Dayton innovator's ‘Wet Wipe Wizard' to break into the $2.8 billion wipes markets
A surgeon in Dayton, Ohio is hoping to commercialize his invention: a wet wipe dispenser. He anticipates that it will take a few years.
Chris Danis, 68, retired Daytonian, was impacted by a potty training fiasco he had with his grandson more than 10 years ago. Danis, who is retiring as a surgeon by 2022 founded CJD Innovations in order to reduce waste on the market for wet wipes and disinfecting wipes.
Danis explained that the idea came about when his oldest grandson needed assistance with potty-training in the bathroom. 'I couldn't find wet wipes for the life of me and I wondered, 'Why don't they have them as readily available as toilet paper? ''
CJD Innovations LLC, with its Wet Wipe Wizard automatic dispenser, is preparing to commercialize the product. The prototypes have been completed, and the company plans to demonstrate it while seeking partnerships.
CJD Innovations, a company founded in December 2019, was formed before the pandemic to provide a more environmentally friendly, less wasteful product for the $1.3 billion baby-wipes market and the $1.5 billion disinfecting-wipes market.
There are three versions of the Wet Wipe Wizard. The tabletop, hanging and battery-powered versions are designed for personal and basic commercial use while the hard-wired and mounted disinfecting version is intended to be used in health care facilities.
The prototypes were finished in April and presented for the first at the University of Dayton Flyer Pitching Competition. The commercial products are expected to be available in 2024, and the health care products will follow in 2025.
The Wet Wipe Wizard is expected to retail for $50, with cartridges that hold 50 wipes and are fully recyclable. This comes out to $12 cents per sheet. Currently, wipes are available on the market for between six cents and 18 dollars per sheet.
Danis stated that his father was a landfill owner and hated trash. Danis said that if he could find a way to reuse an item, he would.
Danis expects to see the product used in many different spaces, including hospitals, casinos and child care centers.
Danis, who has invested over $200,000 in the product, is now looking for a third party company to purchase the license and market the products.
Danis stated that he retired as a surgeon in the year 2022, and he didn't want to work as hard for 10 years to bring this product to market. We'd love to see the product on the market by 2024 if someone is enthusiastic about it.
CJD Innovations is already in partnership discussions with two baby wipe dispensers companies. They will also attend the World of Wipes Conference, which takes place in Atlanta in Atlanta GA in order to showcase the product in front of more than 500 attendees.
Wet Wipe Wizard already has two patents, one for the original wind-up version and another for the current motorized version. Two additional patents are pending. CJD Innovations, in addition to Danis' personal investment has also received additional funding and support from the Entrepreneur Center.
Danis stated that 'Dayton has always been and probably will always be a very inventive city'. It's an honor to receive a patent that lists Dayton, Ohio as the place where I live.