Comments from Hotel/Motel Exec. Housekeepers and a General Manager 1994

"I wouldn't consider going into a bathroom without the Bath Tub Buster."  
Pat, Exec. HK - Ramada Inn

"I am gratified the at someone has finally addressed the problems associated with housekeeping - this product has certainly done it." 
Troy, Exec. HK - Omni Hotel

"I know the Bath Tub Buster works because I took it home and tried it first." 
Joyce, Exec. HK Days Inn

"We have found this to be an excellent tool for our use, with a decrease in cleaning time of over 30% per room.  Also, after the introduction of the Bath Tub Buster, each and everyone of my housekeepers thanked me for this new product. They found that there was less physical effort required for them, along with time reduction, in doing their job. That was enough gratification for my purchasing of your product."  
Jay Scott, GM - Comfort Inn

"We here at the Econo Lodge like the Samurai Bath Tub Buster. They work great. We have found many uses for the Bathroom  Cleaning Buster - bathtubs, showers, toilets, walls, ceilings, floors and still finding more uses every day. We recommend this product to all." 
Beth, Head HK - Econo Lodge

Comments from EBay Purchasers

National Marketing Referral 1990

"Recently it was my good fortune to test a patented bathtub and shower cleaning tool, which I believe the Drackett Products Company could effectively market...Thanks in advance for all due courtesies you can extend to Mr. Davis."  
Jack Ramaley , Exec. Dir. - International Sanitary Supply Association - ISSA

FAQ and Usage Tips

Q: How long will my BathTub Buster last under normal usage in my home?
A: Typically between 1  to 1 1/2  years. This is based on my personal use. It could last for 10 or more years - read below.

Q: What kind of cleaning products can I use with it?
A:  Bleach powders such as Ajax, soft scrubs, plain bleach, Mean Green and all surface cleaning products that  DO NOT contain Hydrochloric Acid typically found in toilet bowl and drain cleaners. They will destroy your Tub Buster very quickly.

Q: Can I pour pure bleach on my Bathtub Buster?
A: NO. It will discolor and degrade it. Always get your Tub Buster wet before any cleaning and pour or spray the bleach in your bath then clean. As most of the cleaning is done with the bottom scrubber it holds up better than the medium scrubber because it is twice as strong. This polyester material has been soaked in 5 gallons of store bleach for 2 months. Results: Tobacco stain color and a 25% degradation in strength but were still usable.

Q: What will happen to my BathTub Buster if I use it with toilet bowl cleaners?
A: If the cleanser is not rinsed out by the next morning you will find the support block surrounded by a pile of gray dust. Like the alien zap in, "War of the Worlds". If rinsed immediately it still will be damaged and fail if you continue to use it. with bowl cleaners. Why? Bowl cleaners typically contain Hydrochloric Acid, a super concentrated  form of bleach. Whereas store bleach is only 5% and the rest water. In this case the acid is our enemy and bleach is our friend.

Q: What's the best solution for cleaning mold and fungus?
A:  I use my recipe and it is very effective - cost 20 cents a quart. I take an empty spray bottle and thoroughly clean it and the sprayer with hot soap and water - spray the soap at least 20 times to remove any chemicals from the sprayer. Empty completely then add one table spoon (squirt) of liquid dish soap and fill it up with bleach. The soap acts as a surfactant that allows the bleach to cling to all surfaces. Spray all surfaces and let it stand for awhile then rinse with your bathtub Buster.

WARNING:  Never mix bleach with any other chemical in the bottle or in your bath.
I use powder bleach cleansers with bleach and it does a great job on my tile bath. But the best way, if you wish to use other cleaners for scrubbing, is to use  the bleach first, rinse and continue with what cleansers you like as the bleach is now gone and you are not mixing chemicals. NOTE: Bleach is for sanitizing, stain and mold removal - Not for scrubbing unless used with bleach powders.
Exception: If you have been using bleach with some other product and it works for you there's no need to stop using it. But never mix bleach with ammonia as it can produce chlorine gas which is deadly.

 

Brief Background

A national licensing agreement was entered into in 1993 with Sunshine Industries, Inc., Cleveland, Oh to manufacture and promote another version of my invention under their brand name, RUBATUB. 1,400,000+/- units sold to date. 

