Why do they make cleaning gel packs look so much like candy?

Because no one wants to buy something that looks like mud to wash their dishes.

All cleaning products have to be kept out of reach. All the labels say that. Or, you know, just tell the kids that the cupboard under the sink is “hot” so they leave it alone. That’s what I did with Ian.

I keep bleach and caustic cleaners, things that could kill them, pretty quickly with just a bit of ingestion, out of reach. However, washing machine powders I just keep on the floor by the washing machine. It would take one strange child to eat more after that first nip, and that sample wouldn’t hurt them. Same with dish washing powder and liquids. I don’t keep bar soap out of their reach either. Or toothpaste. Or potting soil, although both say I should.

Yep, I agree with @Seek Nobody would buy a dishwasher pod that looked like a dog turd. lol
Bright colors, like blue, orange, etc. are more attractive in products, just like shampoo. Nobody wants a bottle of brown shampoo, we want clear or colored products. I agree that it would be a rare kid that would actually continue to eat some soapy or chemical tasting product.

My daughter is grown now but I never worried about soaps and a lot of other things.
Things like fertilizer pellets, snail bait, bleach, furniture polish etc. yes. Soaps and cleanser and SOS pads etc. no.

So that dumb kids eat it, and decrease the surplus population.

@Seek , I remember my mom telling me that the stove was hot and didn’t believe her because I touched the burners and they weren’t hot. Then one day they were. Ouch! One of those very early childhood memories that stuck with me.

I bet the time my Corrie put her lips on a hot cookie sheet that was too close to the edge of the stove stuck with her, too!

Do you guys ever let kids find out for themselves, while you’re close by making sure they won’t really get hurt? Like, “I’m telling you, don’t touch that [whatever] because it’s hot!.” and you can see they’re going to do it anyway? Do you jump in and stop them, or do you let them, while on standby? I let them while on standby.

Because they assume that parents will have sense enough to keep them out of children’s reach. This, however, vastly overestimates a significant portion of the adult human population.

Sure does. Plus accidents can happen to even the most vigilant of parents.

They don’t, no more than a dog makes it’s poop look like a Tootsie Roll. People like pretty colors rather than dull boring ones, so why not make the product appealing to the eye? I also agree with what @Darth_Algar said 2 posts back.

I agreed with @Darth_Algar too, in the post just above yours.

I don’t understand, though, why they can’t choose something that’s attractive, like plain white, or maybe beige, something that isn’t AS alluring and candy-looking to clueless children. But I do understand that adults are hardly any more mature than children when it comes to “Oh! Pretty pretty!” And many probably don’t bother to see it the way the kids see it. They know it’s fairly toxic, so the kids do too, right? I mean, isn’t it obvious??

Relevant.

@Dutchess_III You are absolutely correct. White or clear.
It’s weird. Like manufacturers always assume that idiots will know and do the right thing every single time.

Yup.
Do they have any advantage over powdered detergents?

They are really convenient, especially if you live in am apartment and have to go to the laundry room. It’s easier to carry one or two pods than a whole box of laundry soap

Well, you don’t have to carry the whole box with you.

It would be a bigger pain to put it in zip lock baggies or something. Way easier to grab a pod

Well, you just have an old butter tub, of whatever size, you keep in the detergent box. Scoop it up, snap the lid on, and you’re good to go, is what I’m thinking. But that’s just me. It’s the cheapest way to go, so I’d do that.