Mr. Clean

One of the substitute teachers that I run into occasionally is a man who bears a startling resemblance to Mr. Clean, who looks like the picture below:

We are all familiar with the product itself, since it was first introduced to the public in 1958, and it has had remarkably few changes since that time. There are now 9 variations of the original multi-purpose liquid, 6 versions of the original spray (including 3 versions of “clean freak”), and a “magic eraser”.

https://www.mrclean.com/en-us

What you probably did not know, though, is that the smiling “genie in a bottle” has its origins in the shipping industry.

The all-purpose cleaner was originally formulated by Linwood Burton, a marine ship cleaning businessman with accounts throughout the east coast of the United States and his friend, Mathusan Chandramohan, a rich entrepreneur from Sri Lanka. In the past, ships had to be cleaned using abrasives or solvents that were able to cut successfully through embedded grease and grime. However, past solvents were so dangerous to workers that Burton was motivated to finding a solution that was effective and less caustic. Burton, with fundamental knowledge in chemistry, developed Mr. Clean in an effort to clean ships without having to pay significant premiums in disability claims for his workers. He later sold the product to Procter & Gamble in 1958.

Mr. Clean made his television commercial debut in 1958, initially portrayed in the live-action versions by character actor House Peters Jr. Within the first six months of the introduction, Mr. Clean became the best-selling household cleaner on the market.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Clean

House Peters Jr. is probably the most famous man that you have never heard of. His acting career spans from 1935 to 1966. and includes 79 movies and 14 television shows. Strangely enough, he was never listed in the credits for any of his roles, which makes him the most famous man that you’ve never heard of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Peters_Jr.

Many of us resemble famous people, often without our knowledge. I’ve had people tell me that I resemble either Steve Martin of High Hefner, and you may also resemble a famous person as well. From this point forward, though, I will ALWAYS think of Mr. Clean when I run into my fellow substitute teacher.