CLX

Clorox Co /de/

A maker of household and professional cleaning products, Clorox is best known for its namesake bleach but also owns brands like Kingsford charcoal, Hidden Valley dressings, and Purell hand sanitizer. It was founded in 1913 in Oakland, California, when five entrepreneurs pooled their savings to build the first commercial liquid-bleach factory in the U.S. The company's name comes from the blend of "chlorine" and "sodium" in its original formula, and its bleach was first sold to breweries and laundries before Annie Murray suggested marketing a gentler version for home use.