The History of Purex Laundry Detergent

In 1922, a father and son cleaning team, Lionel and Roy, created a pure bleach product in their family garage. They packaged the product into amber pint jars and began selling them for 15 cents each; their price was notably 10 cents less than the typical cost of bleach at the time. Their liquid bleach product quickly became popular and was given the name Purex in a nod to its cleaning abilities and ingredient qualities. During the Great Depression, the affordable price kept Purex going strong, and over the years, the Purex line expanded to include a full complement of laundry detergents. Later, fabric softeners, fragrance boosters, and dryer sheets were added, too. Today, Purex laundry detergent remains popular and is available throughout the United States and Canada.