Millions of packets of popular laundry detergent pods made by Procter & Gamble have been recalled due to faulty packaging, which pose a serious risk of accidental ingestion by young children and may cause facial injuries, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday.
The recall involves Tide, Gain Flings, Ace and Ariel liquid laundry detergent pod packets, which were made between September 2023 and February 2024 and sold in flexible film bags in the United States.
The outer packaging designed to prevent access to the pods can split open near the zipper track, posing a risk of serious injury to children and other vulnerable populations if the contents of the laundry detergent packers are ingested, as well as posing a risk of skin or eye injuries, the agency said.
The CPSC warned that eating a large quantity of detergent can result in death, especially among people with underlying health issues.
The recalled products were sold at retailers including Big Lots, CVS, Family Dollar, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart and Amazon, and priced between $5 (one 12 ct. bag) and $30 (four 39 ct. bags in a box).
The steamers can expel, spray, or leak hot water during use, posing a burn hazard to consumers. Consumer Product Safety Commission
There have been no confirmed cases of injury directly related to this packaging defect, the CPSC said. The agency noted that it has received four reports of children in the United States accessing the liquid laundry packets — three of which reported ingestion during the time period when the recalled lots were sold — but it is not known if these laundry packets came from recalled bags.
Consumers can check for recalled lot codes at pg.com/bags and compare them to codes at the bottom of their package. The CPSC has advised consumers to immediately put recalled bags out of sight and reach of children. Consumers can contact Procter & Gamble for a refund and a free replacement child-resistant bag to store the product.
