COEUR d'ALENE - They reduce time spent in the laundry room, but single-use laundry detergent packets can be deadly to children.

The Idaho Poison Center reports there has been a 30 percent increase in calls about the packets, and five children have been hospitalized this year after being exposed to the substances inside the packets. According to the poison center, 40 of 69 reported instances have required some sort of medical attention.

The products contain concentrated liquid laundry soap and became widely available throughout the nation two years ago. Some are multicolored and may look enticing to young children.

Donna Kalanick, injury prevention and Safe Kids coordinator at Kootenai Health, told The Press that although the hospital has not seen a recent increase in poisoning caused by the packets, they pose a real danger to households with children.

"They're deadly," Kalanick said. "But a child might just see the really pretty wrappers."

Poisoning or injuries including mouth, throat and eye burns can occur when kids burst the capsules or put them in their mouths.

In the last two years, poison centers around the nation have had more than 17,000 calls about the products. These calls involved children younger than 6 years and most weren't seriously harmed.

However, one child died last year from exposure to the concentrated liquid. Other serious medical complications such as seizures and comas have also been reported.

Kalanick said her department stresses "common sense" solutions that parents with small children can use to keep their homes safe. Having safety locks on cabinets and placing poisonous cleaning products away from the reach of children are among those solutions.

"Parents also have to be aware that if their kids do visit other people that don't provide child-proofing in their household - maybe a grandparent or other family members - that they have to be supervised," Kalanick said.

For more information on how to keep your home safe for children, Kalanick encouraged parents to visit www.safekids.org.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.