The Common Household Item Consumer Reports Says No Family Should Own

We've been hearing about kids mixing up liquid laundry detergent pods and candy for some time. But in a surprising move, Consumer Reports is now calling the pods too dangerous to recommend. The nonprofit consumer advocacy group is removing the single-use liquid laundry packets from its list of recommended detergents and is suggesting that families with young children not have them in their houses at all.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, in the first six months of 2015, poison-control centers across the US received 6,046 reports of children age 5 and younger ingesting or inhaling pods or getting pod contents on their skin or in their eyes. Although Consumer Reports says it is parents' responsibility to keep kids away from the pods, they say the risks are just too dangerous.

"We recognize the role parents and caregivers play in keeping children safe, but we believe the unique risks posed by liquid laundry pods warrant this action," Consumer Reports wrote of their decision, "at least until the adoption of tougher safety measures leads to a meaningful drop in injuries."

The recommendation only applies to liquid laundry packets, as powder versions are not considered as dangerous and there have been far fewer reported incidents due to them.

"We are taking a pretty strong stance. We are saying, 'Use a different laundry detergent,'" says Dan DiClerico, senior home editor for Consumer Reports.

Take a look at the image below (provided by Consumer Reports) and see if you can identify the detergent.