My children are naturally curious. They want and like to know about everything, they’ve always been this way. When my sons were younger, it worried me all the time. They were all little together (my 4 sons were all born within 3 ½ years, Irish quadruplets), so it was always these 4 little boys running around, trying to get into everything. I was always so nervous about them getting into the wrong things, for example, anything poisonous within our home. Our house was baby-proofed the second our 1st son become mobile.

Cabinets locked.
Staircases gated.
Doors bolted.
Furniture anchored.
Storage cabinets locked.

It was something that was very important to us. We didn’t want our curious little boys to get into anything that could potentially harm them.

Now that we have a little baby running around the house again, I’m even more aware. She, like her brothers were at this age, is into everything, too. It’s just this stage of life. Everything is new to them and everything is exciting to them. As much as I love having a little curious baby on my hands, I also need to make sure I’m protecting her within our house, too.

With National Poison Prevention Week approaching, I’m honored to have partnered with the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) to spread awareness about the importance of laundry safety.

In the McClelland household, I do laundry on a daily basis, usually about 3-4 loads a day. For my laundry detergent needs, I prefer to use the liquid laundry packets because the dosage is already pre-measured and easy to pop right into the wash. For children, liquid laundry packs need to be completely off-limits. If swallowed or brought into contact with their eyes, they can be very harmful. Accidents happen in an instant, so it’s always important to keep it out of reach of children.

Here’s the thing, laundry needs to be done, but as parents and caregivers, we need to make sure we’re storing detergent, especially the liquid packets appropriately and safely. This is a serious issue and it’s something I’m encouraging everyone to really make sure they’re thinking about and being proactive about in their homes. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), received reports of more than 11,000 accidental exposures to laundry packets by children 5 and younger in 2014. 11,000! Like any household cleaning product, laundry packets must be kept out of sight and reach of children.

In our home, we store our laundry liquid packets above our washer and dryer in the original container they were purchased in. We transformed in old closet area into our laundry area with tons of storage space. It’s been wonderful for us because we have 8 cabinets above our washer to store all of our products. It’s great because the kids can’t reach it – I actually can’t even reach it without a stool! It works for us and it makes me feel comfortable and relaxed that none of the children can get to it.

The ACI is dedicated to raising awareness to help protect children from laundry accidents and I’m dedicated to do what I can to help spread the word. I’m encouraging all consumers to get involved and take action to prevent future laundry accidents.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored posting. All opinions are 100% my own.