CleanWell – interview with Holly Bornstein

Jump to Comments

Most of us know the basics of staying germ-free – wash your hands for at least 30 seconds with soap and water, clean any surfaces thoroughly that have had contact with raw poultry – but have we all thought about what might be in the products we use to remain clean?

The founder of CleanWell, Sam DeAth, was just like the majority of us until his world was changed by the birth of his son Connor. Born with a severe immunodeficiency, Connor’s body had difficulty fighting infections, invasive materials and injuries. As a result, the DeAth family began taking a hard look at the environment in their home in order to make it as safe as possible for Connor. What they discovered were harsh cleaning products that simply had to be eliminated and replaced. The replacement? What became known as CleanWell.

I spoke with the lovely Holly Bornstein, co-founder of CleanWell, and found out the latest about this top-notch, passionate company.

Mariel [M]: Not only is your product risk-free for humans, but it is also safe for the environment and is not tested on animals. Was this your company’s goal – universally safe products – when you started off?

Holly Bornstein [HB]: When we started, Sam DeAth our founder was solving for one big problem – how do you disinfect without using toxic chemicals?  How do you kill germs without using something you don’t want to bring into your home,  something you possibly find even more disconcerting than germs?
When Sam solved this problem he discovered a way for us to improve public and personal health in a groundbreaking, safe way.

It is our hope that this type of thinking and his success will inspire others to re-think and re-invent other categories to bring to market healthier, safer products.

M: CleanWell is vocally against using certain chemicals, such as Triclosan, in household products.  What have studies found that is cause for alarm?

HB: First of all Triclosan is ubiquitous.  It is the active ingredient in 75% or more liquid hand soaps and 25% of bar soaps.  Every year Americans buy several billion dollars of products that contain several million pounds of these synthetic antimicrobials.  Studies out of institutions, including John Hopkins have come up with two major findings:

1)    When Triclosan is washed down the drain it does not break down in the wastewater treatment process.  When it is exposed to water and sunlight it converts into dioxin, which is a carcinogen.
2)    Triclosan is a potent endocrine disruptor including thyroid and sex hormones estrogen and androgen.
A recent study by the CDC found Triclosan in the urine of 76% of Americans and essentially all little girls. These chemicals accumulate in fatty tissues and are very slowly cleared.

M: How does your company spread the word about the dangers of some household and antibacterial products and introduce people to alternatives?  Do you do any community outreach?

HB: Yes, In fact on Sept 12th we are doing a Triclosan Trade-in event at Whole Foods Market in Washington DC .   Whole Foods has a no Triclosan policy at all their stores.  So if you shop at Whole Foods you know you are NOT inadvertently coming home with Triclosan in your shopping bags.

On Sept 12th:
1)    DROP OFF hand soap you find in your home containing the ingredient Triclosan.
This dangerous pesticide will be safely disposed.
2)    REPLACE with a safe and healthy alternative.
Buy One Bottle of CleanWell Hand Soap and get one Free.

Also on an ongoing basis we work with a many non profits who are educating the public and providing guidance on better choices– these organizations include Healthy Child Healthy World, Grass Roots Environmental Organization, Environmental Working Group, and The Breast Cancer Fund.

M: A lot of cleaning products claim to be “natural” and safe, yet some of that jargon appears to be simply marketing.  How can the average consumer find the real deal on the shelf?

HB: Look for full disclosure of ingredients; when a product doesn’t have a full list of ingredients on their label, that’s a red flag for me. Or if they have very non-descriptive ingredients listed like “fragrance.”

We list all of our ingredients and use the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) names.  The names ain’t short but they are standardized! We hope that more companies will begin to follow the INCI naming convention because by its design INCI delivers consistency, which will make it easier for you to compare ingredients on all the personal care products you use.

M: Pets and animals are mentioned throughout your website (Dr. Weiss’ bio and Sam & Connor’s pug).  Are CleanWell products safe for them as well? Any plans for pet-geared CleanWell products?

HB: CleanWell is not tested on animals and it is safe for humans and animals.  Our wipes are great for wiping dirty paws.  If consumers started to ask their favorite pet product stores to carry CleanWell we’d love to make the product available there!

M: The school year has just started, and with it all of the runny noses and dirty hands. Do you have any advice for parents trying to keep their kids healthy at school?

HB: Yes – studies show that washing hands regularly (about 5x a day), decreases the rate of infectious illness by nearly 50%.  So cleaning hands, especially at key times (before snack, lunch, after going to bathroom, sneezing), can make a big difference.

From personal experience, when my son started kindergarten at public school he was getting sick constantly.  I came to find out the school didn’t consistently find time to wash all the children’s hands before lunch. So I started putting either a CleanWell hand sanitizer wipe or spray in my son’s lunch.  I saw a big change, which meant not only wasn’t he getting sick regularly, he wasn’t bringing it home and making me, my husband and our daughter sick too.

M: I heard the Obamas used CleanWell’s hand sanitizer on the campaign trail – nice! How did they come to find your products?

HB: Someone at CleanWell had an acquaintance working on the campaign that was using CleanWell and apparently it caught on!  Also CleanWell hand sanitizer was available at the DNC in Denver.  Our wall mount dispensers were available around the venue as part of their greening effort, along with some cheeky signs that said things like, “From High Fives, to Fist Bumps, CleanWell has you covered.”

M: Last year the EU passed a bill requiring that products prove they are safe before entering the market, as opposed to proving they are harmful after they are on the shelves (as they do in the U.S.).  Is the U.S.’s innocent-until-proven-guilty approach the ideal way to deal with products, or are the Europeans on to something?

HB: Each of us doesn’t have the time to learn about all of the chemicals used as ingredients and there are few of us who have chemistry degrees.  It seems to be common sense that as the EU bill has done, it puts the responsibility on companies to prove something is safe instead of a regulator having to prove it is harmful.

M: There are so many new studies coming out and exciting innovations in the eco-friendly, green space. What news or advances have gotten your attention (for good or bad reasons) lately?

HB: I like innovation that makes healthy, sustainable choices an easy mainstream lifestyle change for consumers and/or businesses.

1) For example, Recyclebank– this is a program that rewards consumers for recycling.  It started by focusing on areas with below average recycle rates.  This type of program allows the country to better optimize and build out infrastructure that has been proven successful.  I look forward to someone focusing on making curbside composting easy (as the municipality has done in San Francisco) and growing that segment as well.
2)  In the commercial renewable energy space there’s been a shift over the past couple of years.  Rather than making individual companies do big upfront investments to install panels on their property, a relatively new financial structure called a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) makes it much easier for roofs and land to be fitted with solar panels because the property owner pays a set fee for drawing down the energy without having to invest millions up front.

Often it’s creative thinking in how we structure things that makes a big difference.

M: Any cool news from the world of CleanWell? Do you have any new products coming down the pike?

HB: This month we’re launching a Foaming Desktop Hand Sanitizer.  This was developed in response to consumer feedback.  Foam is well loved.  And the one-hand application is a plus for small children, parents at diaper changing stations, people at work, and for seniors.

Thanks to Holly for speaking with me! Stay tuned for a fun giveaway tomorrow!

-Mariel Shaw

9 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized