Here is the English translation of a recent interview of Bondi Wash Founder Belinda Everingham in Shanghai organic clothing store Klee Klee.

The original Chinese interview can be found here

Please share with us why you created BONDI WASH? And what is your inspiration of creating this brand?

The idea came to me quite a long time ago. I had small children and was cleaning the bench top with a supermarket multi-purpose spray. I got a bad headache so wondered what it was doing to the children and our health and the environment. I couldn’t find any good natural alternatives – they smelt just as bad and didn’t work well. Not long after, I was at a friend’s house and she was cleaning with diluted eucalyptus oil. It got me thinking maybe there was a more natural way to clean. Then a few years later I was reading the book Perfume by Patrick Suskind while on holiday in Far North Queensland. The book is all about the power of scent and set in Paris and Grasse. And there were all these native plants up there I had never heard of. It got me thinking whether Australia could use its native flora to create products and fragrances like the French have done. I returned to Sydney and started researching and found all these wonderful oils and extracts with amazing properties – which Bondi Wash now uses in our product range. One of our goals is to introduce these plants and their properties to the world through beautiful natural products.

Could you please share your tips while you doing housework/ cleaning with us? Which product from BONDI been used more frequently? And in which scent?

The Bench Spray is my favourite – and really our most loved product. It totally transforms cleaning into something almost pleasant with the natural scent – and it works well and can be used on just about any surface. It also meets the independent lab test standard ‘kills 99.99% of germs’ thanks to the Australian botanicals which have anti-bacterial properties.  I love the Lemon Tree & Mandarin scent right now but I do love to rotate scents.

Could you please share with us your view about sustainable/green life? Any experience and habit that you learned from life/work could share with us?

People are becoming more and more aware of the damage we humans are doing to our planet – and our health – through over-consumption and unnecessary chemicals. The more research I do the fewer chemicals I use.

 Some examples include:

• We have a worm farm which we use to fertilize the garden (it is like liquid gold for the plants)
• I have stopped using oven cleaner – that’s one of the worst in terms of toxic chemicals. Instead we regularly clean with our Bench Spray and a scourer.
• I buy a weekly box of home-delivered organic vegetables and fruit. They taste so much better than the sprayed ones.

What is your most wanted thing/item from KleeKlee if you could bring something home? And why?

Right now I am loving linen, it is such a versatile fabric that breathes well, washes well and lasts. I have linens shirts and pants but would love a linen jacket for the Sydney summer.

Could you please share your impression about KleeKlee?

Oh I love your brand. It is groovy, stylish and your choice of fabrics are exactly what I try to choose these days – cotton, silk, linen and wool. I try to avoid polyester clothes as these never breakdown – plus can irritate sensitive skin. I also try to choose clothes that last well – and Klee Klee clothes have timeless style and appear excellent quality.

Australia is a country with a very advanced environmental protection concept; could you recommend a brand which goes the way of green environmental protection?

We collaborate with a number of companies that care about the impact they are having on the environment. For example our Hand Washes are used in the bathrooms of the restaurant group Vue De Monde, and we know chef Shannon Bennett takes great care in how he sources ingredients. He has just launched a new restaurant Ike-Jime in Melbourne that sources only hand caught fish. A trend in restaurants in Australia is to source ingredients locally from organic farms they operate – The Three Blue Ducks and Sean’s Panorama are 2 that do this and have amazing seasonal menus.

We often support seasonal fashion launches by sustainable fashion brands – like Good Day Girl – who make their clothes to order each season to create less waste.

We also love organic baby mattresses from Tetra who create baby matresses from tea tree bark. All our children slept on them – and it’s another local Bondi company.

So far, what makes you surprised during the trip? (pleasantly surprised)

Yoga is one of my loves so I am excited that the yoga movement has hit China. I did a class at Space cycle last night.