Inside Idaho's Museum of Clean

Idaho is home to several art and history museums displaying impressive and educational artifacts and exhibits. And Pocatello is home to a very unique gallery – The Museum of Clean.

Founded by Don Aslett in 2006, the museum notes on its website that it’s not a cleaning museum but a place highlighting the overall value of cleanliness for health and well-being.

“The ultimate mission and vision of the Museum of Clean is to sell the idea and value of clean, to put clean into the minds of all who visit,” the Museum of Clean’s website notes. “We want to expand the scope of clean into areas like clean homes, clean minds, clean language, clean communities, and a clean world.”

Exhibits in the museum include a Garden of Clean which showcases plants that naturally help keep the air clean, a toilet collection, and an art gallery with artistic endeavors related to the theme of clean.

In addition, there is a vacuum exhibit that houses over 1,000 vacuums that span a century of cleaning – from 1869 to 1969. A few of those include the world’s first vacuum cleaner called the Daniel Hess Carpet Sweeper invented in 1860 and the world’s first motor-powered vacuum – a horse-drawn central vacuum that was invented in Great Britain in 1902.

“Our museum presents many dimensions of clean through art, displays, exhibits, print, and participation,” its website says. “So come prepared to explore and learn in this vast Museum OF Clean.”

In addition, the Library of Clean showcases many cleaning books and videos that capture the history of cleaning. Many of the books are written by Aslett.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-15.

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