Indie Brand Clean Guy Simplifies Laundry Day

Walk down the laundry aisle and the florals speak to just part of household care marketplace. Enter Clean Guy, a laundry brand built for the guys.

This indie brand has  “2-in-1” system that packs 100 loads of detergent and 100 built-in dryer sheets in the same bottle and a six-enzyme-driven, cold water formula built to tackle a wide range of stains, oils and organic matter.  Plus, Clean Guy, as its name applies, leans into masculine scents such as Citrus & Sandalwood and Leather & Tobacco.

Roy Peer, founder and CEO of Clean Guy, is no stranger to the household product category. He is also the CEO of PeerBasics, the company behind Gunk Getter cleaners that incorporate a cloth inside the packaging which eliminates the need for paper towels.

Peer took time to chat with Happi about Clean Guy.

Happi: What is your brand story and your agenda?

RP: We started by developing sophisticated fragrances that men would genuinely want to wear on their clothing, including Pine & Cedar, Leather & Tobacco and Citrus & Sandalwood. But fragrance alone was not enough. The product still needed to clean extremely well and make the laundry process easier. That thinking ultimately led to our six-enzyme detergent formula and patented 2-in-1 packaging system, which keeps the same fragrance consistent from the wash through the dryer.

Our broader vision is to build a modern American men’s household brand that happens to have started by reinventing laundry.

Happi: Did you design the 2-in-1 bottle?

RP: Yes, we designed and developed the system in-house. As we were creating a men’s-focused laundry brand, we saw a disconnect in the category: someone could choose a detergent with a scent they loved but then had to pair it with a conventional dryer sheet in a completely different fragrance.

That led us to develop our patented 2-in-1 packaging system, which combines 100 loads of detergent with a built-in roll of 100 matching dryer sheets. It keeps the scent consistent throughout the entire laundry process while making the routine simpler and more convenient. It is a good example of how we approach product development: start with a real consumer frustration and engineer a better solution around it.

Happi: Tell us about the six-enzyme formula. How did you create it and what are its benefits?

RP: We developed the formula in partnership with experienced laundry chemists. Our goal was to create a concentrated, low-sudsing detergent that performed well in cold water and could handle the broad range of soils found in everyday laundry.

Each of the six enzymes has a specific role:

• Protease helps break down protein-based stains, including sweat, grass, and food.
• Amylase targets starch-based stains and residues.
• Lipase helps remove oils, grease and body oils.
• Mannanase breaks down certain food-based stains, sauces and thickening agents.
• Pectate lyase targets fruit and vegetable-based stains.
• Cellulase helps release trapped soil and remove microscopic fuzz from cotton fibers, helping fabrics look cleaner and better maintained.

The real benefit comes from how these enzymes work together. Instead of relying on a single cleaning mechanism, the formula attacks different types of stains at the molecular level. That gives consumers strong everyday cleaning performance without requiring an overly harsh or high-sudsing formula.

Happi: What about the sustainable benefits?

RP: We take a practical approach to sustainability and focus on choices that can make a measurable difference without compromising performance.

The detergent is concentrated to provide 100 loads in a compact bottle, reducing the amount of packaging required per wash. Incorporating 100 dryer sheets into the base of that same package also removes the need for a separate dryer-sheet package and creates a more efficient format for storage and transportation.

The formula is designed to perform in cold water, which allows consumers to reduce the energy used to heat wash water. Our dryer sheets are designed to provide effective performance while eliminating the need for a separate dryer-sheet package, and the detergent contains no added dyes.

Happi: Can you tell us about your industry experience?

RP: Clean Guy is part of PeerBasics, the consumer-products company I founded in 2018. PeerBasics develops and scales household cleaning, organization and convenience products across e-commerce and major national retailers. Our experience spans the entire product-development process, from identifying an unmet consumer need through formulation, packaging development, sourcing, production, marketing and retail execution.

Clean Guy’s laundry formulas were developed with experienced chemists who have extensive backgrounds in high-performance and cleaner-ingredient laundry formulation. We cannot disclose the other brands produced by our manufacturing and formulation partners due to confidentiality agreements, but we selected them specifically for their technical experience and ability to help us create something genuinely differentiated.

See what shoppers have to say about Clean Guy on Reddit.