CleanWell Company

By Holly Bornstein - CleanWell Director of Marketing and Co-Founder

Ginger Bergamot Starter Pack

I met Sam DeAth, co-Founder of CleanWell Company, when my youngest was a year old.  I’d spent the decade passionately pursuing a career in solar energy and thought that I’d spend the next decade continuing to work in the renewable energy field.  But as I spoke to Sam and Dr. Larry Weiss (CleanWell’s other co-founder), it quickly became apparent to me that CleanWell and Sam’s discovery would have an enormous impact on public and environmental health and I wanted to be a part of it.

Sam took a page from nature’s playbook when he discovered how to use ingredients that include thyme and oregano oil  to create a patented formula that kills germs naturally.  This formula is uniquely poised to replace toxic chemicals found in everything from hand sanitizers and  liquid soaps to surface cleaners. Since every bottle of CleanWell replaces a bottle that contains problematic chemistry that biodegrades slowly and often into more toxic chemicals, using CleanWell is not just a better way to clean ourselves and our families, but it is actually cleaning up the environment.

Sam’s discovery came from necessity.  His first son, Conor, was  born with an extremely rare and dangerous condition; a severe immunodeficiency that made the simplest childhood activities – a scraped knee, a cold, even contact with other children – potentially life-threatening.

Sam’s Story

Here’s how Sam describes his experience and the inspiration for CleanWell: 

Twenty years ago Conor, would have been considered a bubble boy.  Today, he leads a relatively normal life.  He goes on family vacations, trains in gymnastics, and attends school, thanks in part to the revolutionary, safe, and effective germ-killing formula that my mom and I developed from an entirely natural, plant-based blend of essential oils. The first time I held my newborn son, he was sealed in an incubator in a neonatal ICU.  We gave him his first stuffed animal in a plastic baggie.  I was scared and overwhelmed; this was not how I expected to take care of my first child.  His doctors were stumped.  We met over a dozen physicians of various specialties who collectively mis-diagnosed, mis-prescribed and mis-led us for several years.  Finally, we got an answer when Conor was diagnosed with a rare, non-genetic form of Severe Combined Immuno-Deficiency (SCID), which is just a fancy way of saying that he doesn’t have enough white blood cells to defend his body against infections, injuries and invasive materials.

So with only 10% of our son’s immune system functioning, it was critical that my wife Jen and I make our home as safe as possible for Conor.  We soon discovered that household disinfectants and antibacterial soaps contain toxic and persistent synthetic chemicals.  Jen and I realized that the use of these synthetic chemicals in our home would end up being just another tax on Conor’s severely overburdened immune system, forcing him to process yet another source of foreign, unnatural “invaders” in his already hard-working body.  After tirelessly searching for an alternative and coming up empty, and we were forced to face reality; there were no viable options for our family.

In order to make a better life for our son, we took matters into our own hands.  Along with my mom, Joy, an aromacologist, I set out to make a formula that could kill germs and that could be used around Conor.  We discovered the unique botanical blend that powers all CleanWell products.

CleanWell products help my son live his best life.  Conor excels at gymnastics and though he struggles with his condition, which continues to confound his doctors, he is out in the world with his peers.  We can protect his fragile immune system without exposing our family or our environment to dangerous toxins.  You can show the same consideration for your health, your home, and your planet when you use CleanWell products.

Reflecting on my time with CleanWell

My youngest is now six years old; I’ve spent the past half a decade with Sam, Dr. Weiss, and the rest of the amazing CleanWell team.  We’ve done some great work and we’re one of those companies where every day is Earth Day, but we’ve got a lot more work ahead of us.

Holly Bornstein and Family

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