Consumer files class action over Clorox cleaners contaminated with harmful bacteria
A Puerto Rican shopper has sued Clorox in federal court, alleging the company sold multipurpose cleaners tainted with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
In San Francisco, Leslie Santana filed a class-action suit against the Clorox Company, asserting that the firm sold Mistolin and Lestoil cleaners contaminated with the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The complaint references a prior 2022 recall of 37 million Pine-Sol bottles for the same bacterium and a $14.15 million civil penalty after the Consumer Product Safety Commission accused Clorox of failing to promptly report the hazard.
The allegedly tainted products were manufactured from April 1 2025 through June 17 2026 and distributed at retailers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Costco in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Santana alleges Clorox concealed the risk, violated California consumer-protection statutes, and seeks injunctive relief, restitution, and punitive damages, as well as a Spanish-language recall notice. The suit could affect hundreds of thousands of consumers who purchased the cleaners during the contamination window.
Why it matters
The case could force Clorox to improve safety testing and disclosure for household cleaners, protecting public health.
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