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Don Aslett
Aslett in 2011
Born
Donald Andrew Aslett

(1935-07-22)July 22, 1935
DiedAugust 21, 2024(2024-08-21) (aged 89)
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • author
Websitedonaslett.com

Donald Andrew Aslett (July 22, 1935 – August 21, 2024) was an American businessman and author specialised in cleaning and housekeeping products, services, and techniques. He was the co-founder of Varsity House Cleaning Company, a house cleaning service, in 1957. After having been Varsity Contractors for years, it became Varsity Facility Services, a building service contractor, in 2011.

Aslett was also considered a cleaning expert,[1] [2] and wrote books about how to reduce the time spent cleaning by reducing clutter, selecting and organizing the efficient cleaning tools, and creating what he calls a self-cleaning house.

In 2011, he opened the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho, a six-story building with a theater, art gallery, and collection of 6,000 artifacts. Both the museum and his house in Hawaii were designed to be low-maintenance and environmentally friendly, which resulted in an award from the state of Idaho for Aslett's efforts with the museum. The cleaning products sold by Varsity are also green, or environmentally-friendly.

Background

Aslett was born on July 22, 1935.[3] His father raised wheat, beans, and potatoes.[4] Aslett was from Twin Falls, Idaho,[5] but grew up about 34 miles (55 km) to the northeast in Dietrich, Idaho.[4][6] He served a church mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Hawaiian Islands as a young man.[7]

He married Barbara in around 1957, when he started the cleaning business.[5] They have six children and, while they were growing up, he was a scoutmaster. The Asletts have had a ranch in McCammon, Idaho, about 25 miles (40 km) to the southeast of Pocatello, and a house in Hawaii,[8][9] which was designed for energy conservation and to be low-maintenance.[10] The house was photographed by the U.S. army to learn ways to create housing and barracks that are easy to maintain.[10]

Aslett was a devout Mormon,[8] and was a bishop in the Marsh Creek Ward in the McCammon Idaho Stake.[7] He was on the Idaho State University Museum board.[5]

Aslett died on August 21, 2024, at the age of 89.[11]

Career

Varsity Facility Services

While studying at Idaho State College,[4] Aslett formed Varsity House Cleaning Company,[5] a janitorial service in Pocatello, Idaho, with Arlo Luke in 1957 to help pay his college tuition.[12][13] Aslett described his role as "crazy entrepreneur" and Luke as the "strong facilitator".[5] What began as a part-time business grew to employ 30 to 50 people. One of their first business clients was Mountain State Telephone and Telegraph, now CenturyLink. Before they graduated, both men had a house and four children.[5] The name of the organization became Varsity Contractors at some point.[12]

Aslett received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education from Idaho State in 1963.[8][14] He continued to operate the business,[5][13] which employed 500 people, including college students.[4][12] At that time, it operated in three states and was a janitorial, facilities services, and construction company.[4] The company also offered landscaping services.[12]

The company had 2,500 employees and operated in 14 states in 1990.[8] It was a full-service janitorial contractor with total revenues $190 million in 2006.[15] Arlo Luke, who had been the president and CEO for 28 years stepped down in 2011. Aslett was also not involved in the daily management of the organization by 2013.[5]

In 2011, the company changed its name to Varsity Facility Services.[12] Arlo's son, Eric became the company's president and CEO.[4][12] In 2013, it had offices in Canada and all 50 states and stores that sell their green products in 6 states. They employed 4,000 people at that time. Varsity is now headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.[5]

Aslett was inducted into the Idaho's Hall of Fame in 2010.[16]

Author

Aslett, wrote 40 books on cleaning and organizing,[5] which have been published in 10 languages.[2][17] Aslett said that the amount of time spent cleaning can be reduced 75% by if the homeowner were to reduce clutter, get the right cleaning tools, and make them accessible. One of his approaches was to develop a self-cleaning house, through the use of household items and flooring that are easy to maintain, and eliminating most of the dirt that comes into a house by taking one's shoes off at the door.[18] Another way to manage cleanliness is to make each person responsible for cleaning up their own mess. He said that "even if President Bush stayed at my house, he'd know where the vacuum is."[2]

He acquired the nicknames of the Sultan of Shine, Don Juan of the John, and the Dean of Clean.[4]

