New York (CNN Business) Stocks fell to their lowest levels in months Monday on the spread of coronavirus. But the companies that make your cleaning products are rallying.

Clorox CLX Procter & Gamble PG Colgate Palmolive CL Kimberly-Clark KMB Shares ofandwere all up Monday. An outbreak can be good for disinfectant sales: In 2009, when consumers were worried about the spread of swine flu, hand sanitizer sales spiked 70% over a six-month stretch, according to Nielsen

But the stocks weren't necessarily rising because investors expect them to sell a ton of cleaning supplies. These companies are defensive stocks, and investors often head to them during volatile periods.

"It's a rotational, get defensive sort of day," said Kevin Grundy, who covers the consumer products sector at Jefferies. More than 450 S&P 500 stocks were down Monday.

A fifth case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the United States. All patients had traveled to the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, prior to falling ill.

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