Howzabout…

Dear Mr. Dyson,

I have a simple request: please do for the lawns of the world what you have already done for its rugs and carpets. Thank you in advance for your considered attention. You are the man.

Most sincerely,
Ken Head

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Vacuum cleaners have lights, and lawnmowers have bags. That’s the way it has always been, so there must be a good reason, right? (Can you even imagine a drawing of a lawnmower without a bag? Preposterous! That would be like a camel without its hump.)

As it turns out, about as many of us have need to remove grass clippings from our yards as we do to clean our rugs in the dark, and yet the counter productive bag attachment remains a fixture in the world of lawncare.

Homeowners have been trained by decades of design stagnation to believe that the lawnmower is as good as it is ever going to get, and so grumbling over how horsey it is to use has all but vanished. But if average weekend warriors understood how terribly the current design is flawed, they would be appalled by the needlessly poor treatment their lawns suffer at their own hands.

The Problem
Grass clippings contain nutrients that are constantly needed by the plant, and yet much time, effort and energy is spent removing them. These remnants that could/should be reprocessed back into the natural turf ecology are instead most often sent into landfills to leech into unwanted locations. Nitrogen pollution is perhaps the most well-known environmental issue, but their are others. The secondary effect is that additional fertilizers are now required to reach needed levels within the soil, which in turn is a significant source of water pollution.

The Opportunity
Reengineering the lawnmower to more cleanly and evenly cut grass blades will improve overall health and appearances by reducing plant tissue damage, while moving away from collection bags will address a fundamental flaw with the current approach.

The Insight
The cyclone effect that is created by a spinning mower blade could almost certainly be harnessed more fully to stand the grass blades upright for trimming as well as aid in the mulching process.

The Execution
All bets are off here. We can only wait and see what the future might hold, but I personally hope that one day an entire industry will once again take a dramatic leap forward like what followed the release of the G Force. Of course the reel mower design is far superior in most every instance, so figuring a practical way to shift to that design would be an amazing start….

The Selling Point
The time has come for a cooler push mower. Zero turning radius is nice, but most folks can’t justify the expense of a riding mower. If the results are superior and the ease of use is better, people will want to own an outdoor Dyson.

The Incidental Benefits
An educational program could be established regarding proper lawncare techniques by creating informed consumers. Known issues like underserviced blades could be addressed with innovative programs like swapping dull used ones for recycled, professionally sharpened ones, further enhancing results and increasing vendor/client interaction. And the mower isn’t the only piece of equipment in need of help, as any suburbanite will tell you if you can hear them over the drone of those annoyingly loud, smoke-spewing, gas-guzzling leafblowers.

Many product improvements that catch on come from simplifying a task that is well known to be annoying. Getting the grout between shower tiles clean definitely falls into this category. Currently the caustic chemicals that are primarily used for this purpose are not meant to be breathed in, and yet by their very nature they are sprayed into a fine mist in a confined space!

The Problem
It is difficult to track progress when spraying a clear liquid onto a shower wall; the active ingredient doesn’t stay where it needs to be, instead running down the tiles; and it creates an inhospitable environment which doesn’t allow the time to do a proper job of thoroughly cleaning. These facts cause many to put off tackling this distasteful chore, which only compounds these challenges.

The Opportunity
With a few modifications to the application process of existing products, a process could be developed that does not require the cleaner to be suspended in the air, is much easier to use, and enhances effectiveness by prolonging surface contact.

The Insight
Damp paper/cloth sticks to vertical surfaces, whether wet with plain water or a cleaning product.

The Execution
A fabric similar to disposable industrial rags or heavy duty paper towels could be impregnated with tile cleaner and packaged in large sheets shrink wrapped in boxes, not unlike one-time use wash cloths for baby baths or face cleansing. Once wet, they are simply slapped into place and left to work for however long is necessary. Pieces could be cut to size for difficult to treat areas around fixtures. The same approach could be used on glass doors as well.

The Selling Point
Showers are already coated with water once as we are finishing with them. Consumers need not wait until the weekend to clean their showers, instead they could just do a section each day with hardly any more effort than unfolding a napkin. Various strengths could be marketed depending on the extent of the soap scum or mildew.

The Incidental Benefits
Once the towelette has served to apply the active ingredients, it could then be used to scrub the surfaces in the shower, and even used to wipe down other bathroom surfaces before being disposed. Packing waste would be dramatically reduced by this approach, and the materials used could be recyclable.

ANOTHER OFFICIAL CORPORATE RESPONSE or “What We Are Up Against”
From: Clorox Consumer Services
Subject: Reference Number: 4676867

Dear Mr. Daniels,

Thank you for contacting the Clorox Company. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers.

I understand you would like to submit an idea for our review. It is the policy of The Clorox Company and its subsidiaries not to accept any idea submission under an obligation of confidentiality. Before we can review your idea, I must ask you to sign our standard non-confidential disclosure agreement form. Although this form waives any confidential relationship, it specifically provides that you would retain all patent rights you have or may acquire in your idea.

Again, thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Elise Brown
Consumer Response Representative
Consumer Services

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