A routine day of laundry turned into a medical nightmare for an Australian mom whose 4-year-old daughter was left temporarily blind. Now she’s speaking out, begging other parents not to make the same mistake.
A “helping hand” that went horribly wrong
On March 23, little Luca de Groot, age 4, was doing something she’d done plenty of times before: helping her mom Jodi with the laundry at home.
As Jodi loaded the washing machine, she handed Luca a single laundry capsule to hold — a soft, colorful pod that looks a lot like a toy or candy to a child.
Within seconds, the house filled with screams. Luca had put the pod in her mouth and bitten down. It burst, and the highly concentrated detergent sprayed across her face and straight into her eyes.
Detergent in both eyes
Jodi says Luca had never tried to bite a pod before and usually just passed them to her without playing with them. But this time the squishy texture was too tempting. By the time Jodi turned around, it was too late.
The pod exploded and Luca instinctively rubbed her face, smearing the chemicals deeper into both eyes. She started screaming in pain and quickly became hysterical.
Panicking, Jodi rushed her into the shower and tried to rinse her eyes with water. She checked the product label, which simply told her to “seek medical advice” — nothing that suggested the situation could be life-altering. As Luca’s screams didn’t stop, Jodi called the poison information line and was told to get her daughter to the hospital immediately.
Hospital treatment and three surgeries
At the hospital, doctors repeatedly flushed Luca’s eyes in an attempt to remove the detergent. They washed them four separate times, but the chemical burns were already severe.
Over the next days, Luca needed three surgeries, including an amniotic membrane transplant — a delicate procedure where tissue from the placenta is placed over the eye to help healing and protect the surface. At one point doctors even considered a fourth operation because she refused to open her eyes. With gentle encouragement, she eventually did.
Luca spent 16 days in hospital, and although her vision started to return, sight in her left eye is still not fully back and is only slowly improving.
Lasting damage and a long recovery
Today, Luca is back home, but life is far from normal. Her eyes remain red and irritated, and doctors say the healing process could take up to a year.
She’s been left with a mild visual impairment, and her mom admits the whole experience has been deeply traumatic: watching her child in so much pain, knowing there’s little you can do, is every parent’s nightmare.
“The warnings are not good enough”
Jodi is now determined to warn other families about how dangerous laundry pods can be — especially because they look harmless and are often stored within easy reach.
She feels the safety information on the packaging is far too vague and doesn’t reflect the real risk of serious eye injuries, multiple surgeries and weeks in hospital. The pods look and smell appealing, and their bright, jelly-like appearance makes them especially attractive to young children.
In her view, simply saying “keep away from children” and “seek medical advice” is nowhere near enough. She wants stronger wording and clearer instructions that tell parents to head straight to the hospital if detergent gets into a child’s eyes.
The manufacturer responds
In response to Luca’s case, a Unilever spokesperson said the company was “deeply saddened” by what happened and had reached out to Jodi to understand the incident and investigate further.
They stressed that safety is their top priority and that their capsules use child-resistant closures and carry prominent on-pack warnings that meet industry guidelines.
A powerful reminder for all parents
Luca’s story is a harsh reminder that everyday products can become extremely dangerous in a matter of seconds when curious little hands are involved.
Jodi’s plea is simple:
Treat laundry pods like any other hazardous chemical.
Store them high up and locked away.
Never let children handle them, even “just to help.”
And if detergent ever gets near a child’s eyes, don’t wait — rinse immediately and go straight to the hospital.
The more people hear Luca’s story, the fewer families will have to live through the same terrifying ordeal.
