Clorox wipes shortage may continue for months, official says. What’s the holdup?

The Clorox wipes shortage may continue well into 2021, according to a company official.

The disinfectant wipes have been a hot commodity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Clorox is having difficulty keeping up with demand.

“Our plants are running 24/7,” Clorox chief operating officer Eric Reynolds told “NBC Nightly News.” “We know that consumers are very frustrated with us.”

Normal supplies of the wipes likely won’t be on shelves until mid-2021, Reynolds said, “NBC Nightly News” reported.

Some retailers have once again been limiting purchases on items such as toilet paper and cleaning supplies, which they first did at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, McClatchy News reported.

Complexities of the Clorox wipe fabric and even the canister have led to delays, Reynolds said.

“That comes from very specialized suppliers,” he said. “Sometimes we have a slowdown of supply of canisters, or the chemistry itself.”

Polyester spunlace, used to make disinfectant wipes, also is used for critically needed face masks, medical gowns and other protective gear, Reuters reported.

Clorox wipes make up 45% of the disinfectant wipes market, CNN reported.

Reynolds’ remark to NBC Nightly News reiterates what Clorox president and chief executive officer Linda Rendle told CNN in August.

“Given the fact that cold and flu (season) sits in the middle of the year, and then we expect the pandemic to be with us for the entirety of the year, it will take the full year to get up to the supply levels that we need to be at,” Rendle said.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Clorox wipes shortage may continue for months, official says. What’s the holdup?."