Palm Harbor Mom Invents Product She Hopes Will "Sweep the Nation"

In today’s state of the economy, consumers are always looking for new ways to reduce, recycle, reuse, and repurpose. This exact ideology has lead Palm Harbor mother, Tanya Lewis to create the Green Glider, a reusable mop pad designed to eliminate unnecessary waste and save families money.

When Lewis’ son began crawling, inevitably she knew she would have to start mopping on a more frequent basis. “Dirt would cling to his moist hands which he would then put directly into his mouth,” said Lewis. “It was just like he was licking the floor.”

In an effort to keep the floors clean and her son healthy, Lewis purchased the popular Swiffer Wet Jet mop. Before she knew it she was “swiffering” three times a day and burning through the disposable refills.

Realizing that this would be a continuous cycle, Lewis decided to develop a reusable mop pad with the goal to “End the disposable trend.”  The mop pad would eliminate refills, saving money and creating a lot less waste.

According to Lewis, the Green Glider is made from the two best materials on the market; one layer of microfiber on the bottom for cleaning and four layers of chamois inside for absorbency. “The dual-action technology outperforms the disposable refills and is built strong to last,” explained Lewis.

The entrepreneur says the Green Glider fits most standard 10” rectangular mop heads. You just attach the pad to an existing mop system and go to town. Once the pad is in need of replacement, toss it in the washing machine rather than the trash, let it air dry and then reuse.

As more people started to take an interest in the Green Glider, including local store owners, Lewis decided to venture into the patent and trade marking process.  Luckily, with the assistance of an entrepreneurial network known as CEO Space, Lewis was able to make her dreams of marketing the Green Glider nationwide a reality.  

“I’m just like everyone else,” Lewis said. “I’m a mother and a homemaker who didn’t have a lot of money. I found a hole in the market and filled it with a product I created at home on my own. 

Recently, the launch of the Green Glider was featured on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) which led to the sale of over 1,000 units. Lewis is currently in the process of working with several investors to expand the Green Glider Brand to include an array of new products such as kitchen and bath scrubbers and car washing mitts.  

Marketing to retailers such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Walgreens and CVS are first on her list of priorities after the launch of the Green Glider infomercial, eventually moving on to the big dogs of Wal-Mart and Target.