The war did nothing to further the company’s fortunes, soap was rationed and raw materials were in short supply. As a result Acdo was only sold in limited amounts, but ACDO kept ticking over in the hope that peace and prosperity would return and in 1938 a pre-shredded Acdo was launched, to make the product even easier to use. A second product was launched, a synthetic detergent called CLEBO which was readily received by a public frustrated by the dearth of conventional soap products.
But with the war over in 1945, ACDO expected an upturn in business, but even the introduction in 1948 of powdered ACDO did not prove to be the goldmine that it might have been, and with the end of soap rationing the demand for CLEBO dropped dramatically. However in 1949, Harry’s son Marshall, now 19, joined the company.
