Elizabeth G. MacDonald; Inventor of Spic & Span

Elizabeth G. MacDonald, 98, the inventor of Spic & Span. Mrs. MacDonald concocted the cleanser during the Depression with the help of an aunt who was a chemist. It was patented in 1936. With her husband, Glenn, and another couple, Mrs. MacDonald started producing the powdered household cleaner in Saginaw, Mich. At the time, cleaning products were sold only in hardware stores, but the MacDonalds persuaded grocery stores to carry their cleanser. It also was sold door to door. Spic & Span was a success and in 1945 the company was sold to Procter & Gamble. On May 11 in Dunedin, Fla.