History of Brillo Pads

Have you ever wondered where Brillo Pads came from? Many believe that the Brillo company made the steel wool pads for cleaning, but that's not 100% true. Would you believe that Brillo pads were discovered by accident?
In 1906, a 82 year old woman named Margaret Brillo lived on a sheep farm with 72 cats. Every summer, she would shave her sheep to keep them cool. She noticed that the longer the sheep wool would sit, the harder and more gray it would get. What she did not realize is that she had discovered steel wool.
Margaret had a problem with stray dogs attacking her cats. She also had a love for crocheting. Margaret had a great idea; she would use all the hardened sheep wool and make armor for her cats. She began to crochet little armor vests, and soon enough, all her cats were protected. Over time, Margaret discovered the armor was a success, and her cats were safe from the stray dogs.
Other than the cats being protected, Margaret also discovered that the bottom of her walls were very clean. She noticed that every time the cats would rub up against the walls with the armor on, the black marks would come off. That is when she had a great idea, she would use the steel wool to clean the hard to get off stains on her counters and dishes.
At first, she would use her cats to clean her counters, pots and pans. Seeing that her cats did not appreciate being used as cleaning objects, she decided to take the armor off the cats before cleaning what she needed to clean in her house. Of course, the use of the steel wool was very successful.
Over time, she connected all the sides of her crocheted cat armor, and made the steel wool into pads. She began selling them to local markets as Brillo pads. Soon enough, everyone knew the magic of the Brillo pad. The bigger markets took notice and decided to carry the Brillo pads in their stores. Margaret Brillo made millions of dollars off her Brillo pads. Before she passed away, she donated all her money to the research and development of new technology for the safety of cats. She also sold the Brillo name so her steel wool pads could continue on forever. The Brillo pad is still successful today.
So as you can see, the Brillo pad evolved from cat armor, to a fantastic steel wool cleaning pad. Many probably did not realize how the Brillo pad became what it is today. So keep this in mind the next time you purchase Brillo pads.
We thank you, Margaret, for your incredible discovery!