4.9 Million Bottles of Household Cleaner Recalled Over Bacterial Infection Risk
The popular product was sold at major retailers nationwide over the past month.
Everyone has their own routine when it comes to keeping their house clean. Some will take plenty of time out of their schedule to ensure everything is tidy and organized at the end of each day, while others are comfortable doing a major run-through once every week or so. The one similarity is that no matter what your style is, most people rely on their favorite products to ensure their floors, bathroom fixtures, and kitchen appliances and surfaces are sanitized and sparkling from top to bottom. But now, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced nearly 5 million bottles of household cleaner have been recalled. Read on to see which products were pulled over a risk of bacterial infection.
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Officials just announced that multiple varieties of household cleaner have been recalled.
On Feb. 8, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Colgate-Palmolive Company had recalled multiple varieties of its Fabuloso household cleaning products. The affected items include Lavender Scent Fabuloso Original Multi-Purpose Cleaner sold in 22-ounce bottles; Lavender Scent Multi-Purpose Cleaner 2X Concentrated Formula sold in 56-ounce, 128-ounce, and 169-ounce formats; Lavender Scent Multi-Purpose Cleaner sold in 210-ounce containers; and Lavender Scent Professional All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser sold in one-gallon format.
Items with Refreshing Lemon scent are also part of the recall, including Fabuloso Original Multi-Purpose Cleaner in 22-ounce containers; and Refreshing Lemon Multi-Purpose Cleaner 2X Concentrated Formula in 33.8-ounce, 56-ounce, 128-ounce, and 169-ounce formats. It also includes 33.8-ounce, 56-ounce, 128-ounce, and 169-ounce containers of the Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaner 2X Concentrated Formula, Passion of Fruits Scent; 56-ounce containers of Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaner Bleach Alternative 2X Concentrated Formula, Spring Fresh Scent; and one-gallon containers of Fabuloso Professional All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser, Ocean Scent. In total, roughly 4.9 million bottles are affected by the recall.
The agency says that the products were sold from December 2022 through January online on Amazon and in major retailers nationwide, including Dollar General, Family Dollar, The Home Depot, Sam's Club, Walmart, and more. Consumers can also identify the recalled items by the first eight digits of their lot code, which are 2348US78 through 2365US78 and 3001US78 through 3023US78. This can be found on the back of the bottle above the label.
The agency warned there's a risk of bacterial infection from using the product.
According to the CPSC's notice, Colgate-Palmolive issued the Fabuloso recall after discovering that the affected items might be contaminated with Pseudomonas species bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens. And while the microorganisms are commonly found in soil and water, they could pose a potential health risk for some customers.
"People with weakened immune systems, external medical devices, or underlying lung conditions who are exposed to the bacteria face a risk of serious infection that may require medical treatment," the company wrote in a statement released online. "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."
The statement explains that "a preservative was not added at the intended levels during manufacturing, " which would typically prevent the bacteria from growing in the bottle.
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Here's what you should do if you purchased any of the affected Fabuloso cleaning products.
So far, the agency says that no injuries or medical issues have been reported as a result of using the recalled Fabuloso products. However, the agency urges anyone who purchased the affected items to stop using them immediately. They should then take a photo of the product's UPC and lot code before disposing of the product in its container with regular household trash, emphasizing that customers shouldn't empty or dump the solution before throwing it away.
Customers can request a full refund or replacement by contacting Colgate-Palmolive at its dedicated recall website, which also contains a complete list of affected items and images of the product labels. Consumers can also reach the company by calling the hotline listed on the agency's recall notice.
This isn't the first cleaning-related recall in recent months.
Even though cleaning products are meant to keep us healthy by sanitizing our homes and belongings, there have been some major product recalls over serious health and safety concerns. For example, in December, the CPSC announced that Texas-based AlEn U.S.A. LLC had issued a recall for its Art of Green laundry detergent products. Like the Fabuloso recall, the company said it pulled the products after discovering they could be contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Overall, the agency said that 14,550 units were affected by the move.
But it's not just cleaners themselves that can be potentially hazardous. On Dec. 22, the CPSC announced that 14 models of Samsung's top-load washing machines had been recalled. The agency warned that the appliances could "short-circuit and overheat," creating a serious fire hazard. There had been 51 incident reports at the time of the notice's release, including 10 cases in which property was damaged and three in which people reported smoke inhalation injuries.
And on Jan. 12, the CPSC announced that Bissell had voluntarily recalled specific models of its Cordless Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vacuums. The move affected roughly 61,000 units sold in Walmart stores nationwide and online via Bissell, Walmart, QVC, Amazon, Costco, Fingerhut, Ace Hardware, Kohl's, and Wayfair. The agency reported that a faulty circuit board in the product's battery pack could overheat and smoke, creating a serious fire hazard.
