Defective laundry detergent packages recalled nationwide due to serious injury risk

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) says millions of laundry detergent packages are being recalled as they pose serious health risks to children.

The CPSC says 8.2 million products from Procter & Gamble are being recalled Friday. These include Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods and Ariel Pods laundry detergent packets. They were sold through major retailers like Walmart, Family Dollar, Big Lots, CVS, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Target along with Amazon.com.

The danger with the recalled products lies with the outer packaging on the pods. This can split open near the zipper track, posing a hazard for children who might ingest the laundry detergent or expose it to their skin and/or eyes. Consuming a large amount of the pod’s contents can lead to death among those with underlying health problems.

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The CPSC says the products were made between September 2023 and February 2024. The products range from bags with 12 to 39 laundry detergent packets including the following:

• Gain Flings Original

• Gain Flings Moonlight Breeze Scent

• Gain Flings Blissful Breeze Scent

• Gain Flings Spring Daydream Scent

• Gain Flings Plus Ultra Oxi

• Gain Flings Plus Odor Defense

• Tide Pods Original

• Tide Pods Spring Meadow Scent

• Tide Pods Light

• Tide Simply Pods Plus Oxi Boost

• Tide Pods Clean Breeze Scent

• Tide Pods Free & Gentle

• Tide Pods Oxi

• Tide Pods Ultra Oxi

• Ace Pods Clean Breeze

• Ace Pods Spring Meadow

• Ariel Pods Alpine Breeze

In total, the CPSC has received four reports of children in the U.S. being exposed to the liquid inside the laundry detergent packets. In three of these cases, children ingested the liquid laundry detergent. However, it isn’t known if these laundry packets came from the recalled products.

People who purchased the recalled products are encouraged by the CPSC to keep the laundry detergent out of sight and reach of children. You can reach out to Procter & Gamble for a full refund and a free replacement child-resistant bag to store the product. People can also apply for a cabinet lock for securing laundry materials.

To find out if your laundry detergent is being recalled, check the lot code on the bag. Lot codes impacted by the recall can be found using this link.

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