Clorox Recalls 37 Million Bottles of Pine-Sol

Eight different Pine-Sol disinfectant cleaning products are being recalled over a possible bacteria contamination. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Tuesday that Clorox issued a voluntary recall of approximately 37 million Pine-Sol products that may contain the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause serious infection in some people.

The recall affects Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaners in Lavender Clean, Sparkling Wave, and Lemon Fresh scents; CloroxPro Pine-Sol All Purpose Cleaners in Lavender Clean, Sparkling Wave, Lemon Fresh, and Orange Energy scents; and Clorox Professional Pine-Sol Lemon Fresh cleaners. Original Pine-Sol (pine scent) is not included in the recall. The affected products, which were manufactured at the company’s Forest Park, Georgia facility through September 2022, were sold in bottles of 28, 48, 60, 100, 144, and 175 fluid ounces and feature date codes beginning with the prefix “A4” and followed by a five-digit number less than 22249, per the CPSC notice. The complete list of affected UPC codes can be found here. The products were sold online at Amazon.com and additional retailer websites and at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Dollar General, Target, Home Depot, BJ’s, Kroger, Dollar Tree, Lowe’s, Publix, and other major retailers nationwide.

Clorox, the parent company of the Pine-Sol brand, issued the voluntary recall after testing identified bacteria in certain recalled products. There is specific concern that the products may contain Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a natural bacterium that is commonly found in soil and water. Although the bacterium doesn’t pose much of a risk to most people, it can cause serious infection requiring medical treatment in people with weakened immune systems or external medical device. Per the CPSC notice, “the bacteria can enter the body if inhaled, through the eyes, or through a break in the skin. People with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by the bacteria. 

Due to the health risk the recalled products pose, consumers have been advised to immediately stop using the affected Pine-Sol cleaning products and instead discard them. Consumers can take pictures of the 12-digit UPC code and the date code and contact Pine-Sol for a full refund of the purchase price, with a receipt, or of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, without a receipt.  In a statement posted to its website, Clorox said it is “conducting this recall to safeguard your health and wellbeing.”