Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg, co‑founders of the British eco‑cleaning company Purdy & Figg, said they will not use several widely sold cleaning products — including bleach — and published a book, Clever Cleaning, that outlines natural alternatives and household hacks.
The pair, who launched the company in 2018 and saw rapid growth during the COVID‑19 lockdowns, said their argument is both environmental and health‑based. Last year Purdy & Figg reported £42.2 million in sales; the company now employs about 100 people, operates an office in Euston, a factory in Hemel Hempstead and a testing lab in King’s Cross.
Rubin, 68, and Figg, 64, said they avoid products they regard as chemically harsh or unnecessarily synthetic. In interviews and in their book they identify five common household items they would not use: chlorine bleach and other chloride‑ or bromide‑based disinfectants, antibacterial cleaning sprays that kill all bacteria including beneficial microbiome species, synthetic scouring sponges made from petroleum (such as the Scrub Daddy), plastic‑coated washing or dishwasher pods, and certain mainstream antibacterial dish soaps — the founders specifically contrasted the milder Ecover and Miniml brands with stronger formulas such as blue antibacterial Fairy.
Their principal commercial product, Counter Clean, is an all‑natural surface spray sold as a refillable set: a reusable glass spray bottle and three 20 ml concentrate bottles that are mixed with tap water. The concentrate, the founders said, relies on a naturally derived preservative sourced from Europe that allows oil‑based scent concentrates to mix with water. The company reported selling between 10 million and 12 million of the mini concentrate bottles a year.
Rubin and Figg said their approach is to replace what they call "harsh chemical products" with a short list of supermarket and hardware store ingredients. Clever Cleaning describes seven core ingredients the authors say are sufficient for most household cleaning: bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) as a scourer, citric acid as a descaler, rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant, white vinegar for multiple uses including machine cleaning and fabric conditioning, Castile soap for general surface cleaning, soda crystals (sodium carbonate) for grease and drain clearing, and sodium percarbonate — often sold as oxygen bleach — as a biodegradable stain remover and mould treatment.
The book provides recipes for combining those ingredients into homemade cleaners and offers “hacks” for everyday problems, such as simmering equal parts white vinegar and water with lemon slices or essential oils to remove cooking odours, then repurposing the cooled solution as a toilet cleaner. A chapter on stain removal lists 54 stain types, from beetroot to turmeric, with step‑by‑step treatments. Figg described a multi‑stage process using cold water and sodium percarbonate to remove a two‑year‑old turmeric stain from a white tablecloth.
The founders link their warnings about chemical cleaners to environmental and public health concerns. They said compounds in strong disinfectants, particularly those containing chlorides and bromides, can enter waterways and harm aquatic life when flushed. They also cited epidemiological research indicating potential respiratory harm from long‑term use of strong cleaning sprays. Rubin and Figg referenced a 2017 Norwegian study of about 6,000 women that found regular use of cleaning sprays over two decades was associated with a 40 percent increase in the likelihood of developing asthma; the study concluded lung function loss in those women was comparable to that of long‑term cigarette smokers.
Rubin and Figg also warned about phthalates, chemical plasticizers often used in synthetic fragrances found in some laundry detergents and air fresheners. The pair noted that product labels are not always required to disclose phthalates, and advised consumers to look for items labelled "phthalate‑free" or "naturally fragranced".
The founders acknowledged limits and compromises. The current Counter Clean set includes a microfibre cloth, a synthetic item they described as a "snag" in an otherwise natural product line; Figg said the company is seeking alternatives. The brand also shifted product focus after the sanitiser boom of lockdowns, moving away from hand sanitisers toward concentrated, refillable surface cleaner sales.
Purdy & Figg said they do not want to denigrate other brands but urged consumers to consider the long‑term effects of repeated exposure to aggressive chemicals and the environmental costs of plastic‑coated detergent pods. They recommended simple home treatments — for example, using two tablespoons of sodium percarbonate and boiling water to loosen baked‑on food, rather than scrubbing hard with a petroleum‑based scouring sponge.
Clever Cleaning is due to be released Sept. 25 and provides recipes, ingredient explanations and stain‑removal guides aimed at consumers seeking low‑toxicity alternatives to mainstream cleaning products. The founders framed the book as an extension of their company’s product philosophy: reduce single‑use plastics, avoid harsh preservatives where possible, and prioritize biodegradable, naturally derived ingredients that they say are effective without the health and environmental trade‑offs associated with some conventional cleaners.