Pine-Sol Added To List Of Disinfectants That Kill COVID-19 On Surfaces

A variant of Pine-Sol, a popular household liquid cleaner from The Clorox Company, has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "for kill claims against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on hard non-porous surfaces."

The EPA has added this Pine-Sol variant to the "List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)." Clorox said the EPA approval specifically applies to "Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner." The Pine-Sol website carries the product claim "Kills COVID-19 virus" on hard, nonporous surfaces.

Among other Clorox household cleaning products on this list are Clorox Healthcare Bleach Germicidal Wipes, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Fresh Scent Clorox and CPPC Bleach.

The EPA advises consumers to follow all label directions when using any of the registered disinfectants on its list to "for safe, effective use." Consumption of these products can be lethal.

The approval of Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner follows third-party laboratory testing showing the product's efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 with a 10-minute contact time on hard non-porous surfaces.

"Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner now offers the clean families have trusted through generations with the protection they need right now against the spread of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," said Chris Hyder, Vice President and General Manager of the Cleaning division at Clorox.

Hyder also said Clorox hopes the new approval will "increase access to disinfectants that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19."

Clorox is enjoying a huge surge in sales due to the pandemic. It reported net earnings in its fiscal third quarter of $241 million with revenue jumping 15% year-on-year to $1.78 billion.

Sales of Clorox cleaning products soared 32% to $671 million while volume growth surged by 18 points amid strong demand for products due to the pandemic.

“Beyond the extraordinary growth in our disinfecting products, we saw broad-based growth across all four segments as our portfolio is uniquely positioned to serve consumers in this unprecedented time,” said CEO Benno Dorer.

“Importantly, our business was on track to deliver growth for the back half of the fiscal year in line with our expectations, even ahead of the pandemic.”