COVID-19  March 31, 2020

Boulder Clean seeks approval for COVID-19 disinfectant

BOULDER — 1908 Brands Inc.’s plant-based cleaning product company, Boulder Clean, wants to equip U.S. households with a COVID-19 hard surface disinfectant.

Boulder Clean’s “Citrus Breeze Hard Surface Disinfectant” is undergoing approval from the EPA as effective against COVID-19. Photo courtesy of 1908 Brands/Boulder Clean

The Boulder-based brand has a line of surface sprays, wipes and hand sanitizers in the works. Manufacturing will begin after approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA already has a number of approved disinfectants in its “List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2.” The EPA handles hard surfaces registration while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration monitors hand sanitizer. 

Products on this list demonstrated efficacy against a harder-to-kill virus, qualified for the EPA emerging viral pathogens claim, or demonstrated efficacy against another human coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2. Since SARS-CoV-2 is new and pathogens aren’t readily available for commercial laboratory testing, the EPA allows products that are effective against other human coronavirus strains to qualify. 

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Steve Savage, 1908 Brands CEO and founder, asked Marina Felt, Boulder Clean regulatory assistant, to spearhead the project. Felt, a Fairview High School graduate, had a study abroad program with California Polytechnic State University cut short due to the pandemic.

“Obviously a lot of people are suffering, but I mean we all took hits, and mine was losing my abroad program so if I could make a sanitizer or disinfectant that kills the strain, I’m gonna,” Felt said.

Boulder Clean hopes that its EPA certification will be fast-tracked since it is modeled after other botanical cleaning products on the List N. The main cleaning agents are thymol oil and citric acid.

Boulder Clean won the 2018 EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year award, its third consecutive year as the victor. It’s staying true to its 100% natural ingredient formula model with the line targeting COVID-19.

In the month of March, Boulder Clean sales spiked 250% at its 7,500 retailers around the U.S., including Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, Sprouts and Kroger. 

“For the past three weeks I’ve been on the phone 10 to 12 hours a day just trying to get more allocation, more products, more packaging for all our cleaners,” Savage said. “I mean there isn’t a trigger left in this country for spray products.”

Despite supply disruptions, Boulder Clean is prepared to start manufacturing after EPA approval.

There will be two scents, citrus and a floral “sweet berry sunrise,” of the surface spray and wipes. The hand sanitizer will be citrus scented.

(c) 2020 BizWest Media LLC

Ken Amundson
Ken Amundson is managing editor of BizWest. He has lived in Loveland and reported on issues in the region since 1987. Prior to Colorado, he reported and edited for news organizations in Minnesota and Iowa. He's a parent of two and grandparent of four, all of whom make their homes on the Front Range. A news junkie at heart, he also enjoys competitive sports, especially the Rapids.
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