Walmart Has Posted Signs Warning Shoppers of a Nation-Wide Dish Soap Shortage

What would we do without dish soap? We hope we won’t have to find out, but according to signs posted in several Walmart locations, it’s possible that some of us may have to figure out a temporary alternative. According to Business Insider, Walmart has been posting signs in its dish soap aisle warning of a “national supply shortage” through December 1.

The sign reads, “Dish soap is experiencing a national supply shortage, impacting product availability for our customers. These shortages will remain until Dec. 1. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.” It has been spotted in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Proctor & Gamble confirmed the shortage in a statement to Business Insider: “We’re aware that some P&G hand dish products may be harder to find at the moment. For a brief period, demand exceeded what we were able to supply, but this was temporary. We value the loyalty people have to our brands, and apologize for this short-term inconvenience. Our team is working around the clock to refill shelves and supply is catching up with demand, so all sizes should be available soon.” Walmart and several other major dish soap brands have not yet given comments.

In many of the photos shared on social media, the sign appears next to fully stocked or near-fully stocked shelves of dish soap, so it seems we haven’t yet reached dish soap crisis mode. If you do ever find yourself without access to dish soap, we’ve done some research that can help. We spoke with cleaning experts about alternatives to dish soap and they gave us their advice. (Spoiler: Baking soda mixed with water is your best bet, and hand soap and bar soap are okay in a pinch though not as effective as the real thing.)