Our Story

Founder Jimmy & son and current owner Andy using GP66 Miracle Cleaner to clean graffiti off the streets of Baltimore in the 80's

Andy Kaplanges is following in his father's footsteps as his father did before him.  Andy's father, Jimmy Kaplanges, got his start more than 60 years ago, mopping floors in his mother's restaurant using the soap his mother made from a mix of boiled fat and lye.

Andy & Tanya Owners of GP66 Miracle Cleaner in the manufacturing facility

Andy Kaplanges on set at QVC with his late father and inventor of GP66 Miracle Cleaner, Jimmy Kaplanges.

 

 

Jimmy Kaplanges made his start with a small business selling janitorial equipment. He realized traditional detergents were not effective, and contained harmful phosphates. On a mission to change the norm, he invented the original, water-based, phosphate-free, heavy-duty cleaning formula. He mixed the solution in steel vats in a small Baltimore factory he built. Having no capital, he packaged GP66 into discarded 55-gallon steel drums, which he got for free. He cleaned, painted and stenciled the drums, "made them look all nice and pretty" and loaded them into his truck. The sales pitch was easy - he'd mop floors, wash cars and scrub equipment for any potential client. "I had a small little garage," Mr. Kaplanges said. They thought I had an office. 

GP66 Miracle Cleaner has been used to clean graffiti off city schools, NFL stadiums, NYC subway cars, fast food chains like Dairy Queen and Popeyes, just to name just a few. The secret to his success is GP66, an environmentally friendly "miracle cleaner" that has built a reputation. "They all came seeking me", Mr. Kaplanges said. "I wasn't sophisticated enough to do that kind of marketing. My forte was doing show and tell."

Flash forward to 50 years later and GP66 Miracle Cleaner is still going strong.  Although the Baltimore plant is now a fading memory, GP66 Miracle Cleaner is still manufactured and sold right here in the USA by Andy Kaplanges, his wife Tanya Kaplanges, and their family.

The GP66 Miracle Cleaner Family

 

You may see Andy out and about from time to time showing what he learned from his father by mopping floors, washing cars, scrubbing client's equipment.