Lynn firefighters Rusty Jordan, left, and Marcel Thivierge are pictured with their new invention, The Simple Tool, inside Jordan’s kitchen.
The Simple Tool is in Lynn and its inventors are setting out to revolutionize the cleaning industry.
Rusty Jordan and Marcel Thivierge, who each have 20 years of experience in the Lynn Fire Department as firefighters, have created The Simple Tool, a triangular cleaning instrument that can be used in place of paper towels for most tasks.
“I came up with this idea because I was tired of seeing all the paper towels that my wife, Renee, was using to clean the kitchen,” said Jordan. “So I stood in my kitchen and told my wife and two daughters that I was going to invent something to eliminate the use of paper towels.”
Jordan did some research and developed a tool that consists of three distinct parts: scraper, squeegee, and microfiber cloth.
“Marcel and I for the next couple of month worked on perfecting this,” said Jordan. “And we came up with a liquid-mold injected tool: a scraping edge on one side, a flexible, soft-rubber squeegee, and on the bottom a removable microfiber.”
The response has been excellent. Some have called the invention “ingenious.” Others can’t wait for the duo to begin selling their product. Many believe that the Jordan-Thivierge creation of The Simple Tool could take a slice out of the $4.6 billion paper industry in the United States alone.
“We did some more research and determined that this isn’t just something that is applicable to our little household – this could affect a lot of people,” said Jordan.
Thivierge feels The Simple Tool’s reach could extend outside kitchens and in to restaurants, bars – really, any hard, flat surface such as a dining room table.
Jordan staged a demonstration in his kitchen and the scraper allowed him to scrape up crumbs easily. The squeegee and cleaning agent took care of the next step and the microfiber did its job efficiently as well. The whole process took under 10 seconds.
Jordan explained the basis for the product’s name. “It came down to The Simple Tool because it’s that simple to use.”
The cost of The Simple Tool is $20 and it includes four microfiber cloths. Jordan and Thivierge are stepping up their marketing strategy and it’s full steam [clean] ahead for The Simple Tool.
Both men are confident that they may have a best seller on their hands.
“The proof is there. It cleans well. It shows well. It demonstrates well,” said Jordan.