With the U.S. in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, sanitation has taken on ever-increasing importance. Whether cleaning grocery carts or homes, there is heightened awareness of taking the proper safety precautions.
There also has been more focus on what cleaning products to use, with many consumers opting to avoid harsh chemicals and pursue better-for-you living. That’s where Denver, Colorado-based CleanWell comes in.
On its website, the company describes it products as plant-based and kid-friendly. Its disinfectants kill 99.9 percent of household germs, disinfect and deodorize. CleanWell is free of harsh chemicals and “born from a father’s love of his son.”
In a recent interview with The Shelby Report, CEO Stew Lawrence retraced CleanWell’s origins and detailed what its products offer.
“One of the founders over 10 years ago—his son is now grown and healthy—had an immune disorder issue,” Lawrence said. “They went through and cleaned up their lifestyle in many ways and one of the things they did was look at cleaner alternatives throughout the household.
“Part of their family was also into botany and plants…so they pulled a bunch of resources together…that’s where it all started.”
All of CleanWell’s products are made with the active ingredient Thymol, an active, botanically derived ingredient that’s a natural antiseptic and breaks down quickly so it doesn’t harm the ecosystem. The products do not contain ammonia, bleach, ethanol, parabens, quaternary ammonium and triclosan. They use the oil from plants to create the fragrances.
“We have both retail and consumer-facing products, like CleanWell, and we also actually make Seventh Generation’s products,” Lawrence said. “We also have a couple of companies we work with on the commercial side, insurance restoration, things like that, when there’s a disaster.”
Lawrence noted that with many jurisdictions adopting shelter-in-place laws due to Covid-19, more people are staying home.
“With that has come this heightened awareness of the benefits of disinfecting countertops or doorknobs,” he said. “And as I look at consumer behavior potentially changing, I think each person is going to make their own choice what product they want.”
There are many brands in the marketplace, which Lawrence characterized as “the beauty of having options.
“But one thing we’ve learned over the years that consumers don’t do is read the labels,” he said. “A lot of times, they’ll read the front label and they’ll take in a big splash of a claim, but they don’t actually go look at the back label.”
Lawrence added that the back labels often have a variety of language about safety precautions that many who actually read them may find surprising, especially when it comes to protecting their eyes.
“You look at (a cleaning product), and everything looks wonderful on the front and then when you turn it around—in big letters—it will say hazardous to humans and domestic animals,” he said. “Warning—causes substantial eye injury. Do not get on your clothing. Wear protective eyewear.
“People are going to be at home, oftentimes with their windows closed, hopefully they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing to do their best to protect themselves if they are using those products.”
Lawrence emphasized not just cleaning, but cleaning properly.
“If you’re doing a food-contact surface, like a kitchen cutting board or a kitchen countertop, a hard non-porous countertop, you actually need a few things. One, you need to follow the directions to let it sit for a certain amount of time and each one has different times. But then after that, with most, you actually also have to wash it off.
“You actually have to rinse and clean after you’ve disinfected. That’s probably one of the biggest surprises to a lot of consumers. I don’t know many people who do that. And that’s one area people need to do in addition to (wearing) glasses or opening windows for ventilation in certain cases with certain products.”
Such measures aren’t necessary for those who use CleanWell products.
“We’re made from ingredients that you actually don’t have to clean off a food-contact surface after using our product, which is a big differentiator for us,” Lawrence said.
Citing a list of disinfectants compiled by the EPA, he said many of those are commercial brands or start with more commercial uses.
“In the commercial environment, it’s the standard to have protective eyewear or if you need a mask or a coverall suit to go over your clothing,” he said. “But you start transferring this to home, it’s less common. You might have gloves to keep your hands from drying out or something like that but often times people are not following what’s on the label.”
“It’s what you’re used to doing or a company says, ‘Hey, you cannot go disinfect that office building without proper attire.’ But nobody is saying that (at home). Nobody is looking over your shoulder saying, ‘Put your glasses on.’
The CleanWell brand is distributed mostly within the natural channels, according to Lawrence, while Seventh Generation has been around for “quite a bit longer and is a much bigger brand and can be found almost everywhere.”
“The CleanWell brand distribution on the conventional side is a little bit patchier, however that’s going to change for a number of reasons,” he said. “What’s going on right now is I think going to change consumer behavior quite a bit. People are just more aware of the potential need and I also think coming up on cold and flu season, we’re going to run right into much higher demand. And it’s good now to be talking about it.”
CleanWell, Lawrence said, is reinforcing the messages of the CDC and EPA.
“They require us to say certain things on our labels so I want to reiterate—read the label. You might need glasses to read sometimes because it’s really small print and that’s not necessarily intentional by any company. It’s more that you don’t have a lot of space and you have to include a lot of information, per the EPA guidance.
“With the CDC, wash your hands. It’s become a big hashtag. But the CDC has been saying that for years during cold and flu season and I think it’s good that there are a lot of people getting educated.”
Lawrence noted that the lack of supply at times has also “opened a lot buyers’ eyes up” to CleanWell. “Here’s a product that is plant-based and in the natural channel…so we’ve got the advocacy as well.”
Lawrence makes it a point to avoid negative talk when discussing other brands because they “each have a place, they each have a use.
“I think the critical thing is—when we’re talking about disinfecting especially—we are held to the exact same standards,” he said. “The people at the EPA that review information have the same roles that review ours as well as other chemicals. I use the word ‘chemicals’ loosely because it has a negative connotation. But water is a chemical. And so it’s important.”
In closing, Lawrence addressed an oft-raised question, “Your active ingredient comes from a plant. How can it work?
“Well, there’s some education in there, too, that most things come from a plant originally,” he said.
