Clorox issued a massive recall for various Clorox products that might contain dangerous bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The action covers approximately 37 million products the company produced between January 2021 and September 2022.
Thankfully, Clorox has not received any reports of incidents or injuries to date. But customers who own cleaners from the Clorox brands in this massive recall should stop using them immediately.
Clorox Pine-Sol recall
The company announced the recall overnight and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) posted the release at this link.
The recall involves the following products:
- Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaners in Lavender Clean, Sparkling Wave, and Lemon Fresh scents,
- CloroxPro Pine-Sol All Purpose Cleaners, in Lavender Clean, Sparkling Wave, Lemon Fresh, and Orange Energy scents,
- Clorox Professional Pine-Sol Lemon Fresh Cleaners
Customers should look for date codes starting with the prefix “A4” and a five-digit number that’s less than 22249. Also, the products come in various bottle sizes: 28, 48, 60, 100, 144, and 175 fluid ounces.
The report says that Clorox is recalling all the products above that came from the Forest Park, Georgia facility through September 2022 out of an abundance of caution.
Clorox sold the products in this recall online at Amazon.com and other stores. The cleaners were also available in various brick-and-mortar stores nationwide, including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Dollar General, Target, Home Depot, BJ’s, Kroger, Dollar Tree, Lowe’s, Publix, and others.
The recalled Clorox products sold for between $2.50 and $12.50
Bacteria infection risk
Clorox explains that the cleaners in the recall may contain bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This organism usually lives in soil and water. The presence of bacteria in consumer goods, whether it’s food or something else, usually leads to product recalls.
People with weakened immune systems or external medical devices exposed to Pseudomonas can get infected. They might require medical treatment after that. The bacteria can enter the body via inhalation, through the eyes, or through a break in the skin.
The recall report notes that people with healthy immune systems aren’t usually affected by this bacteria.
Lab testing found the bacteria in some of the products above, including cleaners that Clorox produced between January 2021 and September 2022.
What you should do
Clorox instructs customers to stop using the products in the recall immediately. Buyers should take pictures of the 12-digit UPC code on the bottles and the date code. They can then contact Pine-Sol for a full refund of the purchase price with a receipt. If they don’t have receipts, they will get a refund of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
Furthermore, customers should dispose of the recalled products in their containers with household trash. The potentially contaminated cleaners should not be dumped into a sink or toilet, as that might spread the bacteria.
Finally, consumers who think they’ve experienced adverse effects in connection with the recalled Clorox products should contact their doctors.
Clorox has a special website for the recall at this link, complete with additional photos and contact information. The CPSC recall page also offers contact information for the company.
