by ERIK J. MARTIN

While shopping in the late ’90s, Monica Nassif took notice of the array of bland and unimpressive cleaning wares on display. Inspired by her mother, Thelma Meyer—an Iowa nurse, homemaker, gardener and mother of nine—the entrepreneurial Nassif decided to create a line of household products with appealing scents and naturally effective cleaning power.

To that end, she created Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day in 1999, selling a variety of household cleaners and soaps.

In 2010, Nassif sold Mrs. Meyer’s to SC Johnson and moved on to other projects. Since then the company has grown to 290-plus offerings—from hand soap, body wash and air fresheners to laundry detergent, window cleaners, candles and countertop sprays—which are sold in seven countries across the globe. But the inspiration behind the company’s beginnings has remained unchanged.

“The idea of a better way to do the work of cleaning with products that are thoughtfully made paved the way for us to reinvent the cleaning category,” says Pamela Helms, vice president of product experience for Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. “We asked: Why couldn’t cleaning chores be elevated and pleasant, even joyful?”