CPSC, National Service Industries Inc. Announce Recall of Zep Commercial Cleaners Sold at The Home Depot

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #01102) was formally reported on March 9, 2001. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. National Service Industries Inc. (NSI), of Atlanta, Ga. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 1.4 million units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Some of these bottles can leak through the cap when turned on their side, allowing the contents of the cleaner to come into contact with consumers. These cleaners can cause irritation and burns to the skin and eyes. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers should stop using the recalled cleaners immediately, since the bottles can leak, and call the Zep Commercial hotline. The hotline will help consumers determine if their cleaner bottle is le… — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 25 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.