Already have an account?
Get back to the
Home

Fake Laundry Detergent Has Been Popping Up in Stores

Tags:

We all know the counterfeit market is huge for luxury goods like clothing and fashion accessories. But we have to say, learning that fake laundry detergent exists is a new one for us.

An undercover investigation by ABC News found that more than 400 buckets of fake detergent were being sold in the Los Angeles area. These fake laundry detergent buckets were marketed with recognizable names like Tide and Downy. Unfortunately, though this specific problem happened in California a year ago, it wasn’t an isolated incident — an it’s not stopping, either.

Authorities say this fake laundry detergent is all over the internet, and social media is a big enabler for it to show up in places you wouldn’t expect. As if that weren’t frightening enough, the counterfeit detergent might potentially be harmful to people’s health.

Scientist conducted tests on the fake detergent seized from Los Angeles and found that even though it looked and smelled like real laundry detergent, it had such a high water content that it was nearly identical to plain old H2O itself.

“Without sounding too scary, the risks are quite large because we just don’t know,” one scientist said. “It would be like putting your family in a car that you have no idea where it came from.”

Signs of Fake Laundry Detergent

1) It’s being sold in a five-gallon bucket. According to Procter & Gamble, the corporation that makes most of the big brand name soaps, they don’t sell laundry detergent in that size.

2) Labels on the bucket are written in Vietnamese. Some customers have even reported seeing fake buckets like these that say the product is only meant to be sold in Vietnam.

3) The price seems a little too good to be true. You know what they say, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

h/t Country Living

Once you buy your real laundry detergent, check out some of the best laundry rooms out there in the video below.

More from FIRST

How to Fold Fitted Sheets the Martha Stewart-Approved Way

The Secret to Drying Your Clothes Quickly

This Is the Right Way to Clean Your Pillows

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items. Use right arrow key to move into submenus. Use escape to exit the menu. Use up and down arrow keys to explore. Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.