Domestos

In the UK & Ireland, Domestos has provided families protection from harmful germs for seventy years & is now clearly established as the first name in home hygiene. That's because Domestos has the lasting power to eradicate all known germs.

Sensible hygiene

The Domestos range offers people peace of mind when tackling germs, and responsible advice for establishing sensible home hygiene regimes.

From its original incarnation as a liquid bleach, the brand has been extended and developed to offer a variety of products and fresh fragrances. Domestos now brings the power of thick bleach to surface wipes, toilet gel, toilet cistern and rim blocks – making the use of bleach easier and more convenient for the modern householder.

How it all started

Domestos originated from the Newcastle garden shed of William Handley, a 25 year-old dental mechanic. He bought sodium hypochlorite from ICI Billingham and sold the solution from 1929 as a steriliser, drain cleaner and even a treatment for sore feet! The product was sold door-to-door in large stoneware jars that were refilled by salesmen with special bicycle and hand carts.
In 1937 housewives paid 6d for a bottle plus a 1d returnable deposit. The bleach was sold as an 'all purpose cleaner' but also had other uses such as to 'sweeten' drains. At the outbreak of World War II stocks increased as the product was used as a treatment for burns.
In 1952 Domestos sold through retail outlets and was distributed nationally where the slogan "kills all known germs dead" was first coined. It was also during this time when Domestos became proactively involved in health education. It ran a campaign to encourage polio vaccination, gaining official endorsement from the Institute of Public Health and Hygiene.
Domestos was acquired by Unilever in 1961. In 1969 the Domestos Hygiene Advisory service was formed – a first for customer service care.
The new millennium saw the launch of Domestos Oxygen bleach and the 'thickest ever bleach' in 2003.
Colour was next on the agenda. In 2004 Domestos unveiled a bold new Pink Power bleach to give shoppers even greater choice. In 2005, Domestos Aqua Blast is launched.

Innovations

Since 2005, Domestos has launched four new products in the UK:
The first of these innovations, in 2005, was Domestos Sink & Pipe Unblocker.
In 2008, Domestos launched Grotbuster and Zero Limescale. Domestos Grotbuster dissolves even the toughest germ infested grot, including mould and is specially formulated to cling to vertical surfaces. Domestos Zero Limescale is up three times thicker than standard toilet limescale removers. The product grips above and below the waterline of the toilet, and just one application will remove over a week’s worth of germ ridden limescale..
More recently, Domestos has introduced Domestos 24HR, a re-launch of its thick bleach range, reformulated with a new even thicker flush proof formula. New Domestos 24HR kills all known germs dead and clings to the toilet to continuing protecting your toilet even after the flush.

Did you know?

One germ can multiply into four million in just eight hours and once they do, they can stay alive for up to three hours. The number of germs on your fingertips also doubles after you use the toilet which makes toilet cleaning a vital health issue.
Domestos began running The Domestos Health Promotion Awards since 1977, recognising and rewarding the unsung heroes in the field of health and hygiene. In 1994 the scheme attracted a record number of entries across the health sector.
Domestos is derived from the Latin word Domus meaning 'house' and the Greek word osteon meaning 'bone'. So Domestos literally means 'backbone of the home'.

For information on the Domestos range of products call the customer careline free on 0800 776645 in the UK and on 1850 301302 in Ireland