Who Is Hoarding All The Bathroom Cleaning Supplies?

[launderess]

Own up at once!

Never thought I'd see the day when Lysol, Dow or any of the other foaming/scrubbing bubble cleaner products would be so difficult to find. For that matter Lysol or any other disinfectant spray, liquid or cleaning products are difficult to find as cutlery in a Chinese restaurant.

 

[bradfordwhite]

I wonder how many people think that just OWNING the products is enough to protect oneself. They don't realize they have to actually apply the product and use it accordingly.

The problem with hoarding cleaning chemicals is that, much like food, they expire and lose their effectiveness with time.

 

[frigilux]

Not only are products being hoarded by individuals, but businesses as well--many of whom are charging wildly inflated prices for them online.

I have always used Lysol Kitchen Pro disinfectant cleaner, found to be effective against the coronavirus. None of the products in the Lysol disinfectant cleaner lines have been anywhere to be found around here since mid-March.

Found some at Tri-State Camera online--priced at $18.00 dollars per bottle in lots of four. Gritted my teeth and grumbled under my breath, but made the purchase.

As salons, restaurants, bars, etc., begin to open, their need for disinfecting wipes and sprays will make the market for these products even tighter.

When the four bottles of Lysol disinfectant cleaner are gone, I'm just going to use Dawn in water with wash rags. It takes a lot more vigorous scrubbing of surfaces to render the coronavirus ineffective using dishwashing (or other) soaps/detergents, but it can get the job done.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

With the exception of most disinfectant sprays, everything else is readily available, in store or online. Granted, everything is more expensive, but everything in the stores have gone up. Lysol cleaners, bleach, bathroom cleaners, you name it. Check out Amazon or Instacart.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bathroom+cleaners&crid=2BAQUZ0VPF8PF&sprefix=bathroom+cleaners%2Caps%2C143&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_17

 

[circlew]

My friend Jay has been looking for Lysol spray for two months now without success. I told him that perhaps all production is being shipped to medical facilities.

 

I did see quat sanitizer at GFS when there a couple weeks ago. You could mix it with water in a spray bottle.

 

[mattl]

I'm pretty good simply using soap and water.  Every now and then I look but store shelves are bare bare bare.

 

[launderess]

As with many other janitorial/cleaning supplies Lysol spray and other products from that brand have their own separate "institutional" supply. That is what usually goes to healthcare facilities and others buying large bulk supplies.

You can also get the regular "household" Lysol spray from janitorial and other warehouse supply places.

From what one understands from friends who work in hospitals/healthcare facilities their supply chain for cleaners/disinfectants and other supplies hasn't be terribly interrupted. Masks, gloves and other protective things are another matter, but that does seem to be getting sorted.

What all sorts of such places and other institutions are having issues with is supplies going walkabout. Housekeeping/janitorial closets and supply rooms seem to be experiencing shortages as staff with sticky fingers are taking things for home use.

 

[launderess]

Lysol products of all shorts are expected to be in short supply through end of summer according to maker.

Still looking for Clorox wipes? CEO warns shelves won't be fully stocked with disinfecting cleaners until summer

Clorox says retail shelves won't be fully stocked with disinfectant wipes and other cleaners used to combat COVID-19 until this summer, CEO says.

www.usatoday.com

 

[launderess]

Really like scrubbing bubbles products for bathroom

Yes, fumes can be ghastly (have always worn a mask), but makes cleaning bath and powder room a snap. Just spray tub, tile, sink, go and fill bucket with hot water and disinfectant cleaner. Then simply come back and quickly wipe everything down, rinse tub, tiles, faucets, mop floor and am done.

Cleaning the loo isn't top of one's favorite chores to begin with, so anything that gets me out of there faster rates high in my book.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Perhaps the opportunity is being milked by the manufacturer to:

save money by cutting manufacturing
save money by cutting employment to make such products
double prices for those products being made.
save money not having to spend money on advertising.
increase desire for the product simply based on scarcity.

Oh, and wouldn't you know, the stock price has gone up nearly 50% just since mid March.

 

[sudsmaster]

In all this I have discovered a handy new bath/kitchen cleaner.

I found it at a Costco Business Center about two months ago: Clorox "Clean-Up" Cleaner Plus Bleach. It came in a jug with a handy filled spray bottle attached.

What I like about it is that for stubborn stains that scrubbing won't get out, it will remove them after a number of minutes, with a minimum of scrubbing.

 

[supersuds]

I happened to find some Lysol Power Shower Foamer (or some such name) at the grocery last week. They had a pretty good supply of it as well as the awful-smelling (IMHO) reformulated Scrubbing Bubbles "Bathroom Grime Fighter," which no longer is a disinfectant, just a cleaner.

Anyway, I'd expect that this is the sort of thing that will slowly work its way back to normal once everyone has hoarded enough AND if people stop paying ridiculous prices for it from ebay flippers. The grocery had a limit of one can per customer.

Before this, I was using some of the old brown-bottle Lysol cleaner from the 1970s (I guess), when its active ingredients included the deadly poisonous coal-tar derivatives phenylphenol and chrlorophenol. I was a little reluctant to do so even using rubber gloves, it is such nasty stuff. I'm sure it killed all the germs, but it left the bathroom smelling like coal tar for a week!

 

[rp2813]

Oakland based Clorox just announced that sales are through the roof.  I suppose the sky's the limit until further notice.

 

[mattl]

I wonder how many people actually read the label.  I did a few disinfectants most wanted the spray or cleanser to stay on the surface for 5 minutes.  I bet 99% of spray and wipe and think they disinfected.

 

[supersuds]

I bet you’re right.

I don’t think disinfecting is necessary all the time, but it can be useful in keeping mold and mildew down in in the area of the bathtub, for instance. So I make a point of spraying the tub and then busying myself with something else for a few minutes before finishing up.

 

[frigilux]

Matt (Reply #13)— I see the same thing with Clorox disinfecting wipes; people use only one wipe over too large an area and the surface is dry within 30-60 seconds, which is 4-5 minutes short of the mark. This is why I prefer Lysol cleaning sprays. You can spray enough to keep surfaces wet for a full 5 minutes. I set a timer for 5 minutes, then return to wipe the surfaces.

 

[stan]

Dear

You might try a dollar store..
I’ve seen cans of scrubbing bubbles there..but have not tried.
The brand may not be Dow Scrubbing Bubbles, but for $1.00 it may be worth a try for your purposes.
Short of Lysol wipes or Clorox wipes, the only cleaning/disinfecting spray I’ve seen that dose not contain Chlorine, is Spic and Span antibacterial spray cleaner. (Appears to be a registered disinfectant)
IMHO The Spic and Span dose not clean well, and appears to use quat type ingredients for disinfection.
The catch is that it states on the bottle that surfaces must be sprayed and allowed to stay wet for 10 minutes before wiping off.
For me, it’s easier to wipe things with 70% alcohol, or a bucket of hot soap and water spiked with a little chlorine bleach.