The Making of Brook & Bramble’s Outdoor Cleaner

Creating a truly reliable outdoor cleaner isn’t about throwing strong ingredients into a bottle and printing a label. It’s about precision. Timing. Trade-offs. Real-world testing. And for us, it was also about honouring the way we live in and care for outdoor spaces—especially here in the Cheshire countryside, where Brook & Bramble was born.

Our Outdoor Cleaner was never meant to be “just another bleach spray.” It had to be powerful, yes—but also controlled, surface-safe, and made with the same care we’d expect from a product in our own homes.

Where It Started: Garden Trials & Early Failures

We began by testing early formulas on our own patios, decks, and driveways—stone, timber, composite, brick—all exposed to British seasons. Moss and algae are different in March than they are in October, and we needed a formula that would perform year-round.

We experimented with a range of surfactants and oxidisers, but it became clear that sodium hypochlorite, when stabilised and buffered correctly, offered the best performance. The challenge was never making something strong—it was making something smart.

Some early prototypes degraded in sunlight. Others separated in cold weather. A few cleaned well but left patchy bloom or white residue, especially on porous stone. We took detailed notes on every test: water temperature, air humidity, surface pH before and after treatment, and contact dwell time. If it didn’t meet our standards, it didn’t move forward.

Precision in the Lab

In the lab, we refined the formula over 18 development phases, adjusting:

• Active strength to balance cleaning efficiency and user safety
• Chelating agents to soften hard water and improve rinse behaviour
• pH buffers to stabilise the formula and protect delicate surfaces
• Foam regulators to prevent over-spray or slippage during application
• Preservatives to maintain stability without overcomplicating the formula

Each batch was tested for UV degradation, freeze-thaw resistance, and active chlorine decay over time—to ensure that what’s bottled on day one still performs months later in a customer’s shed.

Designing for the Real World

Once the formula was locked, we focused on user experience. The bottle needed to feel at home in a well-kept garden—not industrial or clinical. But it also had to:

• Pour cleanly and safely
• Resist sunlight and weather if left outdoors
• Be recyclable, and future-proofed for refill formats

The label design went through quiet refinements. We worked on tone, layout, and language that would educate without overwhelming, and reflect both confidence and care. The result is packaging that mirrors our ethos: functional, calm, and considered.

Where It Belongs in the Market

Brook & Bramble’s Outdoor Cleaner isn’t priced to undercut—it’s made for customers who notice quality. People who sweep their paths with pride. Who plant lavender along fence lines. Who want products that work hard but live gently among the spaces they’ve built.

We created this for design-led households and real gardeners alike—for those who value performance but don’t want to compromise on aesthetic, surface safety, or brand values.

Scaling It Up, Without Diluting the Standards

As interest grew, so did the demand. But we refused to hand production off to a generic co-packer. Everything is still blended, filled, and packed by our in-house team in Cheshire, where our lab sits within sight of sheep-filled pastures.

We scaled the process, yes—but not the shortcuts. Every production run is batch-tested for active strength, consistency, and pH balance. We keep detailed production logs and temperature-control records. We even track product ageing in real garden sheds and garages to simulate customer conditions.

What We’ve Learned

• The strongest formula isn’t always the best—control is more powerful than force
• Clean isn’t just what you see—it’s how a surface feels underfoot, days later
• Packaging matters—people want products that fit their lives, not just their cleaning cupboard
• And finally: nothing beats testing a product under your own boots, on your own stone path, with your own dog running through the rinse water

The Cleaner You See Today

The Brook & Bramble Outdoor Cleaner is the result of more than two years of trial, error, learning, and pride. It’s one of the very few products in its category developed entirely in-house, designed for the real conditions of British outdoor life—and made to help people like you restore what’s beautiful, not strip it bare.

We built it to last.
We built it to work.
And we built it for homes that care about the details.