The "King of Cleaning" hasn't just chanced into knowing what he knows.
Some of the lessons came at a dear price.For instance, early in his 40-year career, Don Aslett washed an expensive all-wool carpet with hot water, shrinking it away from the walls and moving the grand piano with it.
He used a straight solution of ammonia to clean some windows and killed his customer's bird with the fumes.
"My reputation spread," Aslett quipped to a Provo audience on a tour introducing his book, "Office Clutter Cure."
Today his company cleans in 25 states. He employs 60,000 people and he's written two dozen books.
Aslett said men are born for cleaning and were commanded to "take care of the Earth."
The average person, he said, will spend five years of a lifetime cleaning. "You might as well do it smarter. Watch the professionals and do what they do."
Aslett shared tips: "Don't use rags to clean with, use turkish towels cut and sewn just for the job. Fold it, clean, clean. Fold it again, clean, clean! Turn it over and you have eight "clean, cleans."
Water is not a cleaner, he said. "But soap and detergent really work, just dilute it like they tell you."
Aslett said there is little difference between brands of cleaning solutions, as long as one reads and follows the instructions.
He shared an amusing collection of innovative cleaning utensils that included a paint roller on a rifle butt for men, a tennis racket/dust pan and a golf club duster.
When vacuuming, "go slower," he said. "Give the beater bar time to work and keep the bag empty. Once it's over one-fourth full, it's no use to you."
After sharing a series of tips and anecdotes, Aslett said the easiest way to cut down cleaning hassle is to get rid of junk that must be dusted, stored, moved and worried over.
"Clean it out at about five in the morning wearing nothing with pockets and to music like `Gonna Get Along Without You Now,' " he suggested.
"Get four boxes, label them Junk, Charity, Sort and Emotional Withdrawal, and go to it."