New York, NY · Est. 2020 · Founded by Charlie Weisman
Charlie Weisman was a former Guinness World Records judge and advertising executive when the pandemic stuck him in a tiny New York City apartment with nothing but time and a very clear thought: the objects we use every day to keep our homes clean are universally ugly, and they don't have to be. He founded Staff in 2020 with a mission to bring joy to the mundane -- launching with a plunger bearing a smiley face, as a nod to his grandfather who spent his career as a plumber. Dwell loves it. Apartment Therapy loves it. Better Homes & Gardens gave it a Clean House Award. A cleaning supply on a registry. Who knew.
Charlie Weisman had one of the more unusual résumés in the consumer goods world: advertising executive, former Guinness World Records judge, and now, the man who made the plunger interesting. When the pandemic confined him to a tiny New York City apartment in 2020, he found himself staring at the objects around him -- the cleaning supplies, the toilet brush, the plunger -- and having a single persistent thought: why is everything we use to keep our homes clean so miserable to look at?
He founded Staff with a mission to bring joy to the mundane, reimagining household essentials with bold colors, unique materials, and a sense of humor that never tips into kitsch. The first product was a plunger with a smiley face -- a wink to his grandfather, who had spent his entire career as a plumber and took his tools seriously. The launch was disruptive in the best way: here was a cleaning tool that made people smile before they even needed to use it.
From there the line expanded into toilet brushes, cleaning caddies, oven mitts, and home essentials -- each one redesigned from the ground up with the same care and intentionality a furniture designer would bring to a chair. Dwell called the collection "fun if your supplies are, too." Apartment Therapy said Staff is "one of the brands us editors can't take our eyes off." Better Homes & Gardens awarded them Best Toilet Brush in their 2024 Clean House Awards.
On a registry, Staff is the category nobody expects and everyone loves -- the cleaning tools that make a new home feel like it was thought about all the way down to the things under the sink.
