Scrub Daddy Story

Aaron Krause was 37 years old and running an international manufacturing company. An average workday meant tending to paperwork in the front office while also repairing machinery in the back. Dirty hands were a constant annoyance, so became the only product available to clean them with (a slurry of rocks and lotion known as GOJO). Using his 14 years of experience making urethane foam buffing pads, Aaron embarked on a mission to invent a more comfortable way to clean his hands.

A highly engineered polymer foam proved to be the perfect solution. In fact it worked so well Aaron knew he couldn’t keep it all to himself. He patented the design which was round in shape, grooved on one side, and featured two holes punched out of its center. He began marketing the hand scrubber to body shops where he was met with overwhelming opposition. They felt the product was nonessential and overly priced. Without the support of his target market Aaron had no choice but to surrender the idea, tossing the yellow foam into a box and writing the letters S-C-R-A-P across its side.

It was fall and the lawn furniture needed cleaning. Aaron starting using a traditional dual-sided sponge but it immediately scratched the paint. He decided to try the old hand scrubbing foam which had been stored away slowly collecting dust. It worked shockingly well and didn’t scratch! As he continued cleaning, Aaron noticed the cold air temperature was causing the foam’s texture to change, becoming firmer. The more rigid consistency delivered an extra oomph of scrubbing power. Each time he then dunked the foam back into the soapy water, it softened and conformed more easily. After the furniture was clean he brought the scrubber in to the kitchen sink. With little effort and some running water, the mucky scrubber looked practically unused sparking its next test subject, the dishes. It was a match made in heaven. A smiling mouth was added to better clean utensils opening the door for another patent.

Despite having some sales, the smiling scrubber tool still wasn’t able to secure presence in any major retail store. One night while watching ABC’s Shark Tank, Aaron realized partnering with one of the “Sharks” could be the key to opening those retail doors. Backed with newfound TV confidence, he applied to the show. After 3 long months of auditions, filming finally took place in July of 2012. On October 25th of that year, Scrub Daddy premiered on season four, episode seven of the show. Aaron’s infomercial-like presentation grabbed the attention of celebrity “Shark” and prolific inventor, Lori Greiner, who secured the winning deal.