From playroom to profit: How two BC moms created eco-conscious cleaning products

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Let’s face it: not everyone enjoys doing housework. But the founders of Mint Cleaning Products have found a way to make cleaning, kind of… cool.

And it’s not just the retro-chic branding that sets it apart from grandma’s bleach — every Mint cleaner is all-natural, non-toxic, and environmentally sound.

Monika Scott and Robyn Mair are the founders of Mint Cleaning, a venture based out of their hometown of Ucluelet, BC, and today, their small business has become a large lifestyle line, with eco-friendly goods that range from scrubs and hand-soaps to laundry, dishwasher, and air freshener products.

Taking pride in eco-safe solutions

The co-founders take pride in their eco-safe solutions, right down to the smell. Mair and Scott waved goodbye to the chemical stench of old-school cleaners and infused their goods with pure essential oils like grapefruit, lavender, and yes, mint.

“Mint’s essential oil does boost your mood, alleviate stress, and is such a great headache relief,” says Mair. “ Not only do you clean—you feel good.”

Their story is a feel-good one itself. Mint grew out of a perfect storm of chance meetings, good timing, and rising demand. It’s a passion project that skyrocketed into a blooming business.

And it all started in a local mom group. Within minutes of meeting, Scott and Mair became “instant best friends.”

Both moms had been feeling unsatisfied with their career prospects. Mair, a former hair salon owner, was in limbo in the restaurant industry, and Scott wanted to branch out of her daycare outfit.

With a clean slate came a very clean idea. And in just 24 hours, they imagined a new business, cleaning vacation rentals around touristy Ucluelet. In only two months, they had a waitlist for their services and took off as a team.

“We felt like a very responsible marriage — a healthier marriage than our real marriages in some ways,” Mair laughs.

Yet, after years of cleaning vacation properties with regular products, Mair and Scott noticed a toll on their health. Lung scarring, asthma, and eczema were not part of their business plan.

Enter COVID-19 and the shutdown of vacation rentals. Instead of giving up, the partners got creative and turned their kitchens into DIY laboratories. They pulled all-nighters, researching safe cleaning concoctions and finding the perfect solutions.

“I had to dedicate my kids’ playroom to a fulfillment centre, so it was, ‘Sorry kids, you’re out!’” Mair says.

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“And a lightbulb went off. Is this something?”

They began to post their potions on Instagram, and followers immediately wanted to buy them.

“So we put together 12 makeshift jars of scrub and it sold within minutes,” says Scott.

Mint’s trajectory is the stuff small businesses dream of. They hired a chemist, refined the recipes, and developed their brand. Soon, they had a Ucluelet store with an office and manufacturing area. Today, 19 Mint Cleaning products are available in over 200 stores across Canada, and the company is also killing it online.

The proof wasn’t just in the numbers, it was tangible too; take one longtime resort housekeeper who was losing more of her hair each year, until the management switched to Mint.

“Her hair started to grow back,” says Scott. “All the housekeeping and places that use it just love it because it smells amazing, and you don’t feel sick. It’s rejuvenating.”

Don’t let the pretty smell fool you. Mint’s natural antibacterial ingredients have proven to disinfect just as well as the harsh stuff. Even if some noses recognize bleach and fake scents as “sanitary,” Mint products are changing that old way of thinking, scrub by scrub.

“We’re trying to compete with these other products that use synthetic fragrances for an eighth of the cost,” Scott adds. “That’s been the toughest thing with our competition.”

It’s that competition that Mint Cleaning hopes to mop up.

“Mint has just grown so much naturally. We often joke that the next step is world domination.”