When will Clorox wipes again be plentiful in stores? Here's what the president of the company says
As people ramp up cleaning in their homes to try to keep the coronavirus at bay, demand has spiked up to 500 percent for disinfectants.
Clorox is now running plants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Linda Rendle, president of the company, appeared on Good Morning America on Monday where she explained why you might not be seeing Clorox wipes on shelves.
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"Wipes are in short supply right now, but the good news is we're delivering wipes to stores every single day," Rendle said. "Unfortunately, they're being snagged just about as soon as they hit shelves, many times within minutes. We've seen unprecedented spike in demand for wipes, up 500 percent versus a year ago, but we're working with everything feasible in our power to get as many disinfecting products to people as quickly as we can."
She said that while some people may be stockpiling wipes, the main reason for the recent shortage is that people who never bought them in the past are now purchasing them.
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So when can shoppers expect to see a plentiful supply back on the shelves?
"I know that's the question on everybody's mind," Rendle said. "We will expect improvement come this summer. It will all depend on the demand but we are doing everything in our power to ensure that we get products to store and that includes running our cleaning plants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We began that in January. We're contracting with third-party suppliers who are helping make product for us, as well as ensuring that we are prioritizing making products that disinfect in our cleaning lineup and that's going to help us get into a better position in the summer."
Rendle also addressed on GMA what the company will do if there's a second wave and demand increases again later in the year.
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"It really comes down to ensuring that we can continue to run our operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and that's about keeping our team, the incredible people who are manufacturing our products on the front line today, healthy and well," she said. "We are doing that by ensuring that we enhance the safety protocols in our manufacturing facilities. We've implemented temperature scanning, face coverings, practicing distancing. We've also enhanced benefits and pay for those workers who ensure that they're able to deliver as many products as possible so we're ready for whatever the future holds."
