The Laundry Room Makeover I’ll Never Do and Why: #KeyPledge

This post was created in partnership with Find Your Influence. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Do you use concentrated forms of household cleaners (laundry and dishwasher packets, for example)? I am hopelessly devoted to packets for our dishwasher (I order the product I love the most in bulk!). And while I am more flexible with my laundry routine, I definitely have a few different types of packets that I use in there, too.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the dangers of these packets for young children who are finding them, getting their hands on them, and then putting them in their mouths. These packets contain HIGHLY concentrated detergents, which means that it only takes a small amount getting into a child’s system to be very problematic.

The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI) is a nonprofit organization that represents producers of household cleaning products, and they are working really hard to get the word out about the dangers of packets to children and what we, as adults in the home, need to do to keep our kids safe while still making use of the products we have come to love.

ACI has launched the KEY Pledge, and I want to introduce you to it, because the odds are good that you aren’t properly storing your packets (research shows that 86% of us aren’t!).

K: Keep single use cleaning packets out of reach for children.

E: Educate your family and friends about the safe use and storage of these new cleaning products.

Y: You serve a key role in laundry safety.

As I have been reading more about how to make sure my kids are safe, I have had a few light-bulb moments that I want to share with you. First, I have been planning on getting some sort of cutesy container for all of my laundry packets because I thought it would look much more adorable than that giant bright orange brand name laundry container. BUT…I have totally dropped that plan, and let me tell you why: kids can recognize product packaging surprisingly early on in life and with great accuracy. But if I have something in the laundry room that looks similar to the cookie jar in the pantry and that has no distinguishing features to clue a young child in to its contents, it will increase the odds that they will be curious and want to see for themselves what is inside. They may not recognize a laundry packet as such when they see it apart from its primary product packaging. So the big orange tub stays put.

Second, I confess that I have been keeping my dishwasher packets under my sink, and since my youngest, who is 2 1/2, is too savvy for those child-proof locks, the packets aren’t secure. I’ve been telling myself for a while now that she just simply wouldn’t try to eat those packets, but that’s some really weak logic, especially when I recall the fact that my older child, at the age of 4  1/2 (give or take) bit into a decorative soap bar because she thought it looked like a special treat. She was much older than Layah is now when she made that mistake, so who’s to say that Layah won’t be feeling curious one day and take a little bite?

Now my dishwasher packets are in the cabinet just above the dishwasher for easy access for the grownups and NO access for the kids. If you are interested in learning more about how you can keep your packets safe and secure, check out this helpful (and quick!) video.

I have taken the KEY Pledge online for laundry safety, and I’m happy to report that my house no longer has packets that are hard to identify or easy to access for kids. I’m also happy to report that by taking the KEY Pledge, I was entered into a giveaway. Someone’s going to win a $2,500 gift card! And we’re ALL going to win safer homes for our kids! 🙂