Scrub Daddy creator Aaron Krause reveals the surprising way he came up with the smiley face design

Scrub Daddy is the cult favourite washing up product unmistakable for its smiley face design, bright colours and ability to change texture depending on water temperature.

But the sponge, which became famous after featuring on the US version of TV show Shark Tank, didn’t always have that iconic smiley face.

Creator Aaron Krause revealed to 9Honey Living the sponge was originally designed to help car repairers clean paint off their hands, rather than wash dishes.

At that stage the FlexTexture foam was a circle shape with a partial zigzagged edge to help remove paint from under fingernails. It also had two finger-sized holes to easily scrub around fingers.

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Then the smiley face design evolved as the product’s use did.

“It wasn’t until the product failed to sell in [the auto body] industry did its true purpose later be revealed while being used to wash dishes. By adding a mouth, the product could clean both sides of utensils at the same time, making Scrub Daddy extraordinarily functional, plus undeniably happy,” he explained.

Similarly, the sponge’s ability to stay hard in cold water and go soft in hot water was also an accidental discovery.

“The temperature changing property is a natural reaction of the highly-engineered foam. It wasn’t evident even to me until one day I was using it to clean some lawn furniture,” Krause said.

“The cool air temperature caused the material to seemingly firm up. When I submerged it into my bucket of warm soapy water, it instantly softened. The change was so drastic I was speechless. That was the exact moment I knew I was on to something potentially life changing.”

Since becoming a cleaning tool, the sponge has found millions of fans around the world who have turned it into a sensation on TikTok.

Countless hacks featuring the Scrub Daddy and other products from the brand have gone viral online, ranging from polishing the sink, cleaning stove tops and removing oven grime.

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Krause has been “blown away” by all the different uses and hacks people have found for the Scrub Daddy. But the trick that surprised him the most is one you probably haven’t thought of.

“My absolute favorite was a makeup artist who discovered how effectively a Scrub Daddy in warm water can clean makeup brushes,” he said.

As for Krause’s personal favourite way to use the Scrub Daddy, it’s another surprising hack and one you’ll want to add to your food preparation routine.

“It would have to be cleaning vegetables with a Scrub Daddy in warm water and peeling potato skin with cold water. People are shocked when they hear it and then amazed at how well it really does work for this,” he revealed.

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Clearly the sponge can be used on a lot of surfaces if it can go from makeup brushes, to glass oven doors, sinks and even vegetables. So is there anything we can’t use it on?

“In truth, we haven’t found an application we can’t recommend it’s use on,” Krause responded.

“We’ve spent years testing the foam on any and every surface we could think of like glass, marble, wood, ceramic, cast iron, porcelain, and even car exterior paint to name a few. There are more than 25 in total and the list continues to grow as new applications are discovered.”

That being said, it’s always worth testing any product on a small section before using it on a surface or in a way that hasn’t been mentioned in the product packaging.

But like all good cleaning tools, there’s no point using them to clean if the tool isn’t clean to begin with, so every now and then make sure you give your Scrub Daddy sponge a clean.

“Scrub Daddy doesn’t retain food particles and moisture like a regular sponge, so it is much less likely to absorb smells and stains. For daily upkeep, simply squeeze/massage the foam under warm running water after use. He’s also top rack dishwasher safe for a monthly deep cleaning,” Krause said.

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