Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-11-23)

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Bloomberg Businessweek November 23, 2020

anodetothecommode,a throneroomlinedwith 104 toilets

fromaroundtheworld,arrangedinchesapartinthreeaisles

beneathnationalflags.Tanksandfiltersinanadjacentroom

replicatethewaterconditions in different countries, and

above each bowl, mechanized plungers test the toilets at

different flush rates. “Laying the foundation for success,” a

plaque on one wall reads.

During a Bloomberg Businessweek visit to the R&D center

this fall, the Flushing Meadows toilets were helping to test

experimental products code-named for Donkey Kong, Tetris,

and other video games. To conduct smell tests, the staff can

fit a plexiglass hood over a bowl, then open a top flap on the

hood in turn and breathe deeply. “A lot goes into making toi-

let bowl cleaners that you would never even think about,”

Rubino said in an understatement. “We can make rust stains

in here. We can make simulated fecal stains, and we’ll see

how well the products remove that.” (The faux poop com-

prises dirt, brown dye, and sometimes peanut butter, he

said. “There is a formula for it.”)

This visit was Rubino’s first time back at the R&D center

in months. Although he semiretired in 2019, he’s continued

working from home three days a week through the pandemic.

HisversionoftheCovidnightmarebeganinlateDecember,

withanemailfroma medicalalertservicecalledProMed.The

subjectlinewas“Undiagnosedpneumonia—China.” A week

andseveralescalatingalertslater,Rubinosenta notetocol-

leagues:“Here’ssomethingweneedtowatch.”

kitchens;anda toiletbowlcleaner.Themodernbrand

owesmuchofitslustertoJoeRubino,whostartedwork-

ingonLysolresearchanddevelopmentinthe1980s,a cou-

pleofownersago.Rubino,knowninsidethecompanyas

Mr.Lysol,is theR&Dunit’sgo-tocommunicator.He’sspent

mostofthepastfewdecadesrunningexperimentstoshow

justhowgrosseverydaylifecanbeandwhata goodchem-

icalspritzthatkills99.9%ofgermscandoaboutit.“We’re

designedtosharegerms,”hesaysina GardenStateaccent.

“Evenifwe’rehealthy,we’respreadingourorganisms

toeverybody.”

Ina 1990sstudy,Rubino’steamcoateda toyballata day-

carecenterwitha harmlessvirusthatcouldserveasa sort

ofcontacttracer.Whentheresearchersusedswabstotest

forthevirusattheendoftheday,allninekidsattheday-

carehadbitsofit ontheirhands,andtheyspreadit every-

whereathome,too,fromhighchairstobathtubstobeds.

In 2007 thecompanyput 30 peoplewiththecommoncold

inseparatehotelroomsfora night,thenfoundtracesofthe

coldvirusthroughouttherooms.

SomeofthemorephotogenicLysolsciencehastaken

placeatthebrand’sR&DcenterinMontvale,N.J.,located

belowtheNewYorkstateline.TheR&Dteamkeepsa listof

about1,000customersit caninviteintoitsmockkitchenor

suiteofglass-enclosedbathroomstoprovideopinionson

productscentsandspray-bottlesounds.Thepiècederésis-

tanceis roomA-154,betterknownasFlushingMeadows.It’s ● RUBINO HAS WORKED ON LYSOL R&D FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

● CASES OF LYSOL SPRAY ARE PUT ON PALLETS FOR SHIPPING