MILWAUKEE — It's the world's largest collection of wipes — and more than 25,000 can be found at Rebel Converting in Milwaukee.
"There are about 10,000 canister wipes and about 12 to 14,000 peel and reseal packs, and we have tens of thousands of single packs here," says President Mike Kryshak.
He's been collecting portable cleaning aids for more than three decades.
"I have a lot of friends who have been in the industry in different countries. They send me wipes from their travels," he says. "When I travel, I grab some myself too."
There are three types of wipes: personal care, household wipes, and wipes used for businesses and industrial purposes. At Rebel Converting, you will find them all, even an antique jar of wipes 100 years old that was used to clean guns.
"A good way to look at the future is to look at the past and see what has succeeded and what has not succeeded. A lot of these products are no longer available," Kryshak says.
He says there's a huge interest in wipes that do not harm the environment, but that is not necessarily a new idea.
"A lot of these ideas were ahead of their times so we're seeing a resurgence in it. There were certainly some people very early on that were environmentally conscious but for whatever reason they did not take off," Kryshak says. "We're seeing another resurgence in plastic-free compostable, biodegradable wipes. I think there's more people thinking about the environment now."
Kryshak believes that with the pandemic and concern over contagious diseases, wipes will remain a steady consumer good for years to come.
