American Cleaning Institute Survey Finds Many Households Still Improperly Storing Liquid Laundry Packets

Simple Home Safety Precautions Can Stop Preventable Accidents with Small Children

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Sep 29, 2015, 09:17 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cleaning Institute^® (ACI), a nonprofit organization representing producers of household cleaning products, recently conducted a national consumer survey as part of the cleaning product industry's ongoing commitment to keeping children safe from accidental exposures to liquid laundry packets. Now in its third year, ACI's laundry safety campaign continues to reach parents across the country with important messages about the safe use and storage of liquid laundry packets. The campaign was created to raise awareness and reduce the unnecessary accidents.

The national survey, conducted among 1,000 parents and caregivers, half with children under the age of 4, revealed low consumer awareness of practicing safe laundry habits. Sixty-one percent of parents are storing laundry packets in-sight or in-reach of children and 81 percent of those surveyed mistakenly think their children cannot reach the packets. In fact, over one-third of parents who bring their children with them into the laundry room admit they can reach the laundry detergent.

"Like all household cleaning products, liquid laundry packets must be kept away from small children," said Nancy Bock, ACI Senior Vice President of Education. "These survey results show us that parents and caregivers are still placing this product in areas where children can reach it, which can lead to accidents. Simply placing liquid laundry packets up and out of reach, a precaution we take with other household cleaning products and medicines, can help prevent accidental exposure and potentially serious consequences."

The survey also revealed that roughly 3 million American households with children under four years of age are storing liquid laundry packets on the washing machine, an area that could easily be reached by children¹. The survey also found that 69 percent of parents do not store laundry packets in a locked cabinet or closet. Locking detergent packets up in a cabinet is an effective way to keep these products out of reach of young children, especially when little ones begin exploring closets and cabinets at an early age.

These small and highly concentrated packets first came onto the market in 2012 and have become widely available and used by consumers across the country. With their ease of use, these detergent packets have become extremely popular in households across the country but they can cause serious injury if children ingest them or they get in their eyes. It's important for all parents and caregivers to practice safe laundry habits by keeping liquid laundry packets in their original container and out of reach of young children.

Consumers are encouraged to visit ACI's website (cleaninginstitute.org/hands-off) to learn more about home safety tips for the laundry room. ACI's infographic is also available online (http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/survey_storing_laundry_packets.aspx) which visually showcases the survey findings. Additionally, consumers can take the KEY Pledge (cleaninginstitute.org/keypledge) to a safe laundry room and routine. Those who take the Pledge are automatically entered to win a $2,500 laundry room makeover².

About the KEY Pledge Laundry Safety Campaign:
ACI's KEY Pledge laundry safety campaign is a program aimed to educate parents and caregivers on the importance of practicing laundry safety at home and around young children. Liquid laundry packets contain highly concentrated detergent that can be harmful to young children if they come into contact with them. ACI is inviting all parents and caregivers to take the KEY Pledge online for laundry safety at www.keypledge.com. It takes just seconds to take the pledge to keep liquid laundry packets out of reach of children, and educate family and friends about the safe use and storage of these laundry products. All online pledges will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for a chance for one person to win a $2,500 grand prize* to help makeover their laundry room. Pledgees can also track how they are making a difference through a heat map that allows them to follow pledge tallies by zip code in their home state and across the nation.

About the American Cleaning Institute:
The American Cleaning Institute^® (ACI) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry™ and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market. ACI members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleo chemical producers. ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) and its members are dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of consumers through sustainable cleaning products and practices.

Survey Notes:
The American Cleaning Institute survey was conducted by KRC Research (www.krcresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative American adults, ages 18 and older that have at least one child under 4 years of age and currently use liquid laundry packets, using an email invitations and an online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18 and older with at least one child under the age of 4 years of age.

¹ Calculated using US Census data – about 30MM households with children under 6, which translates to approximately 20MM under 4. 15% of 20MM = 3MM. (Table A3: https://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2014A.html)
² NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends on December 31, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Open to legal residents of 50 U.S., the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, 21 and older. Void where prohibited. For Official Rules, go to http://www.keypledge.com/Keypledge/TermsConditions.html. Sponsor: American Cleaning Institute

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SOURCE American Cleaning Institute