Some years ago, we began to question the necessity for harsh and harmful chemical ingredients in cleaning products we were using, packaged in single use plastic containers. We began by exploring what people used before synthetic detergents, fragrances, dyes and anti-bacterial products were available. We discovered a world of gentle yet powerful plant and mineral ingredients which could be used to clean our homes, support our health and minimise our impact on nature.
In 2017, we started running natural cleaning workshops in Purdy’s garage, teaching people how to clean their homes using natural everyday ingredients that were safe for their families and pets. We quickly saw that whilst people loved learning about natural ingredients, they didn’t always want to make their own products and would prefer us to do it for them.
The first product we made was our multi-surface cleaner. Scented with 100% pure essential oils, we called it Counter Clean for two reasons; firstly because it was perfect for use on countertops (as well as other surfaces) but also because it seemed counterintuitive to use a single product for all the different surfaces throughout the house rather than multiple products for different areas.
Making this in the garage, we realised quite quickly that we’d need to scale up production to meet demand. We set up a production line but plans to launch were temporarily halted by the pandemic, when we were asked to produce a hand sanitiser which “smelled lovely and didn’t strip the skin of its oils”. The last year and a half has seen us focused on producing our lovely hand sanitising and hand wash products while we put Counter Clean on the backburner.
During 2020, we started to work with Dr Anna Slastanova, postdoctoral researcher specialising in surfactants at Bristol University. Together, we researched the most effective, natural and responsibly sourced multi-surface cleaner ingredients. We trialled and tested hundreds of different recipes to develop an innovative eco-concentrate that can be diluted with ordinary tap water to create an effective, refillable and delicious smelling multi-surface cleaner.
Our goal with Counter Clean was to create a product that was genuinely a pleasure to use whilst also being kinder to the environment and free from harmful ingredients. As with all our products, Counter Clean is scented with 100% pure, responsibly sourced essential oils that have been carefully selected for their mood-boosting abilities.
Our philosophy is all about cleaning little and often with gentle but effective products, rather than doing a big blitz every now and then. With this, it helps when you enjoy using a cleaning product and if you like the way it looks enough to keep it to hand rather than hidden, so a lot of our work is focused on making our products aesthetically and sensorially pleasing as well as effective. Counter Clean is kind to the surfaces, fittings and appliances in your home, but it’s also much kinder on you as you can totally avoid the more toxic chemicals which may be required when the grease, grime, limescale and dirt build up.
