- New Research Shows Nearly 800,000 Posts Promoting Laundry Packets Storage Outside Original Containers Over Four-Year Period
- Practice Puts Americans at Risk for Unintentional Poisonings, says American Cleaning Institute
- More than half of parents are not making safe decisions when storing cleaning products
- Read more about creating an organized, functional and safe laundry room
- Learn more about the research and survey
Unsafe storage of liquid laundry packets was portrayed nearly 800,000 times over a four-year period on popular social media platforms, according to new research released by the American Cleaning Institute.
The trend of discussing or displaying the packets outside their original containers and placing them in clear jars or containers was featured mostly on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest between 2019 and 2022.
As part of its ongoing Store Not Décor campaign, ACI, in collaboration with digital research firm Maven Road, conducted original research to better understand the prevalence of the unsafe cleaning product storage trends across a variety of digital and social platforms.
Decanting cleaning products and storing them as decoration within the home puts children, as well as adults with cognitive impairments, at an increased risk for accidental poisoning exposure.
Safety Not on Display
Of the storage-related posts, images showing the popular, yet unsafe storage practice make up more than half of what is shared. Alarmingly, in 92% of the storage-related posts, there was no mention of the child safety dangers that can come with keeping liquid laundry packets outside of their original containers.
This research comes at a time when the unsafe storage trend is becoming more widely recognized on social media. According to a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of ACI, 41% of Americans have seen popular posts across social media showing cleaning products or liquid laundry packets (LLP) stored on display in clear jars or glass containers. This is an increase of more than 10 percentage points from a 2022 survey, underscoring the growing popularity of this dangerous online storage trend.
While safe storage was ranked as the most important aspect among respondents when it comes to storing cleaning products, 60% of parents report they have kept their liquid laundry packets in areas where a child could see or reach them.
“Our research identified the growing social media trend, a critical safety knowledge gap among digital audiences and a need for increased awareness about safe storage,” said Brian Sansoni, ACI Senior Vice President, Communications, Outreach and Membership. “What parents and caretakers may not realize is that while the trend of decanting cleaning products may be aesthetically pleasing, it increases the risk of an accident in the home. By removing products from their original container, you are eliminating key safety elements such as child-resistant packaging, safety warnings and instructions for proper use.”
Safety Not on Display
Whether you are reorganizing your home or doing your weekly laundry routine, keep these safety practices in mind:
- Like any other household cleaning product, keep liquid laundry packets up high and out of the reach and sight of children.
- Store all laundry packets in their original container with labels intact and remember, when it comes to LLPs and cleaning products, it is always Store Not Décor.
- Prevention is the most critical step in avoiding exposure but in the event of an accident, save the Poison Help number in your phone and post it visibly at home: 1-800-222-1222.
A summary of the Maven Road research and Wakefield Research survey results are available online.
To learn more about laundry room safety and for resources to help prevent accidental liquid laundry packet exposures, visit PacketsUp.com. Join the conversation on social media with #PacketsUp #StoreNotDecor.
About the Research
The research was conducted by Maven Road (www.mavenroad.com) on liquid laundry packets Storage Practices- related user-generated content between January 1st, 2019, and December 31st, 2022. Data collection procedures were conducted via Brandwatch, Sprinklr, and platform native APIs. The research analyzed conversations about liquid laundry packets being used as décor and related topics within social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Etsy, news sites, blogs, and forums. The content was selected based on direct text mentions, related images, and video-driven posts, which included user opinions and/or their stance towards the liquid laundry packets storage practices trends.
Journalists interested in seeing the in-depth Maven Road research should contact Media@cleaninginstitute.org.
About the Survey
The American Cleaning Institute Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative US adults ages 18+, between February 17th and February 23rd, 2023, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data has been weighted to ensure an accurate representation of US adults ages 18+.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
About ACI
The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and 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 chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.