Walmart recalls Better Homes and Gardens room spray after bacteria found, linked to 2 deaths

Walmart has issued a recall for its Better Homes and Gardens Essential Oil Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones after it was linked to a rare, dangerous bacteria not often found in the United States.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the CDC found a bottle of the room spray contained Burkholderia pseudomallei, and was involved in a cluster of four cases of melioidosis, including two deaths, in the Kansas, Minnesota, Texas and Georgia.

One of the fatal cases was a child.

Melioidosis is a condition that is difficult to diagnose and can be fatal. Though the source of the four infections has not been confirmed by CDC officials, the room spray bottle with the same type of bacteria was found in the home of one of the people who died.

The spray was sold at about 55 Walmart stores nationwide and online from February 2021 through October 2021, for about $4, officials said. The following scents and product numbers have been recalled:

If you own a bottle of the spray, you should stop using it immediately and if it's unopened, do not open it. Do not attempt to dispose of the bottle on your own.

Double bag the bottle in clean, clear zip-top resealable bags, place them in a small cardboard box, and then return the bagged and boxed product to a Walmart store.

Consumers should wash sheets or linens that may have been sprayed with normal laundry detergent, and dry completely in a hot dryer. Use an undiluted disinfectant to wipe down any surfaces that may have gotten spray on them.

If you have used the room spray in the past 21 days and have any fever or other symptoms of infection, seek medical care immediately and tell your doctor about your exposure to the product.

Consumers can call Walmart's customer service line at 1-800-925-6278 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT.