Brillo Turns 100 in 2013

WALLED LAKE, Mich. — The Brillo scrubbing pad will turn 100 next year.

“Brillo has been cleaning American households for a century now,” John Armaly Jr., president and chief executive officer of Armaly Brands, maker of Brillo Soap Pads and Brillo Estracell sponges, said in a statement.

The brand was born with the advent of aluminum pots and pans, which replaced heavy cast iron cookware in homes throughout the nation. The coal-fired stoves of the day quickly blackened the pots, making them difficult to clean, according to the company.

A cookware peddler and a jeweler (his brother-in-law) found a solution. Using jeweler’s rouge, soap and fine steel wool from Germany, they found a method to scour the pots and pans when they began to blacken.

In 2010, Armaly Brands acquired the brand.

Armaly plans to celebrate the anniversary throughout next year with new keepsake packaging, social media contests and other activities.