Claire

What Claire does

Claire (legally Claire Manufacturing, DBA "Claire Mfg") is a privately held U.S. aerosol sanitary supply manufacturer operating since 1947 and headquartered in Illinois. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of PLZ Corp, a diversified manufacturer serving household, personal care, automotive, food service, and industrial markets. Claire's product portfolio spans seven categories: cleaners (glass, oven, utility, vandal-mark removers, silicone release), EPA-registered disinfectants and germicidals, metered and handheld air fresheners (multiple scents), polishes (multi-purpose, stainless steel), floor care (gum removers, wax strippers, dust mop treatments), insecticides (wasps/hornets, bed bugs, general pests), and food service cooking sprays.

Claire's core technology centers on aerosol formulation and manufacturing capabilities, including EPA-registered disinfectant formulations, controlled-release metered air freshener delivery systems, and precision aerosol valves designed for uniform surface coverage including hard-to-access areas. These technologies provide regulatory differentiation (via EPA registration) and product performance differentiation in professional-grade cleaning and sanitization workflows.

The business model is B2B sales-led: Claire targets industrial and professional end-users through direct sales rather than consumer retail or app-based channels. Revenue is generated via one-time product purchase transactions across multiple vertical segments — building maintenance (primary), education, healthcare, food service, and industrial professionals — with pricing not publicly disclosed and handled via direct B2B engagement. Distribution is described as worldwide via the parent PLZ Corp's infrastructure, with digital presence limited to PLZ Corp's website product catalog, SDS documentation, and a shared corporate YouTube channel. The firm is small in headcount (51-100 employees) and does not disclose revenue, funding, or ownership-stake detail beyond PLZ Corp's controlling parent status.

Name

Claire

Legal name

Claire Manufacturing

Website

https://clairemfg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Claire (Claire Manufacturing) is an Illinois-based B2B aerosol sanitary supply manufacturer founded in 1947 and operating as a subsidiary of PLZ Corp, producing EPA-registered disinfectants, cleaners, air fresheners, polishes, floor care products, insecticides, and food service sprays for industrial and professional customers across multiple sectors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Cleaning Products

NAICS

Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing (325612), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532)

SIC

Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerosol Air Fresheners & Sprays (CRAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerosol Disinfectants & Foggers (CRAJANAD), Household Insecticide Aerosols & Sprays (CRAJAHAA)

Keywords

• Aerosol cleaning products
• Industrial disinfectants
• Air fresheners
• Sanitary supplies
• Facility maintenance products

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. B2B Industrial Product Sales: Claire generates revenue through the sale of aerosol-based cleaning, disinfecting, and air freshening products to industrial and professional customers. Products are sold directly to facilities and businesses across multiple industries including building maintenance, healthcare, education, and food service.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Claire manufactures a complete line of aerosol products including insecticides, EPA-registered disinfectants, cleaners, polishes, and metered and handheld air fresheners. The company serves industrial and professional customers across building maintenance, healthcare, education, food service, and industrial sectors.

Product overview

Claire manufactures a complete line of quality aerosol and liquid cleaning products, including insecticides, disinfectants, cleaners, polishes, and an extensive line of metered and handheld air fresheners. The product portfolio is organized into categories: Cleaners (glass cleaners, oven cleaners, utility cleaners, vandal mark removers), Disinfectants & Germicidals (EPA-registered disinfectant sprays, germicidal cleaners serving healthcare settings), Air Fresheners & Deodorizers (both metered and handheld variants in multiple scents), Polishes (multi-purpose and stainless steel polishes), Floor Care (gum removers, wax strippers, dust mop treatments), Insecticides (wasps/hornets, bed bugs, general insect killers), and Food Service (cooking sprays and baking sprays). The company serves industrial, educational, healthcare, and food service sectors with products designed for professional use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Claire Cleaners
• Claire Disinfectants and Germicidals
• Claire Air Fresheners and Deodorizers
• Claire Polishes
• Claire Floor Care Products
• Claire Insecticides
• Claire Food Service Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Uniform coverage of surfaces reaching even hard-to-access areas

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Clorox Professional: Clorox's B2B division sells EPA-registered disinfectants, cleaners, and sanitizers to healthcare, education, and foodservice customers — directly overlapping Claire's institutional disinfectant and germicidal SKUs (e.g., CL1001–CL1003) in the same end markets.
• SC Johnson Professional: SC Johnson's professional arm offers industrial and institutional cleaning, disinfecting, and air care products — closely matching Claire's aerosol cleaners, disinfectants, and metered air freshener categories for facility maintenance buyers.
• Reckitt Professional (Lysol Professional): Reckitt's Lysol Professional line provides EPA-registered disinfectant sprays and cleaners to healthcare, education, and food service — a direct head-to-head competitor to Claire's germicidal cleaners and disinfectant sprays.
• Zep Inc. Zep manufactures and distributes a full line of professional cleaners, degreasers, disinfectants, and air care products to industrial and institutional customers — a near-identical product overlap with Claire's catalog across cleaners, polishes, and disinfectants.
• National Chemical Laboratories: NCL manufactures industrial and institutional cleaners, disinfectants, and floor care products sold through janitorial distributors — a directly comparable specialty chemicals peer with overlapping SKUs in cleaners, disinfectants, and floor care.

Broad incumbents

• Diversey (Solenis): Diversey, now part of Solenis, is a global leader in professional hygiene and cleaning solutions for food service, healthcare, and facility management — a broader incumbent whose institutional disinfectant and cleaning portfolio competes directly with Claire's core lines.
• Ecolab: Ecolab is a diversified global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention, offering industrial cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants to food service, healthcare, and hospitality — overlapping Claire's institutional and food service verticals with much broader reach.
• 3M Commercial Solutions: 3M's commercial cleaning and safety division sells cleaners, degreasers, and aerosol maintenance chemicals to industrial and facility customers — a broad-line incumbent overlapping with Claire's cleaners, polishes, and industrial maintenance SKUs.

Emerging players

• GOJO Industries (Purell): GOJO, maker of Purell, supplies hand hygiene and surface disinfection products to healthcare and institutional buyers — adjacent to Claire's disinfectant and germicidal SKUs and competing for the same healthcare and education facility contracts.

Regional players

• Nyco Products Company: Nyco is a mid-sized U.S. manufacturer of specialty cleaning, sanitizing, and laundry chemicals for the janitorial and food service trades — a comparable specialty chemistry peer serving similar B2B channels with overlapping product categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/plzcorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/plzcorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plzcorp
• Xx.com/ClaireMfg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Claire