What to do if you bought Walmart’s recalled room spray
Walmart is issuing a $20 gift card 'for any inconvenience'
Consumers shouldn't throw away aromatherapy spray that's been recalled by Walmart over ties to a deadly bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Instead, the Better Homes & Gardens Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones – which was sold at 55 Walmart stores and on the retailer's website – should be properly secured and shipped back to a Walmart store, according to the federal agency.
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Walmart issued a recall for the spray after a sample tested positive for a rare and dangerous known as Burkholderia pseudomallei. The bacteria can cause melioidosis which is "a condition that is difficult to diagnose and can be fatal," according to the recall notice posted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The recall covers six different scents that were sold at more than 50 Walmart stores across 18 states and on the retailer's website. The spray bottles were available from February 2021 until late October when Walmart pulled the product from its shelves.
Walmart Recalls Better Homes and Gardens Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones due to rare and dangerous bacteria. (FDA)
The Arkansas-based retailer also emailed each potentially impacted customer, "alerting them of the recall and indicating company records reflected they may have purchased one of six scents since February 2021 that were recalled," the company said in a statement.
RECALLED WALMART PRODUCT TESTS POSITIVE FOR DEADLY BACTERIA
Consumers who may still be in possession of the recalled product shouldn't open the bottle, the CDC said. Rather, customers need to "double bag the bottle in clean, clear zip-top bags and place in a small cardboard box," the agency said.
The box needs to be returned to a Walmart store. In return, the company will provide a full refund and $20 gift card "for any inconvenience," according to Walmart.
If the spray was used on sheets or linens, they need to be washed with regular detergent and dried completely, according to the CDC.
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Surfaces and counters should also be wiped down with undiluted Pine-Sol or similar disinfectant, according to the CDC.
The agency also said consumers should also limit how often they handle the bottle and to "wash hands thoroughly after touching the bottle or linens" even if they used gloves.
To date, the CDC is aware of and investigating four cases of melioidosis in the U.S., including two deaths. The cases were reported in Kansas, Minnesota, Texas and Georgia.
The CDC has yet to identify a source of the four infections, according to the CPSC. However, samples taken by the CDC from the spray bottle in the home of the Georgia victim "found the presence of these dangerous bacteria," the CPSC said.