While doing the dishes, many of us use a smelly sponge or washcloth. Many of us don’t realize that the old sponges with dirt and food stuck to them create smudges and scratches on our dishes and anything else we clean with them. After once scratching a car while working at a car wash, a man named Aaron Krause decided to create a line of sponges and polishing clothes that would not scratch and keep him from getting in trouble.

 A large company bought his polishing cloths but had no use for the sponges because they made their own. He knew that his sponges could be useful and make a profit, so he introduced his sponges called Scrub Daddy. Scrub Daddy is not your average sponge and Krause had so much confidence in his product that he took it to the sharks of Shark Tank.

After the release of Scrub Daddy its sales were very low. In the first 18 months, Scrub Daddy had only made $100,000. That may sound like a lot of money to us college students, but after you factor in expenses the profit is extremely low. Krause needed more funding so he pitched his idea on the hit T.V. show Shark Tank. Lori Greiner loved the little sponges and helped Krause. After Shark Tank, Scrub Daddy was able to make $18 million dollars in the 18month time span.

Scrub Daddy is not your average sponge. It is round and looks like a face, allowing better grip for women with manicures and you can clean spoons in his mouth.  The little sponge also changes with the water temperature, in warm water it is soft and cold water makes the sponge firm.

                Aaron Krause did not change the world, but he did change the way many of us do dishes. Many times it is the simple ideas that become major successes. By taking a simple household object, the sponge, Krause turned it into a million dollar idea. It goes to show that our inventions do not have to change the world or make everyone’s lives easier, it can be something as simple as changing a sponge into the shape of a smiley face.