Clorox is making nearly 1 million disinfecting wipes a day as demand soars, CEO says

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Linda Rendle, the president and CEO-elect of Clorox, says the demand for disinfectant products is so high that the Oakland-based company is now making "nearly 1 million packages of wipes every single day and shipping them to stores."

Rendle spoke to "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts Monday about the shortage and surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are making more disinfecting products than we ever have before," said Rendle.

Clorox says demand for its wipes is up 500%. Her appearance on "GMA" comes after Clorox announced last week that fresh supplies may not be available until later in 2021.

"We are making wipes in record numbers and shipping them to stores in record numbers," said Rendle. "Since January we're able to make 100 million more disinfecting products than we did before. That's a 50% increase."

Although wipes are almost impossible to find right now, Rendle said there are some things you can do to get your hands on Clorox wipes as soon as they hit store shelves, including signing up for store reminders online.

"You can do that at walmart.com. Others stores allow you to enter your zip code to see if products are in stock the moment you click," said Rendle. "Certainly store managers can help you understand when shipments arrive."

Rendle said the Clorox website is another good resource.

"You can use our website clorox.com and use other products, including Clorox bleach," she said. "We have many tips on how to use that to disinfect surfaces all around your home."

Rendle also spoke about Clorox stepping up efforts to help teachers with all the uncertainty surrounding going back to school.

"We are getting ready for back to school in my own house and my husband is also a teacher. I know this well, that the challenges parents and students and teachers are facing this back-to-school season are unprecedented," she said.

Clorox has made a $1,000,000 donation to ClearTheList Foundation.

"This grant allows teachers to buy anything they need to support the classroom and their students including electronics, masks, anything that can help a successful school year," said Rendle.

Clorox has also established partnerships with the NBA and WNBA "to provide them a small amount of product to keep their teams, the refs and all of the essential workers working in the bubble safe. We hope that helps provide a little joy to people in their living rooms as we stay at home."

Rendle will officially transition into her new role as CEO of Clorox in September, bringing the number of Fortune 500 women leaders to a record 38.

"I am incredibly honored, one, to be CEO of such an incredible company like Clorox and the role we serve in the pandemic and, of course, honored to be the 38th woman to join those ranks," Rendle said. "But, of course, 38 out of 500 isn't quite where it needs to be. It's not just women but minorities underrepresented in leadership in Fortune 500 companies. I'm hoping we can make additional progress over the next few years to get to the place we need to and having diverse leadership teams run these companies."