When Will Clorox Wipes Be Readily Available Again? Consumers ‘Very Frustrated’ With Supply

A COVID-19 vaccine may be on the way, but disinfecting products made even more popular by the pandemic are still in short supply. Consumers won’t be able to readily find Clorox wipes in stores anytime soon, according to the company’s COO, Eric Reynolds.

Reynolds made the announcement on "NBC Nightly News" on Thursday, saying that it won’t be “until mid-2021” when shelves will be adequately stocked with the high-demand products.

"People are working overtime to take care of their families, to educate their kids, and they turn to us for help...We are producing more wipes than ever, but the demand is staying in incredible high levels,” Reynolds said.

Clorox wipes were one of the first products to be depleted from store shelves during the height of the coronavirus pandemic as consumers looked for cleansers to sanitize their homes from the virus. Retailers also saw consumers purchase large quantities of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and other home essentials.

While the disinfectant wipes can be found in short supply in some areas, Clorox can’t keep up with the demand from consumers that are continuing to buy the wipes.

"People are suffering, COVID is surging, but everything we know right now – we probably won’t be back in the type of in-stock positions, or you know, what people are used to going to the store, until mid-2021,” Reynolds warned.

This is the third time that Clorox has pushed back the availability of its disinfectant wipes. In May, the company said the shortage would only last until summer, USA Today reported. Clorox then corrected the delay, saying in August that it would be until the end of 2020 before its wipes would be readily found in stores.

"We know that consumers are very frustrated with us," Reynolds said. “We hear from them all the time. We are frustrated, too.”

Clorox is not the only cleaning supply producer that has come up short when it comes to delivering its products to consumers. Lysol is also experiencing its fair share of challenges.

On its website, Lysol said, “We are experiencing unprecedented and accelerated demand for our Lysol products, and this demand is clearly having an impact on store inventory levels. Our teams are actively working around the clock to increase production and delivery to our retailers, with the goal to maximize access to our products.”

To prepare for the surge in demand, Reynolds said that Clorox has plans to increase its production and will deliver 1.5 million disinfectant canisters and packages of wipes daily by February 2021.