October 26, 2016
byAnnalise Mantz forThrive Market
Any international traveler, music festival goer, or roadtripper knows the struggle of walking into a public bathroom only to discover there’s no toilet paper—in any of the stalls. Unless you’re willing to cart around your own roll of T.P., there’s never been a good solution to the problem.
Until now. Enter Stall Mates, individually wrapped disposable wet wipes. They’re thin enough to slip into any purse, backpack, or sweatshirt pocket, so they’re ready whenever you need them.
It all started when co-founders and lifelong friends Kevin Corey and Greg Schipf were working construction. With no restroom on site, they found themselves using porta-potties day in, day out. What they wanted was a portable alternative to toilet paper—in the form of something smaller than a huge package of wet wipes.
And just like that, Corey and Schipf had the idea to create Stall Mates. Toss a wipe in your bag, and forget it’s there until you need it—the packaging is meant to hold up for two or three years.
“Even with the wear and tear of being in your purse or luggage for years, the wipes don’t dry out over time,” Corey says.
"Most companies worry about what they’re putting into the ingredients. We actually took the opposite approach and worried about what we would take out."
They’re not only for the bathroom, either. Stall Mates wipes are made with all natural, hypoallergenic ingredients—including cucumber, aloe, and vitamin E—so you can use them as face wipes or baby wipes in a pinch. The gentle formula cleanses effectively, but won’t irritate sensitive skin.
“Most companies worry about what they’re putting into the ingredients. We actually took the opposite approach and worried about what we would take out,” Corey says. “We want to appeal to adults, but at the same time, if a mom needs to wipe her infant’s face, we want her to know it’s totally safe.”
What’s even more impressive is the company’s commitment to sustainability. Most wet wipes and baby wipes aren’t meant to be flushed. They’re too bulky to dissolve in water, so they can clog up pipes and cause all kinds of plumbing problems. Instead, Stall Mates are made from a special substrate that disintegrates in water. They’ve been independently tested and certified flushable and biodegradable. Plus, they’re produced in a facility fueled entirely by solar power.
To further reduce their carbon footprint, Stall Mates plants a tree for every box of wipes sold. The company has partnered up with Trees for the Future, a nonprofit with reforestation projects all over the world. Stall Mates isn’t just about convenient products—it’s a green business trying to leave a positive impact on the environment.
After you try these convenient, natural, and eco-friendly wipes, you’ll never want to leave home without one again.
Photo credit: Paul Delmont
