Clorox Wipes Won’t Be Fully Replenished in Stores Until 2021

Clorox’s supply of disinfecting wipes is depleted for the rest of 2020, and will not be fully replenished in stores until 2021, according to its CEO.

Skyrocketing demand due to the coronavirus pandemic is fueling this shortage of wipes, meaning grocery stores will not be able to fully restock them until next year.

“Disinfecting wipes, which are the hottest commodity in the business right now, will probably take longer because it’s a very complex supply chain to make them,” Clorox CEO Benno Dorer told Reuters Monday.

While many of the company’s products are understocked, Dorer believes the company can get back to producing products at pre-pandemic levels for most items such as Burt’s Bees lip balm, Glad trash bags, and liquid bleach over the next four to six months.

But its wipes will take a lot longer because they are made from a substance known as polyester spunlace, a material that is also used to make surgical gowns, masks, and medical wipes.

Because of the massive demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect people from the coronavirus, the material is hard to obtain.

“That entire supply chain is stressed … We feel like it’s probably going to take until 2021 before we’re able to meet all the demand that we have,” Dorer said.