Two British cleaning entrepreneurs and co‑founders of the eco‑brand Purdy & Figg have published a book, Clever Cleaning, advising consumers to avoid bleach and several widely used household cleaning products, saying chemical‑heavy formulas are harmful to people and the environment.
Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg, who launched the company in 2018, say their approach emphasises a small kit of natural ingredients and techniques that replace harsh disinfectants and synthetic fragrances. The pair told a reporter they would be "ashamed" to have a bottle of bleach in their bathroom and that products marketed as antibacterial or heavily fragranced often do more harm than good.
The company, which reported £42.2 million in sales last year, initially grew rapidly during the COVID‑19 pandemic on the back of hand‑sanitiser sales. It now focuses on a single primary product, Counter Clean: an all‑natural surface spray sold as reusable glass bottles paired with small oily concentrate vials that are diluted with tap water. Rubin and Figg say the concentrate mixes with water because of a naturally derived preservative sourced by their in‑house chemist, and the business sells about 10 to 12 million of the mini concentrate bottles a year.
Rubin, 68, and Figg, 64, cite two central reasons for steering consumers away from chemical‑heavy cleaners. First, they say runoff containing strong chemicals such as chlorine compounds and bromides can damage aquatic ecosystems when discharged into waterways. Second, they point to health risks from long‑term, repeated exposure to potent cleaning sprays and detergents. They cited a 2017 Norwegian study of about 6,000 women that found long‑term use of cleaning sprays was associated with a roughly 40 percent increased risk of developing asthma and lung damage comparable to heavy smoking.
The founders also emphasise the importance of preserving beneficial bacteria. According to their account, ultra‑strong antibacterial products can eradicate both harmful and helpful microbes, potentially disrupting the skin and home microbiome. They warned against certain synthetic fragrance ingredients, including phthalates, which they said have been linked in some studies to endocrine disruption and reproductive risks; product labels, they add, do not always disclose phthalates, so they advise seeking items labelled "phthalate‑free" or "naturally fragranced."
In interviews and in their book, Rubin and Figg identify five categories of popular products they refuse to use: chlorine bleach and other harsh chemical disinfectants; concentrated antibacterial cleaning sprays; petroleum‑based synthetic scouring sponges such as the well‑known Smiley‑face sponge; dishwasher and laundry pods that are coated in plastic; and certain heavily marketed synthetic‑fragrance detergents, including the blue antibacterial variants of liquid dish soap. They said they avoid microfibre cloths for environmental reasons but acknowledged their own product sets currently include a synthetic microfibre cloth that the company plans to replace.
Clever Cleaning sets out alternatives built from seven basic, widely available ingredients that Rubin and Figg say cover most household cleaning needs. Those ingredients include bicarbonate of soda for scouring, citric acid to de‑scale, rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant, white vinegar for multiple uses, Castile soap made from natural oils for surfaces and floors, soda crystals (sodium carbonate) to cut grease and unblock drains, and sodium percarbonate — an ‘‘oxygen bleach’’ — which they describe as biodegradable, odourless and effective as a stain remover and mould killer when used on most fabrics.
The book provides combinations and recipes for surface cleaners, stain removers and odour solutions, as well as practical tips. One recommended method to remove tough roasting‑dish residue uses sodium percarbonate combined with hot water to loosen baked‑on food rather than aggressive scrubbing with a synthetic scouring tool. Another tip for neutralising kitchen odours suggests simmering a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water with citrus or essential oils, then repurposing the strained solution as a toilet cleaner.
A chapter devoted to stain removal lists instructions for 54 types of marks, from beetroot and mascara to turmeric and gravy. The authors recount a case in which repeated soaks with sodium percarbonate removed a two‑year‑old turmeric stain from a white tablecloth after multiple treatments.
Purdy & Figg, which operates an office in central London, a manufacturing facility in Hemel Hempstead and a testing laboratory in King’s Cross, said its focus is on minimizing the ecological and health impacts of conventional cleaning products while offering commercially viable alternatives. The company came third on The Sunday Times list of Britain’s fastest‑growing private companies earlier this year, according to Rubin and Figg.
Clever Cleaning is scheduled for release on Sept. 25 and will be sold through retailers and online. The authors and the publisher have framed the book as both a how‑to manual for household cleaning and a case for rethinking routine use of heavily chemicalised consumer products.