• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

2

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

3

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

1

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

2

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

3

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
RetailClorox

Despite waning sales for disinfectant wipes, Clorox CEO says cleaning boom will stick around

By
Gerald Porter Jr.
Gerald Porter Jr.
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Gerald Porter Jr.
Gerald Porter Jr.
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 4, 2021, 12:31 PM ET
Clorox saw a surge of demand in its disinfectant wipes last year.
Clorox saw a surge of demand in its disinfectant wipes last year.Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Clorox Co. Chief Executive Officer Linda Rendle is standing firm in her bet on the longevity of consumer demand for the company’s disinfectants, despite investor concerns that the pandemic-driven hygiene boom is gone.

“We knew it was going to moderate, it just moderated faster,” Rendle said in an interview late Tuesday, speaking of demand for wipes. “But it hasn’t dipped below any level that we have expected. Predicting a pandemic is like predicting the wind.”

The 43-year-old Rendle, who took Clorox’s helm last September as the youngest female CEO of an S&P 500 company, responded to last year’s shopper frenzy for disinfectant products by investing in extra production capacity for wipes. In March, even as Americans grew more confident in vaccinations and accepted that surfaces had never really spread the coronavirus, Clorox ramped up wipe output at a plant outside Atlanta. The CEO said at the time that demand would prove “sticky.”

Tuesday’s earnings report showed the appeal was more slippery than she’d thought, as Americans got vaccinated faster than the company expected and businesses reopened. The company’s shares plunged after it said organic sales fell 10% in the three months ended June 30. The largest unit decline, 17%, was in health and wellness—home of those disinfectant sheets.

Clorox isn’t alone in having to contend with a waning pandemic. In February, Hanesbrands Inc. reversed course on its production of masks because personal protective equipment was no longer “a long-term growth opportunity.”

Oakland, California-based Clorox now expects organic sales, which strip out items like currency swings and acquisitions, to decline by 2% to 6% in the current fiscal year. Yet the company still has “strong confidence in the future trends,” Rendle said, noting that consumers are still using cleaning products more than they were before the pandemic. As cases of the Delta variant surge across the U.S., the company will be ready to meet demand if it spikes again.

“Every indication that we’re seeing continues to give us that confidence,” Rendle said. “We’re not going to get it right on a weekly basis, a monthly basis, but we’re pretty confident that consumer behavior has changed.”

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Authors
By Gerald Porter Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

Chinese beauty brands flock to Southeast Asia as their first step in going global
RetailChina
Chinese beauty brands flock to Southeast Asia as their first step in going global
By Angelica AngJune 9, 2026
7 hours ago
John Furner, CEO, Walmart US
SuccessCost of living
Walmart CEO John Furner says even wealthy shoppers are now shopping at the discount grocery chain as high prices stretch six-figure earners
By Emma BurleighJune 8, 2026
21 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title,’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
21 hours ago
Gas over $4 looks like tipping point as Walmart customers don’t fill tanks, fast food loses cheapest diners
Retailgas prices
Gas over $4 looks like tipping point as Walmart customers don’t fill tanks, fast food loses cheapest diners
By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Allison Sheehan
SuccessJobs
This Gen Zer got reprimanded at Goldman for making cake videos as the ‘Investment Baker.’ She quit her job and is building a dessert empire
By Emma BurleighJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
John Furner
SuccessCareers
Walmart CEO John Furner worked his way up from the garden center. After 30 years, he’s sharing the one trait that matters most in his job
By Preston ForeJune 4, 2026
5 days ago

Most Popular

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
Economy
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
By Jim EdwardsJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
16 hours ago
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
Success
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
By Preston ForeJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
23 hours ago
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
Economy
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
By Nick LichtenbergJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
23 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.