Laundry detergent pod
Laundry detergent packs are products containing laundry soap, softener and other detergents enclosed in plastic discs. Notable manufacturers of these packs include Arm & Hammer, Purex, and Tide.[1] They first became popular in February 2012 when they were introduced by Procter & Gamble as Tide Pods.[1]
The chemistry of laundry detergent packs is the same as in liquid detergents (including alkylbenzenesulfonates). The water-soluble pouch is typically made of polyvinylalcohol (PVA) or a derivative of PVA. Although the formulas are similar, a detergent pack's liquids may contain only 10% water compared to 50% in liquid detergents.[2]
MonoSol is one of the companies that develops the water-soluble film used for laundry detergent packs, used by brands including Tide, Cascade and Finish with roughly $250 million in annual sales and controlling around 90-percent of the market.[3] The film is designed to be soluble within cold water.[4]
Laundry pods are estimated to make up about 15% of the $7 billion-a-year U.S. laundry detergent market sales according to market researcher Nielsen NV. Laundry pods attempt to reduce wasted use of powdered and liquid detergent by having precise measurements for a load. For large loads, most brands recommend two to three pods. The price of detergent pods can also be higher than the liquid detergent for equivalent laundry loads.[5][6]
History
Laundry tabs were originally introduced in the 1960s when Procter & Gamble launched Salvo tablets, later disappearing from the market in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Unilever and Henkel launched a similar laundry detergent pack product sold in Western Europe. These products sometimes didn't fully dissolve in United States washers.[7]
In 2012, Procter & Gamble relaunched a liquid tablet product as Tide Pods.[1]
Poisonings
Concern has been raised over children accidentally being exposed to laundry pacs because their appearance resembles that of candy.[8]
In 2012, in response to a child swallowing Tide Pods, Procter & Gamble said they would make this product more difficult to open by adding a double latch to the lid.[9] In 2013, Consumer Reports stated that there had been nearly 7,700 reported incidents in which children age 5 or younger had been exposed to laundry pacs,[1] and that year, one child from Florida died after ingesting a pac.[10] In 2014, a study published in Pediatrics found that from 2012 to 2013, more than 17,000 calls were made to poison control centers about children who had been exposed to the pacs.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Laundry detergent pods remain a health hazard". Consumer Reports. March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ↑ "BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE PROPOSED GREEN SEAL™ STANDARD FOR LAUNDRY CARE PRODUCTS (2012)" (PDF). Retrieved Nov 11, 2016.
- ↑ "The so-secretive company behind Tide Pod detergent packs". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ "Tide PODS Factsheet" (PDF). Retrieved Nov 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Tide's Answer To Slumping Sales? Use More Detergent Pods!". Consumerist. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ Ziobro, Paul; Terlep, Sharon (2016-06-08). "Three Tide Pods a Wash? Procter & Gamble Pushes More Doses". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ "P&G Reinvents Laundry With $150 Million Tide Pods Launch". Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ↑ Jaslow, Ryan (19 October 2012). "CDC warns laundry detergent pods pose health risk". CBS News. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Wohl, Jessica (25 May 2012). "Tide to change Pods lid over child safety concerns". Reuters. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ↑ Mendoza, Dorrine (16 August 2013). "Baby dies after ingesting laundry detergent pod". CNN. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Valdez, A. L.; Casavant, M. J.; Spiller, H. A.; Chounthirath, T.; Xiang, H.; Smith, G. A. (10 November 2014). "Pediatric Exposure to Laundry Detergent Pods". Pediatrics. 134: 1127–1135. doi:10.1542/peds.2014-0057.