More than 4 million bottles of the popular cleaning product Fabuloso were recalled in late 2024 because they contain a harmful bacteria called Pseudomonas.
Information about a Fabuloso recall announced on Feb. 8, 2023, on cleaning products produced from Dec. 14, 2022, through Jan. 23, 2023, recirculated online in late 2024 without the context that the recall happened nearly two years earlier.
In mid-December 2024, social media users began circulating a claim that millions of bottles of the cleaning agent Fabuloso were under recall because the products contained a harmful bacteria called Pseudomonas.
Posts warning people about the purported recall appeared on X (archive), Facebook (archive) and TikTok (archive). Many posts contained videos with the title “NEWS: Fabuloso, a popular cleaning product contains the bacteria Pseudomonas” alongside audio of what sounds like a news presenter talking about a recall of more than 4 million bottles.
The Fabuloso recall described in these posts happened in February 2023, which means the posts are spreading information from nearly two years ago as of this writing. Thus, we rate this claim outdated. However, if you own Fabuloso multipurpose cleaner from a few years ago, you might want to check if it’s part of the recall.
On Feb. 8, 2023, Fabuloso and its parent company, Colgate-Palmolive, announced a recall of approximately 4.9 million units of Fabuloso multipurpose cleaner sold in America and 56,000 units sold in Canada. Here’s the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission’s explanation as to why the cleaner was recalled:
The recalled products can contain Pseudomonas species bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens, which are environmental organisms found widely in soil and water. 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 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.
According to Fabuloso’s website, the company announced the recall because “a preservative was not added at the intended levels during manufacturing. With inadequate preservative, there is a risk of bacteria growth in the recalled products.”
A search for “Fabuloso” on the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission website did not return announcements of any other recalls for Fabuloso products, which means that there was not an active Fabuloso recall in late 2024 in the United States. A search for “recall” on the Fabuloso website brought up only information about the 2023 recall.
Fabuloso has a list of affected products from the 2023 recall and the manufacturing number associated with them to check on its products on its website if you have old cleaning products you’re worried about.
Sources
“Colgate-Palmolive Recalls Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaners due to Risk of Exposure to Bacteria.” U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Colgate-Palmolive-Recalls-Fabuloso-Multi-Purpose-Cleaners-Due-to-Risk-of-Exposure-to-Bacteria.
“CPSC Search.” United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, United States, www.cpsc.gov/search?search_api_fulltext=fabuloso. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
“Fabuloso® Recall.com.” Www.fabuloso.com, www.fabuloso.com/recall.
“Search.” Fabuloso.com, 2024, www.fabuloso.com/search#recall. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.