A Brief Dish-Soap Shortage Has Officially Been Resolved

Ominous signs were posted in Walmart stores this week to alert shoppers of a dish-soap shortage. But as it turns out, the suds situation may be over before it really began.

The warning signs state that a national shortage of dish soap could affect supply through December 1. Some Walmart shoppers took to Twitter to share photos of the memos, which feature an identical statement across multiple stores. It reads: "Dish soap is experiencing a national supply shortage, impacting product availability for our customers," and includes an apology for any inconvenience.

Procter & Gamble, which makes Dawn and Gain soaps, confirmed the low supply in a statement to BHG.com. "We’re aware that some P&G hand dish products might be harder to find right now," a representative said. "For a temporary period, demand exceeded what we were able to supply." The representative also noted that P&G is taking steps to alleviate the shortage. "Our team is working around the clock to refill shelves, and supply is catching up with demand, so all variants should be available soon," she said.

But were barren soap aisles ever really a thing? Some photos, like this one posted on Reddit, show shelves still fully stocked with soap products, despite the warning signs. And, as of yesterday, the dish soap debacle appears to have been averted. According to the P&G representative, "Our temporary supply shortage has been resolved, so all shelves at any store that might be experiencing limited inventory should be stocked soon."

So it looks like you can’t use the dish-soap shortage as an excuse not to do the dishes tonight. But if you’re still worried about the supply of suds running low, it doesn’t hurt to stock up on a few extra bottles.