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Laundry Room Mini Makeover Challenge – Keep Packets Up

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The following post is brought to you by The American Cleaning Institute for the #PacketsUp campaign.

I’ll be honest with you. 

Since my children (ages 12, 9, and 7) have been out of diapers, I haven’t given much thought to safety around the house.

Okay, I’m probably exaggerating a bit. Of course I don’t want them to lean too close to a hot stove…or fly down the stairs so quickly that we end up at Urgent Care after slipping on the sneakers that my middle son always leaves sprawled on the bottom step (despite constant reminders to put them away, I might add).

But once we were released from “diaper duty,” somehow most of my angst about inadvertent accidents around the house seemed to dissipate. As if potty training magically boosted their executive functioning and reasoning or something.

Recently, however, I teamed up with the American Cleaning Institute for a chat about their ongoing #PacketsUp campaign to remind parents (including grandparents and caregivers of children and adults) about the importance of keeping laundry packets stored up high and out of reach of children (and sensitive populations, such as those with Alzheimer’s). It was a stark reminder that diapers or no diapers, safety at home should be a top priority. 

When I stepped into my laundry room after the conversation about keeping laundry packets and other laundry products up and out of reach, but what do I find sitting on the dryer??

A bottle of–GASP!–bleach!


 

The good news is that the bleach bottle was empty. The bad news, however, (aside from the fact that my laundry room looked like a bomb had exploded), is that at any time, my 12-, 9-, or 7-year-old could have picked up that laundry bottle and could have played with it. By leaving laundry detergents sitting out, I was, in fact, creating an unsafe environment.

 

 

Young children explore the world by touch and taste. Whether they’re 20 months or 12-years-old, we parents, grandparents, and caregivers should make safety a priority at home. Here at Thrift Diving, we talk about home decorating, room makeovers, furniture makeovers, and more. But sometimes I am reminded that it’s not just about making your home pretty, it’s about making your home safe, too.  

And that’s true of our laundry room spaces, too! Instead of just focusing on which paint colors will look great and how to effectively store our dirty laundry, let’s focus on creating a pretty and safe laundry room!

 

A big “no-no”: leaving laundry cleaning products or laundry packets sitting on the washer or dryer. They should be stored up and out of reach, every time.

Packets Up! Tips

If you’re a parent of young kids, a grandparent whose grandkids come over to visit, or a caregiver for someone who has cognitive disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, keep these tips in mind about your laundry room or space:

  • Always store laundry packets and laundry detergent up and out of reach.
  • Keep packets in their original container and store them immediately when you bring them home. (Don’t “DIY” your own laundry containers to store your packets or laundry detergent. These original containers have child-resistant lids or openings and contain a list of ingredients in case of an emergency.
  • Always keep product containers securely closed before, during, and after use.
  • Text “POISON” to 797979 to save the poison control contact information in your smartphone.
  • If your child, or adult receiving caregiver services, comes in contact with laundry packets, call poison control right away.

 

 

Join Me in Keeping Your Laundry Packets June 1 – 15th!

I love having this platform to spread the word about laundry room safety! This June, I’m teaming up with the American Cleaning Institute to do a Laundry Room Makeover Challenge! Instead of our usual 30-Day Challenge, we’re going to make this a 15-day laundry room “mini” refresh makeover, with the goal of organizing our laundry room to be not just pretty, but safe!

I’ll be running the challenge from June 1 – June 15th! You’ll have just 15 days to organize your laundry room to be safe (with your packets up!), more organized, and a more relaxed space.

Sign up now!

 

 

Of course, included in my goal to organize my laundry cabinets with my laundry detergents and packets, I’ll also be freshening up my laundry table, folding and putting everything away, and turning this room into a space that makes me happy to walk into instead of a stress-induced clutter that raises my blood pressure 20 points.

(Oh, FYI–these pictures were not Photoshopped. That’s real-time Thrift Diving mess right there).  😉

 

 

 

Request a Free “Packets Up” Cling For Your Cabinet

In the meantime, while you’re signing up for this laundry room challenge, be sure to visit The American Cleaning Institute to request your own free Packets Up cling, which will serve as a constant visual reminder to keep laundry packets up and safely stored away from children or adults that need caregiving.

 

Download the 5 freebies!

Thrift Diving inspires women to decorate, improve, and maintain their home themselves...using paint, power tools, and thrift stores! Use these 5 printables, checklists, and ebooks to get started!

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3 Comments

  1. Gah! I’m one of these people who leave out things. One thing that is probably contributing to the problem is that I have other items on the upper shelves in my laundry room, like the little green machine, emergency water, vacuum attachments, and extra booster seats. I could probably find a different home for those. Thanks for helping me think about this topic!

  2. Maria Wood says:

    Okay I signed signed up, now what is next? How do you upload the before pictures?

  3. Cecilia from Georgia says:

    Hi Serena! You are so right about not paying attention to home safety when the kids are older. However, I have a 3 year old grandson and he visits often…I just looked in my laundry room and was shocked to see bleach, floor cleaner, and detergent sitting on the floor!! I am in serious need of cleaning up my laundry room. I use it for painting and wow is it off the chain in a bad way! I’ll be looking for the sign-up post. Thanks for making me aware of the hazards all over the house!

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