WASHINGTON — The Clorox Company has agreed to pay a $14.15 million civil penalty to satisfy the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s claims that the company failed to report that its Pine-Sol scented cleaning products contained a defect that “could create a substantial product hazard or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to consumers.”
The CPSC announced the settlement on Tuesday.
In a statement, the commission and Clorox jointly announced a recall of the Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaning Products on Oct. 25, 2022. The recall stated that the recalled products may contain bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an environmental organism found in soil and water.
Keeping Americans safe requires timely reporting. Today, CPSC announced a $14.15M penalty against Clorox for failing to report a safety risk as required by law.
— Peter Feldman (CPSC) (@FeldmanCPSC) January 27, 2026
When companies don’t meet their obligations, @USCPSC won't hesitate to act.
Full statement: https://t.co/UTDkxIYwFa pic.twitter.com/G666Fs6Ytu
The statement added that people with weakened immune systems or external medical devices who are exposed to the organism face serious infections that could require medical attention.
The settlement, which had already been settled by the CPSC, resolved charges that Clorox “knowingly failed to report” the defects in the Pine-Sol products in question.
The agency charged that in early 2019, Clorox’s microbiologists wrote a report that documented bacterial contamination in storage tanks and in the finished product.
Additionally, Clorox received reports of cloudiness in its products at certain retail stores.
“While Clorox took steps to mitigate the potential for bacterial contamination, (the company) did not immediately report to the Commission as required,” the CPSC said in its statement.
“Prompt reporting of safety risks saves lives, and CPSC will not hesitate to enforce the law when companies fail to meet their obligations,” CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman said in a statement. “This proposed settlement sends a clear message: firms that delay reporting serious hazards do so at their own risk.”
In addition to the monetary penalty, the settlement requires Clorox to “maintain internal controls and procedures” that are in compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act.
Clorox also agreed to submit an annual report detailing its compliance program, internal controls and internal audit of “the effectiveness of compliance policies, procedures, systems and training.”
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