83-Year-Old Creates Innovation in Personal Hygiene

This 83-year-old is revolutionizing U.S. hygiene, proving that you don’t need to be Mark Zuckerberg to launch innovative new products.

In fact, this new product might be all thanks to years of experience. Angelo Chetta is the entrepreneur behind the new Milavo “Pocket Bidet,” a personal hygiene spritzer. And this isn’t Chetta’s first foray into entrepreneurial ideas and leadership. The longtime New Orleans resident is credited with creating the Crawgator regional mascot concept back in 1983. And he also served as director of operations for the Louisiana Superdome (now the Mercedes Benz Superdome) for 20 years.

But the idea for the Pocket Bidet actually came to Chetta after a recent trip to Europe. He noticed how common bidets were in European bathrooms. And upon returning to the U.S., he found it odd that there weren’t more options for Americans, who otherwise seem to be obsessed with cleanliness.

Chetta said in a statement, “For a nation that is obsessed with cleanliness, it struck me as dumb that we would settle for using dry toilet paper in our daily hygiene.”

So Chetta set out to create a product that was both portable and easy to use. The Milavo is essentially a pocket-sized spray bottle that you can use to create wet wipes anywhere, without having to cart around a bulky plastic container. It might be a small product. But it has the potential to make a big impact in an area where not a lot of entrepreneurs are really focused.

The product contains an all-natural blend of purified water, aloe vera juice, tea tree oil, lemon peel oil, naturally derived stabilizers and lavender. So it doesn’t contain any alcohol or other irritating or allergenic ingredients.

Milavo is available online on the company’s website and in 89 Kinney Drug Stores in New York and Vermont.

Image: Angelo Chetta

This article, "83-Year-Old Creates Innovation in Personal Hygiene" was first published on Small Business Trends