ST. LOUIS — Skyrocketing demand is wiping out Clorox disinfecting wipes, and they won’t be fully restocked until next year, according to the company’s CEO.
“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.
Dorer said this is because the wipes are made with polyester spunlace, a material that’s also used to make face masks, medical gowns and other medical wipes
Since there’s such a need for PPE right now to protect against the coronavirus, the material is hard to come by.
“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 told Reuters.
The global pandemic has brought a six-fold increase in demand for products from the California-based cleaning supplies company.
Other products made by Clorox, such as Glad trash bags, Burt’s Bees lip balm and liquid bleach, should be restocked as normal over the next several months.