try to figure out if any of the substance was consumed.
“Look around their mouth to see if they have any coloration or detergent or soap around their mouth,” Dr. Carroll said. “If they have consumed it or you’re concerned they consumed it, you should be calling the poison center right away.”
The safest way to store liquid laundry pods is in their original packaging, up high, out of children’s sight and reach.
The ACI says that if you don’t want the original packages to be visible on shelves, you can conceal them in decorative bins and baskets.
If you want to incorporate clear containers into your laundry room style, you can, too. The ACI suggests using them for things like clothespins or dryer balls.
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