Museum of Clean

Museum of Clean

In November 2011, Aslett opened the Museum of Clean in a six-story building in Pocatello, Idaho,[4] in what had been a warehouse built in 1915.[19][20] It has an art gallery, 88-seat theater, and a gift shop. The museum features 6,000 historical artifacts related to cleanliness. Some of the unique items include a horse-drawn vacuum cleaner (1902), an early washing machine (1945), and a 1,600-year-old bronze toothpick. Interactive exhibits teach children how to recycle, clean their room, make their bed, and sweep.[4] In addition to teaching recycling, the museum also has information about how to reduce waste.[5] It cost $6 million to establish the museum and six years to assemble its collection.[4] It was featured in a CBS News story in its "On the Road" series in 2012.[21]

During an interview, Aslett stated that "This is not a cleaning museum, it's the museum of clean." He believed that not being clean leads to depression, while removing clutter from one's life means letting go of junk and a lifestyle of excess. He said, "nothing will change your life faster than when you throw away your junk. You have more time, you have more space, you feel better, you're healthier."[19]

In preparation for its opening, the building was renovated to be environmentally friendly. During the renovation, 80% of the materials that were removed were recycled. The landscaping was designed to require little water. The museum has non-reflective windows and exterior LED lights, which are energy-saving. Its electric bill is about 25% of what it would have been without the modifications.[20] A rainwater collection system supplies water for landscaping and toilets and some of the building's energy is supplied from its passive solar system.[19] In 2013, he received the Pollution Prevention Champion Award from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for the environmental-friendly building.[20]

Due to a grant from Monsanto, and in partnership with the Pocatello High School, a hydroponic greenhouse was installed on the roof of the museum in 2017. It teaches students about green energy and how plants grow. Wind turbines and solar panels generate power by providing electricity for lights during the nighttime.[22]

Other

By the mid-1990s, Aslett was appearing on a number of television shows, like The Oprah Winfrey Show, and made 5,000 appearances to talk about cleaning. To make his talks more interesting, he sought to entertain, covering topics such as "Make Your House Do the Housework" and "Clean in a Minute".[4][10] He also worked as a motivational speaker.[4]

References

  1. ^ Witt, Kathy (April 1995). "Clean Reading". Cincinnati Magazine. Emmis Communications. pp. 70–71. ISSN 0746-8210.
  2. ^ a b c "Home Improvement: Key to Faster, Better Cleaning Is Getting a System, Experts Say". Los Angeles Times. March 2, 1991. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "Don Aslett (American businessman and writer)". ISNI. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bonner, Jessie L. (January 1, 2012). "Museum of Clean a shrine to life's work of Pocatello man". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bryce, Debbie (December 7, 2013). "Varsity Facility Services founders honored by cleaning industry". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  6. ^ "Distance from Dietrich, ID to Twin Falls, ID". Distance Between Cities. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Haddock, Sharon (December 31, 2009). "Stop cleaning, cooking for your missionary". Deseret News. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d Kahn, Toby (April 23, 1990). "Don Aslett, the Man to Call When There's Dust on the Moosehead, Shares His Secrets". People. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  9. ^ "Distance from McCammon, ID to Pocatello, ID". Distance Between Cities. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c Rosencrans, Joyce (September 14, 1996). "King of Clean (At home)". Cincinnati Post. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  11. ^ Don Andrew Aslett Echovita
  12. ^ a b c d e f Ridgely, Lisa (March 7, 2012). "Varsity Facility Services: Like Father, Like Son". CleanLink. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Monêt, Grace (March 22, 2004). Mama's in Heaven—Delayed Reactions. PublishAmerica. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-62772-493-7.
  14. ^ "Idaho State University Magazine, Spring 2012". May 15, 2012. p. 33. Retrieved December 15, 2016 – via Issu.
  15. ^ "Varsity Contractors, Inc". National Service Alliance. 2006. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
  16. ^ "Idaho's Hall of Fame - Don Aslett". Idaho's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  17. ^ Boyer, Michael (October 1, 2015). Every Landlord's Guide to Managing Property: Best Practices, From Move-In to Move-Out. Nolo. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4133-2215-6.
  18. ^ Tako, Barbara (May 11, 2010). Clutter Clearing Choices: Clear Clutter. John Hunt Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-84694-628-8.
  19. ^ a b c Robinson, Jessica (July 10, 2013). "Idaho's 'Museum of Clean' Built As Monument To Way of Life". NW News Network. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  20. ^ a b c O'Donnell, Michael H. (October 8, 2013). "Museum clean – and green: State environmental agency recognizes entrepreneur Don Aslett". Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  21. ^ Martin, Claire; Special to the Denver Post (November 12, 2015). "On the road in Idaho, getting swept up in the Museum of Clean". Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  22. ^ Coffin, Deanne (September 27, 2016). "Monsanto Awards Pocatello $15,000 Grant". EastIdahoNews. KPVI. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
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