Clorox will experience a shortage of products through 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
What Happened
When the pandemic began in the United States, back in March, disinfectants and cleaning products have been almost impossible to find and purchase. Clorox, which owns 45% of the disinfectant market share, worth over $1 billion, has increased its labor to create more products. However, their extra production and work will not meet the supply and demand through 2021.
The company’s outgoing CEO Benno Dorer told Reuters, according to CNN that Clorox wipes will be hard to come by through next year. “Frankly, we thought we would be in a better position by now, but demand in [Quarter 4] exceeded our expectations,” Dorer told analysts. “We’re certainly not at all happy with our service levels for our retail customers on many products. We have a high sense of urgency on this with all hands on deck.”
“Given the fact that cold and flu sits in the middle of the year, and then we expect the pandemic to be with us for the entirety of the year, it will take the full year to get up to the supply levels that we need to be at,” Linda Rendle, Clorox President and CEO-elect Linda Rendle, told ABC 7 News.
Overall, the company has seen a 22% increase in sales in the most recent quarter.
Cleaning Guides From the CDC
The Center For Disease Control released guidelines for disinfecting and cleaning surfaces.
Furthermore, only certain hand sanitizers and cleaning products can kill the coronavirus. Check their updated list to see which products are safe to use. The CDC recommends sanitizing high touch areas including: doorknobs, tables, toilets desks, handles, remotes, light switches, phones, touch screens, among kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Wear disposable gloves while cleaning if possible and dispose of them after use while not touching the outside areas. Use water prior to disinfecting a surface when using detergent or soap.
For those who are already ill, reduce the cleaning frequency to as needed. Quarantine them off into a specific closed off area and avoid unnecessary contact with the person or room.
