Net income climbed to $157 million, or $1.11 a share, from $128 million, or 90 cents, a year earlier, the Oakland, California-based company said today in a statement. Sales fell less than 1 percent to $1.37 billion.

U.S. and international sales of disinfecting wipes rose in response to demand for protection from the H1N1 influenza pandemic, Clorox said. Higher prices outside the U.S. also contributed to a wider gross margin, a measure of profitability. The company boosted its full-year earnings forecast to $4.05 to $4.20 a share from a previous projection of $4 to $4.15.

The world's largest maker of bleach sold at retail has secured additional suppliers and will increase production if needed, said Benno Dorer, 45, the senior vice president- general manager of Clorox's cleaning division. Some retailers have already asked for more bleach, he said in a Sept. 4 telephone interview, declining to name specific companies.

An outbreak of the flu may add 2 percent or more to Clorox's per-share earnings for the duration of the outbreak, said Ali Dibadj, a New York-based analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. That benefit isn’t reflected in Clorox’s shares or analysts' projections, he said.

"Sales of bleach and wipes, which are about a quarter of Clorox's profit, could grow in the high single digits or more," Dibadj said in an e-mail. "It depends on how severe the outbreak might be, but the fear of an outbreak is enough."