The sun was breaking through mid-morning clouds as I pulled into the museum, blinded by the reflections off the pristine white pavement. This was the cleanest parking lot I had ever seen! 

I guess it’s what I should have expected at the Museum of Clean in Pocatello!

Yes, you read that right: There is a museum dedicated to cleanliness. I would hazard a guess it’s the only one in the world. Within the walls of the historic old building is a collection of over 6,000 artifacts linked to clean with a well-choreographed exhibit flow featuring detailed interpretive information, all mixed with a splash of humor.

The museum was the brainchild of Idaho cleaning guru and entrepreneur Don Aslett. As a young boy, Aslett was obsessed with cleanliness (yah, how could we get him to our house?). He paid his way through college with cleaning jobs, later starting his own company that grew to have a client base around the world. He took his message of cleanliness to books and public speaking audiences. And then he started collecting things.

Walking in, I was first struck by the giant muffler man holding a mop. Muffler men, as they are affectionately called, were towering fiberglass statues that began popping up around the American landscape in the 1960s holding everything from hot dogs to ice cream cones to Paul Bunyan axes. It’s something you would envision along Route 66 or in front of the Big Boy hamburger joint where I used to work.

An exhibit that really sucked was the collection of over 600 vacuums ranging from the horse-drawn vacuuming machine to the Daniel Hess Carpet Sweeper from 1860 — the world’s first vacuum cleaner! That was right next to the Orchestra of Clean, a collection of metal art featuring celebrities all playing instruments made out of antique cleaning tools, like Louis Armstrong and his toilet plunger trumpet.

If you’re old enough, the museum will take you back in time. An old 1950s vintage washing machine with crankable rollers to squeeze water out of clothes took me back to our family basement. The old dentist chair with the cable and pulley-driven drills brought back painful memories of sitting in Dr. Gjertson’s office as a child.

The museum is filled with witty placards. I loved this one: “No one comes to Pocatello unless lost, on their way to Yellowstone, or coming to the Museum of Clean.” That came from an Idaho State professor.

I finally made my way to the basement, which housed some of the most fascinating exhibits. An interpretive exhibit explored the history of chimney sweeps, from the use of small children who were dropped down in 18th-century England to the later use of geese.

Ever heard of Ettore Steccone? The Italian immigrant invented and patented the first effective window squeegee in 1936, which focused on a certain type of rubber. Today, his family still produces the popular window cleaning tool.

How many of you remember playing with Play-Doh as a kid? Did you know that the colorful, moldable clay-like substance was derived from a cleaning compound to clean soot from wallpaper in homes until its transformation into a children’s play product in the 1950s?

Aslett’s story of success revolves a lot around attitude. He used to love the story of getting the contract in 1970 to clean the 15 outhouses on the mountain at Sun Valley. Clean toilets for three hours, ski free for four. Don thought it would be an easy job to fill. Ultimately it took an employee who found imagination and fun in the job, creating his own little Bowl Patrol.

There’s a lot of kookiness here in Utah. But a day trip up to Idaho produced an entertaining and informative tour that left me with a new sense of clean.

It’s just what founder Don Aslett wanted to achieve.

DETAILS

Getting There: The Museum of Clean is about a three-hour drive via I-84 to Ogden, then I-15 to Pocatello. If you’re looking for different scenery on the return, try the slightly longer route via Logan on U.S. 89 and 9. Either way, you are in for some truly breathtaking mountain scenery along the route.

When to Go: Open 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It’s $10 for adults, $5 for kids and $25 for the family.

Dining: Check out Elmer’s just a few blocks away, a local favorite since 1960. Try the German pancake with lingonberry butter.

Other Attractions: Pocatello has a wealth of museums and attractions including Zoo Idaho and the Idaho Museum of Natural History.