The Real Reason Why Clorox Won't Fully Restock Antibacterial Wipes Until 2021

Those hoping to buy Clorox disinfecting wipes to fight the spread of COVID-19 will likely be out of luck until 2021, according to the company's CEO.

On Monday, CEO Benno Dorer told Reuters that the manufacturer has been struggling with high demand throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In most years, the California-based Clorox keeps excess supply for the upcoming flu season, but 2020 presented an unexpected challenge due to the fact that there was a six-fold increase in demand for many disinfectants outside of the expected timeframe.

"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," Dorer stated.

Continuing, he added, "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."

As noted by the publication, many Clorox disinfecting wipes are made from polyester spunlace, which is the same material used to make personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, medical wipes, and medical gowns.

To accommodate the uptick in demand amid the current health crisis, Clorox has stated that they have made "major" capital investments in order to increase the number of products that they can manufacture each quarter. Additionally, they have reportedly simplified "disinfectant product line-up at factories that run 24/7 every day of the year" and have outsourced some manufacturing efforts to 10 third-party supplies.

Issues have also plagued other products within the company's portfolio, including Glad trash bags and Burt's Bees lip balm, but the supply of liquid beach is set to "improve dramatically over the next four to six months."