Washing pods and capsules
Washing pods can do serious damage to children’s insides, skin and eyes.
Please move them to a high spot and keep them out of reach of fast little fingers.
Keeping children safe
It only takes a few seconds for little ones to get their hands on something they shouldn’t.
And, while washing pods and capsules can make doing the laundry much easier, they can badly hurt small children if they burst them or bite into them.
So please keep safety in mind.
- While it’s tempting to keep laundry pods next to the washing machine, they’re safer in a high or lockable cupboard
- Watch out for fast little fingers! Don’t leave a laundry capsule on top of the washing
- Put the washing pods box away out of reach as soon as you’ve used them
- When you’re shopping, look out for laundry products with a bittering agent like Bitrex – it tastes so horrible, children spit it out instead of swallowing, preventing accidental poisoning
Why are washing pods so dangerous?
The liquid detergent in washing pods and capsules is up to five times more concentrated than powder and can cause life-changing chemical burns to eyes, skin and throats.
Little ones may mistake brightly coloured laundry pods for sweets and bite into them. Or they may think they are a toy and squeeze them so hard they burst.
Some injuries are so severe that children need skin grafts or long-term tube feeding.
And if the alkaline chemicals get into the eyes it can burn and lead to long-term eyesight problems.
That’s why washing pods and capsules should be kept out of reach of children at all times.
It happened to us…
“He thought it was a sweetie because it was bright and like a jelly so he gave it to Orla who bit into it.”
Mum of 7-month-old who swallowed the contents of a washing pod and spent 10 days in hospital
“It literally happened in a split-second. One minute he was at the side of me, the next he was screaming. It happened so fast.”
Mum of 23-month-old who had burns over his chest and face when he mistook a laundry capsule for a squeezy toy
“Within 30 minutes he went from normal to vomiting, pale, coughing and worst of all in and out of consciousness.”
Mum of 10-month-old who was in a coma after swallowing part of a laundry pod while she was doing the washing
“It took all night flushing out Lockie’s eyes with 22 litres of fluid before finally getting the ph down.”
Mum of 3-year-old who had a chemical burn on his eye after bursting a laundry pod
“I was heartbroken. I felt like the worst mum in the world and I honestly thought she would be blind.”
Mum of one-year-old who suffered third-degree burns to her eyes after squeezing a washing pod she found in the cupboard
Safety features
Some washing pods and capsules come in boxes with child-frustrating closures. These make it harder for young children to open them, though remember they are not child-proof.
It’s best to store your washing pods in these containers and not decant them into a different box that is easier to access.
All washing capsules and tablets should now have their film coated with a bitter safety ingredient such as Bitrex. This is designed to taste so horrible that children spit it out instead of swallowing, preventing accidental poisoning.
Some cleaning and household products have this bittering agent in the liquid.
Do you work with families? You can order free Bitrex Taste Tests to use in your work or at events. It’s a chance for parents and carers to taste the bitterest substance on earth, then eat milk chocolate, all in aid of poisoning prevention.
In an emergency
If your child has swallowed part of a washing pod:
- Get medical help
- Do not make the child sick this can cause more damage
If your child has part of a washing pod on their skin or eyes:
- Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes
- Get medical help
Medical staff may want to know:
- When it happened
- Any symptoms such as being sick, difficulty breathing or itchy eyes
- Roughly how much has been swallowed or splashed on skin and eyes
- Which brand of laundry pod it was
