Fabuloso smells like my childhood and that's why this recall hits close to home

Note: This story published in February 2023 when the recall was active.

As a kid, I woke up on Saturday mornings to corridos — Northern Mexican storytelling songs — and cumbia playing on the stereo, my mom yelling at me to get up and clean the bathroom and the smell of lavender-scented Fabuloso in the air.

The fragrance is intoxicating. It reverberates throughout homes and businesses. Even now, when I visit my parents and smell Fabuloso, I get hit with a wave of childhood nostalgia and suddenly want to clean.

So when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it recalled 4.9 million bottles of some Fabuloso products this week, I immediately called my mom to warn her.

I'm willing to bet I wasn't the only one.

A Household Favorite

The multipurpose cleaner is a household staple in the Latino community. You’ll find it in prime locations on the end caps of aisles and the cleaning sections at stores like Vallarta and Northgate. It's cheap and readily available at supercenters like Walmart, Sam's Club and dollar stores. And it's one of the top selling household cleaners in the U.S.

Notified of the recall, my mom tossed the iconic purple bottles of lavender, passion of fruits, fiesta orange and ocean scent. And while she was lucky none of the lot codes matched the recalled items, she wasn't taking any chances. The agency recommends people throw the entire bottle, contents included, in the trash.

Why It Was Recalled

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recalled bottles could contain Pseudomonas bacteria, which can enter the body if inhaled, through the eyes or a break in the skin ... and cause severe infection in people with weakened immune systems.

That’s because the recalled bottles were made with inadequate amounts of a preservative intended to prevent bacteria growth, according to Fabuloso's manufacturer, Colgate-Palmolive.

Fabuloso’s Origin Story

The low-cost product — which urges consumers to "fill your home with joy!" — got its start in Venezuela in the 1980s. It made its way to Mexico in just three years. By 1996, it landed in the U.S., where the Latino diaspora hooted and hollered over the product.

But for some, like my mom, it took years for her to embrace Fabuloso. She preferred Pine-Sol and bleach. Still, the Fabuloso smell was unavoidable. She found it at dollar stores, the carniceria — butcher shops — and the houses of friends and family.

In a few years, she transformed from a hater to a lover.

What’s Next

While I was relieved to hear that people with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by Pseudomonas bacteria, I still worried.

My parents are getting older. I think about COVID-19 affecting them more than I'd like. How long can they keep driving and doing household chores? For a brief moment, I added a beloved cleaning product to my list of concerns.

My 65-year-old mom, for now, is benching Fabuloso, and bringing in her benchwarmer, Pine-Sol.

I'm already looking forward to her star player making a quick comeback. I need that smell of my childhood once again.