What Is Being Recalled?
Cottonelle® has recalled their Fresh Feel Flushable Wet Wipes. During product testing, they noted that certain products shipped out could be contaminated with a bacterium. The recall is for specific lots of Cottonelle Flushable Wipes manufactured between February 7, 2020 and September 14, 2020 and sold in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
..stop using the wipes and contact Cottonelle for reimbursement or to speak to their Consumer Services team.
The bacteria, Pluralibacter gergoviae (a.k.a. Enterobacter gergoviae) can cause various infections in humans and can present itself in cosmetic products as well as foods. This bacteria can also be antibiotic resistant, making treatment a bit more difficult for some people who are infected.
Complaints received by Cottonelle’s parent company, Kimberly-Clark, have been minor; Affected consumers have only reported irritation and sometimes infection. Those with a weakened immune system or have serious pre-existing conditions are most at risk.
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What Do I Do?
Stop using the product immediately. Visit the Cottonelle Product Recall page with a package of your wipes handy. Using the the Lot Code, Lot Number, and Lot Designator, found on the bottom of your Flushable Wipes product, use their code checker on their website to see if your product is applicable to this recall.
I received a recall email alert from Amazon on October 9th, 2020.
Amazon Product Alerts and Safety.
One thing I do enjoy about making purchases on Amazon.com is their accountability. Amazon actually has a whole product safety team that monitor public recall reports and directly communicates with manufacturers/vendors on safety concerns.
Depending on the concern and situation, they may:
- remove the product from their website.
- place warnings on the product page.
- report concerns to government agencies.
- quarantine any concerning inventory in their fulfillment centers.
- alert customers who purchased the product.
- alert sellers who offer the product.
For non-Amazon branded products, they’ll advise you to contact the product manufacturer and provide you the most up-to-date contact information they have received. For Amazon branded products, you can work directly with the Amazon Customer Service team for a resolution.
How We Were Affected By The Recall.
We purchased TWO of the eight pack Cottonelle Fresh Feel Flushable Wet Wipes (336 wipes) on September 5th, 2020. With flu season around the corner, and COVID19 still showing it’s presence, I thought it was best to stock up a bit while they were still in-stock. Our package, along with other items, arrived September 9th.
After receiving the email from Amazon, I grabbed the package of the Cottonelle Flushable Wipes from our bathroom closet, that was ready, willing, and able to soon perform (ha!). I went to the website link sent from the email I received from Amazon and checked my Lot number on the Cottonelle website.
Resolution.
…(I’ll be) purchasing a bidet attachment for our toilet with the money we’re reimbursed for our recalled purchase.
When checking my purchased product on the Cottonelle website, I received an on-screen alert to stop using the wipes and contact Cottonelle for reimbursement. If you experienced any issues with the product and needed guidance, you can speak to their Consumer Services team. I opted for the reimbursement and submitted my reimbursement request form on the website.
I received a notification on-screen and via email that my request was received and I’d receive reimbursement within three to six weeks. To tide us over, I went ahead and bought some more Kandoo brand flushable wipes.
I am now definitely thinking about alternatively purchasing a bidet attachment for our toilet with the money we’re reimbursed for our recalled purchase. It could save on a lot of waste (pun intended) and would definitely be more cost efficient.
I’ll post a follow-up blog if we ever do receive our reimbursement from Cottonelle; I have my reminder all set to call them on November 20th if nothing is received by then!
To see if your purchase qualifies for this recall and more information, visit: https://www.cottonelle.com/en-us/recallfaq