As a mom of 4 little boys, I fully understand and know that little kids can get into anything. I remember the afternoon Benjamin walked downstairs with eyeshadow on his cheeks and told me he was, “just trying to look like a superhero.” Oh, yes… that was a fun morning trying to explain to his teachers why his face was shimmery green.

I was so concerned today when I heard about the segment that ran last night on ABC called “Laundry Detergent Pods Poisoning Children.” The segment specifically mentioned the Tide Pods, and how children have been mistaking them for candy.

As anyone can tell by reading my blog, I’m a loyal P&G consumer. I’ve been using Tide my whole entire life! It has always been the constant in my laundry world, and has gone through the evolution of life with me… baby, child, teen, young adult, woman, married and mother. Tide’s made my life easier by keeping my clothes clean and helping them last longer. I’m just a Tide lover and working with P&G and Tide over the last few years has been a dream come true for me.

I was actually involved in a focus group when Tide Pods were beginning to be born. I loved the fact that Tide was jumping into the single dose category and knew it would make a mom’s life (because that’s where I see things from) easier. When the Tide Pods were finally released and in-stores, I couldn’t WAIT to pop them into the laundry. It’s as easy as 1-2-3… you don’t even think about it! You pop and go. I officially made the switch from my liquid Tide to the Pods a month ago.

When I saw the news segment about the little girl eating one of the Pods because she thought it was candy, I felt awful. I felt awful for the little girl and for the mother. I’ve always felt that a brand and/or company is defined by how quickly they step-up and acknowledge when something needs to be addressed. My father is an entrepreneur, and my whole life he was taught his children that in business, the customer is always the most important person. I was extremely impressed today as to how quickly P&G and Tide addressed everything and I wanted to share their statement on my blog tonight…

Cleaning products are very much part of our everyday life and are safe when used as intended, but they must be kept out of reach of young children and pets. Unfortunately incidents do sometimes happen and we have seen some incidents of accidental exposures with the introduction of unit dose laundry detergent in the US.

As of the launch, we have employed our best learnings on how to inform our consumers about proper usage instructions and labeled the product in a way that helps consumers in safe handling the product. Since the launch, we have also improved the tub lid with a double latch closure and this lid will be available on several sizes in the stores as of July 2012. We are also looking into ways on how intensify our educational efforts.

We’ve been working with American Cleaning Institute to promote the instructions on safe handling, usage and disposal of the laundry detergents, and remind the public that cleaning products must be kept out of the reach of young children. The American Cleaning Institute has already taken a number of steps to reinforce this messaging.

Unit dose pacs are safe for their intended use, and they’ve been used by households across Europe for over 10 years. However, like any cleaning product, they need to be handled carefully and should be kept out of the reach of young children.

I’m happy – as a customer and mom – to see that P&G will be releasing a double latch closure in July. I keep all of my detergents and home cleaning products in cabinets above my washer/dryer, but I know not everyone is able to do this. I love that P&G has made improvements to keep making sure the are producing the best possible product for their customers.