Lysol was sold to women as birth control. 𧴠. . . From the 1920s through the 1950s, Lysol ran ads in McCall's telling wives that failing at 'marriage hygiene' would end their marriages. Women douched with cresol β the same disinfectant used on floors. It didn't prevent pregnancy. It did cause burns, poisoning, and at least 5 documented deaths.
Source
Smithsonian Magazine, 2013, 'When Lysol Was Sold as a Feminine Hygiene Product'; Andrea Tone, 'Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America' (2001)
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