The company behind the popular laundry detergent and cleaning products has announced a voluntary recall due to possible bacterial contamination.
Laundress first issued a safety notice on November 17, urging customers to stop using its products altogether.
“We have identified the potential presence of high levels of bacteria in some of our products that pose a safety concern,” the company wrote in part, before adding that it would provide an update at a later date.
On Thursday, the company expanded the safety notice to include a recall.
Laundromat recalls laundry detergent and household cleaning products due to risk of exposure to bacteria.
CPSC
“The recalled products may contain bacteria, including Burkholderia cepacia complex, Klebsiella aerogenes, and many different species of Pseudomonas. Many of these are common environmental organisms in soil and water, and some can be found in humans,” the company said. recall notice.
“People who are immunocompromised, have external medical devices and lung disease and are exposed to the bacteria are at serious risk of infection that may require medical treatment,” the company said. “Bacteria can enter the body through inhalation, through the eyes or through breaks in the skin. People with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by the bacteria.”
Although Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria, also called B. cepacia, pose little medical risk to healthy people, they are “often resistant to common antibiotics,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the CDC notes that people with “compromised immune systems or certain health problems, such as chronic lung disease, especially cystic fibrosis, “may be more susceptible to infections with B. cepacia, which is a known cause of infections in hospitalized patients.”
Symptoms of B. cepacia infection vary, according to the CDC, with some people experiencing no symptoms and others suffering from “serious respiratory infections.” Bacteria can spread from person to person, through contact with contaminated surfaces, or through exposure to the environment.
Klebsiella, according to the CDC, “is another type of gram-negative bacteria that can cause a variety of healthcare-associated infections, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis.”
“… Klebsiella infections usually occur among sick patients receiving treatment for other conditions,” the agency notes on its website. “Patients requiring maintenance devices such as ventilators (breathing machines) or intravenous (vein) catheters, and patients receiving long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for Klebsiella infection. Healthy people usually do not get Klebsiella infection.”
Klebsiella bacteria are also often resistant to antibiotics, the CDC notes.
Klebsiella is spread by person-to-person contact, “less commonly, through environmental contamination,” according to the CDC. The bacteria is not airborne.
Pseudomonas, the CDC states, is also found in soil and water and can cause infections in the blood, lungs or other parts of the body. Bacteria can be spread from person to person or through the environment. Those most at risk include patients in hospitals, especially those on breathing machines (ventilators), on devices such as catheters, or patients with surgical or burn wounds.
So far, The Laundress said the company is aware of 11 reported cases of Pseudomonas infections and is investigating whether the infections are linked to their products.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, between January 2021 and September 2022, approximately 8 million Yuma products are affected by the recall, including those manufactured in the United States. The affected products were sold both online and in stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. , Target, The Container Store and other major retailers.
Customers who purchased The Laundress products can submit their information to request a refund. They can also contact the company for more information via email at customerservice@thelaundress.com or at (800) 681-1915, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On social media and on its website, The Laundress directs customers to visit a dedicated website — thelaundressrecall.com — for a complete list of affected products, answers to frequently asked questions and refund instructions.
The company is also asking consumers who have the recalled products to dispose of them immediately. “After requesting a refund, consumers should dispose of the product by capping the bottle tightly and placing it in the household trash. Do not empty the product before disposal,” the company said on its recall website.
Unilever owns The Laundress after the conglomerate bought the brand in 2019. The Laundress was relaunched in 2004 by Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd.