So where can you find all of your household essentials right now? From disinfectants and cleaning supplies to paper products, it can be a bit overwhelming tracking down stores or even online retailers that still have inventory in stock.
Below we’ve compiled a list of places to find the products you need and their relative availability to get you through quarantine and Covid-19.
The Essentials
Here are the top five household items that are going out of stock quickly, and where to find them:
1. Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizers of any kind are hard to come by right now, especially reputable name brands. It’s important to understand, though, that not all sanitizers are created equal. The FDA requires at least 60% alcohol content for an effective hand sanitizer, so make sure you read labels properly. Some may smell great and look appealing, but don’t actually have the antimicrobial properties you need.
MOXĒ premium hand sanitizers have 70% alcohol content, and are packed with essential oils to help fortify skin and provide a pleasant citrus scent. They’re currently in stock and available through the MOXE website or Amazon.
2. Toilet Paper
Toilet paper quickly became the number one item on American shoppers’ grocery lists to prepare for coronavirus, as with natural disasters and other events that keep us locked indoors for extended periods. When people began buying in bulk and supplies started to run short, the rest of us bought up whatever we could find at the risk of not being able to buy more later causing a streak of panic-buying that diminished the toilet paper supply across the country.
Luckily, most stores are now limiting the number of packs one can purchase, so there’s more for the rest of us.
- Equate Flushable Wipes are currently low in stock but available at Wal-Mart locations and online.
- Tork Bathroom TP is available online through Office Depot
3. Paper Towels
While generally we’d recommend a more green alternative to disposable paper products, in the case of the viral outbreak we’re currently experiencing globally, single-use items may be the best way to ensure you are disinfecting most effectively.
4. Disinfectants/Cleaning Products
Perhaps the most understandable shortage is the lack of disinfectant sprays, wipes, and cleaners. Not only are households diligently cleaning to prevent the spread of the virus via surfaces and high touch points, but essential workplaces are doing the same as they remain open.
- Great Value Disinfectant Spray from Walmart (purchase limited to 1 per customer).
Unfortunately, these items in particular are very difficult to find right now and inventory changes frequently. The best thing to do is simply keep checking local stores and their online websites for updated stock information.
5. Thermometer
As one of the most common symptoms of infection of the coronavirus is a fever, thermometers quickly flew off the shelves with people trying to ensure they could detect their illness early on. Most places are out of stock even online, however, here are a couple places that are still available as of writing this post (Friday, May 1st).
Conclusion
Finding household essentials can be difficult during the Covid-19 outbreak, but we’ve gathered here a list of places to find the basics. As time goes on and we begin to “flatten the curve,” hopefully we all get back to our normal shopping habits and give manufacturers and distributors time to catch up on inventory. Stay safe!