The Laundress Recalls 800K Fabric Conditioners for Containing Carcinogen
The company previously recalled 8 million units of its cleaning products for bacterial contamination
The Laundress, a laundry cleaning company that’s owned by multinational consumer goods company Unilever and is based in New York, has announced a recall of 800,000 units of fabric conditioners. The conditioners, also known as fabric softeners, may contain ethylene oxide, which causes cancer in humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Types of cancer that ethylene oxide may cause include non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, myeloma, lymphocytic leukemia, and, in women, breast cancer.
“The Laundress, in collaboration with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, voluntarily recalled fabric conditioners that might contain an impurity, ethylene oxide, which, in the event of significant and direct long-term exposure, can cause adverse health effects,” the Laundress said in a statement to Consumer Reports. “Consumers should discontinue the use of any fabric conditioners.”
Consumer Reports does not currently test the Laundress products, nor do we recommend that consumers use fabric softeners or fabric conditioners.
Recall Details
Products recalled: This recall includes 800,000 fabric conditioner units sold from 2011 through November 2022. The affected products include the Laundress Fabric Conditioner Classic, the Laundress Fabric Conditioner Number 10, the Laundress Fabric Conditioner Baby, and the Laundress 723 Fabric Conditioner; find a complete list of recalled products (PDF). More than 700,000 of these products were already recalled in December 2022, when 8 million units from the Laundress were discovered to be contaminated with multiple types of harmful bacteria.
How to get a refund: Consumers are advised to immediately stop using these products. Those who purchased these products in January 2021 or later can seek a recall by sending a photo of the lot code, plus their initials and the date written with a marker, or a receipt to the Laundress at customerservice@thelaundress.com. Consumers who purchased the product directly from the Laundress can submit their email address for reimbursement. Consumers can also go to the company’s recall page to submit a refund request.
People who purchased the product before January 2021 can request a refund, as well. They should take a photo of the lot code with the date and their initials written with a marker and send it to the Laundress for a full refund of the purchase price if accompanied by a receipt, or for the manufacturer’s suggested retail price if not accompanied by a receipt.
After requesting a refund, consumers should tightly close potentially contaminated product bottles and throw them away, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
