Realtor Tools: Addison Now Famous as Home of the "Before You Go" Toilet Spray

Chalk up another major coup for Addison: not only does this community require every home constructed to be equipped with an approved fire sprinkler system, it is home to the first U.S. company dedicated to keeping your bathroom surrounds odor free.

The company is called “Poo-Pourri”, founded by Addison native Suzy Batiz. According to a story in my on-line Addison Magazine, Suzy grew up and “found joy in concocting a plethora of scents, sprays and essential oils for friends and family.”But soon that hobby got put to a very practical use in the bathroom.

…her hobby became a vital skill, when she realized a close relative continuously managed to clear a room every time they finished their “business.” For a nine month period, Batiz engaged in a trial and error process, hoping to relieve the bathroom of any unwanted odors – and finally, she did. As her relative emerged from the bathroom, they took one look at her and claimed, “I think we’re going to be millionaires.”

Poo-Pourri is not a fragrance or conventional bathroom spray — those kind of shout-out “I’ve made a nasty smelly in here and I am covering it up. (Whew!)” Poo-Pourri prevents the smell from ever escaping the toilet bowl by spraying an oil over the surface of the water in the bowl, which locks the smells in the bowl where they belong. No cover-ups here. Poo-Pourri says “their business is to make it smell like your business never even happened.”

That can be a huge order in some cases, but I have been told the spray works. This can be very valuable for Realtors because let’s face it: the last thing you want when buyers come trooping through the door is for a bathroom to have a bad smell permeating the entire house. I am sure you have had those nightmares where a seller’s child used the bathroom right before an open house. I mean, let’s face it: everyone knows what bathrooms are for, but when you sell a home you want it to look like this house is so wonderfully perfect no one ever goes to the bathroom here!

Well now, it wasn’t enough to create a Poo-Pourri miracle and just let it sit on the throne and not be marketed. Batiz created a funny YouTube video that has recently gone viral – it’s a young British beauty sitting atop a toilet, in various settings, saying things one might not expect to hear said so bluntly in public about bathroom habits and, well, … poo – specifically, but also how to cover up the unpleasant odor left behind when you’re through with your business.

I think the ad is hysterical and creative and a great example of what viral marketing can do: the commercial alone has had 15 million views and was originally brought to the attention of consumers after the Huffington Post shared the ad. I doubt Batiz has spent one penny on print advertising.

“We knew it would be talked about, but we didn’t realize it would be so quickly or that the Huffington Post would discuss it,” says Nicole Story, Poo Marketing Director at Poo-Pourri.

Wow, that’s a title!

Story says the viral video has sparked an overwhelming number of direct consumer sales, so much that they are planning more commercials with the same darling actress, same commode.

Here is the video, you MUST watch it for a huge laugh. Seriously, I am a little concerned over what this Poo-Pourri could do to the inners of the commode — hopefully not corrode parts or leave a ring around the collar. I always have plenty of Clorox and Tidy Bowl near my commodes in case my guests feel compelled to do a little sheepish clean up, especially if it’s before an open house.