UPDATE - Sunshine Industries, Inc. - Cleveland, OH, a 100 year old company with an inventory of 8000 products and 3 factories, declared bankruptcy in 2004 due to Kmart's reorganization and failure to pay their debts. To make matters worse they discontinued selling Sunshine's products. NOTE: The RUBATUB in the past 12 years was sold in most of the small and super Kmart's, hardware chains - Lowes, kitchen & house wares, plus Bed and Bath specialty and enjoyed sales of 3500-25,000 units a month.

Comparison to other bathroom cleaning tools:

Sunshine's version has all the bells and whistles (pivoting handle, handle foam grip. rotating hand grip & angled handle hand end] necessary to market in retail stores but the design was too weak because of all the moving parts for commercial work and great for some jobs but also difficult to use for any heavy cleaning. I returned to my original design to make the Tub Buster which has no bells and whistles other than the extension handle. It's a tool  for hard work. It will get the job done fast and effectively without a lot of effort.

Next

I then entered the wholesale market for in 1995 and it was well received. I decided to enter the online market with what I feel is a far superior product compared to any bath tub and shower cleaning tool on the market because none that I know of that are internally supported other than my licensee. Most of their handles are too short and are top glued which means shear action will tear them up very quickly plus you still have to bend over.

NOTE: The commercial market had a major problem. When we demonstrated it to the hospitality cleaning staffs a frequent comment was, "That looks like a lot of work." Due to the lack of enough people to do the work and the staff's laziness & indifference toward quality work the hospitality managers were forced to abandon it in favor of phosphoric acid (splash and rinse) and I lost interest in this market.

Product Warranty

The Bath Tub Buster warranty covers only defects in the materials and workmanship that would cause the original glue bead to become separated from the support block [this will typically occur after 1 or 2 uses and to others within a few months] and any failure in the handle locking mechanism for a period of  one (1) year from the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover misuse [Always rinse it out after each use] and any cleaning application not advertised here, such as smoothing and texturing of concrete, etc., tears, normal discoloration, use with hydrochloric acid (toilet bowl cleaning chemicals), soaking in bleach and use of improperly diluted cleaning chemicals. Any defective part of the Tub Buster covered by this warranty will be replaced without charge including shipping.

Always rinse your Bathtub Buster after each after Usage.

All Tub Busters of this models internal support block were
Hand Made
utilizing precisions tools to specs of 1/64" on cuts and .012 degrees on angles.
All parts of the Tub Buster are Made in the USA.

Production Process

Support Block Manufacturing: 20' dried Popular cut to width - chop saw 2.5" blocks - bore & counter bore handle hole - thread handle hole (These steps are critical and have to be perfectly aligned for the top cover to fit) - clip all 4 corners off blocks  - basket dip single layer in liquid plastic - place racks  in a humidity and temperature controlled cabinet - 24 hr. dry time - re-dip - re-cure - pack dry blocks and ship - buffing corners & hot melt gluing at another factory. This is a five day process.

Head Manufacturing: Cut huge blocks [loafs the size of a van] of medium and heavy foam to production size -  bond heavy scrubber to medium scrubber creating the internal barrier [a three day process] - die cut to shape - punch cut hole to insert block - buff corners - insert and glue block, top cover, pack and ship back to us. 

NOTE: This entire process has to be done in an EPA certified room to clear the fumes and shards from the tooled plastic. It also has to be temperature and humidity controlled.

Top Cover Manufacturing: Three color screen printing on ABS plastic and die cut to shape.

Handle Manufacturing: I just buy them. I don't have a clue how they are made but they are very tough and have had very few failures. All failures were found during our final inspection before shipping. We have never had a handle fail in the field.

Assembly: Attach handle black hanger by compressing on to the handle end - test locking mechanism - clear excess plastic from the support block internal threads with an auger - Screw in the handle [Very difficult as it has to have the tightest fit to overcome the torque of a right to left  movement which tends to unscrew the handle] - assemble the carton - Place the Tub Buster in the carton and adjust handle length for a tight fit in the carton - insert literature - seal and weight carton - attach USPS shipping label - log product batch #, your info and date - ship to you. This method is far too expensive and all future units will be made without glue with all molded polyester materials.