I think about the integrity of the lock every time I close a restroom door because it fails often enough to engrain that problem in my mind.

-Sharon Clemens

My invention is a simple thing that gets the job done. The Stall Stopper™ keeps you from embarrassing situations when you're feeling most vulnerable. That's what makes it important.

- Sharon Clemens

It was Sharon I staked my reputation on.

-Doug Hall
American Inventor Judge

Sharon's clip will sell more than anything in the top 12.

-Doug Hall
Sharon's Mentor

How the Keep It Tidy™ KIT Came to Be

I am a woman. I now call myself an inventor, too.

As a woman it is consistently a problem whenever I'm faced with using a public restroom: Will there be a working lock on the door?

Even if the lock looks like it's working, will it hold when the door slams next to mine or someone bumps against it? Will the pieces of the lock be aligned or have they slipped through years of wear and tear? Will my young child lock themselves in and then be unable to unlock the door while I have to crawl under? Will I have to hold the door with my hand/foot/head to keep it closed? When there's only one handicapped stall in a restroom and the lock is broken, how can I possibly hold that door shut when it's that far away?

I cannot count the numerous times I've been faced with this problem and neither could the women I talked to - it's a common problem for most women. I think about the integrity of the lock every time I close a restroom door because it fails often enough to engrain that problem in my mind.

It bothered me enough to take the next step: to develop a solution for the problem. I used rough materials to come to conclusions about the shape, flexibility and function for my restroom door clip. I had injection molds made and developed a real prototype. I filed for a utility patent and it was granted in 1999. I did informal, verbal surveys and every woman I've ever spoken with said she wanted my bathroom clip if it were to ever be sold. I contacted several companies but didn't find the right opportunity for my restroom door clip.

On with the show

Fast forward a few years when my husband heard Simon Cowell on the radio talking about a new inventor show in development. I decided to audition at the very last minute. I got up early and went to Hollywood on my own. The whole process was interesting, exciting and quite a bit of waiting. I met people who I now call "friends." It was all so very different from my daily life and quite often I felt out of my element. I "winged it" most of the time - sharing my description of the problem, the key benefits and selling points of my clip. My reasons for being there never changed - I want my husband to retire because he has worked so hard our entire lives and because I would love to see people using my restroom door clip and the sense of accomplishment that would bring. I really didn't seek to be on TV - I just wanted to do something with my invention and get it into the hands of people who want and need it.

I kept making it into the next rounds. First there was a callback to be part of approximately 300-400 people out of the thousands that first auditioned. My family was there when I made it into the top 50 which was aired in Episode 2. Then I made it into the elimination for the top 24 in Episode 5.

In the next round the judges were really hard on me. They questioned the significance of my invention because it's such a simple thing. Doug Hall (the accomplished inventor amongst the judges) seemed to give me the hardest time. He was asking me the tough questions and in doing that he allowed me to provide answers. One thing I've learned from the show - all feedback is good. Many times when we're up against the toughest questions it's our opportunity to shine.

I was absolutely positive I was not going to make it into the top 12 after all that.

Doug saw promise in my invention and chose to mentor me through my process on the show. He fought for me and even staked his reputation on me. He posed the idea to me to make it into a kit - to handle the myriad of frustrations and problems one faces in public restrooms. "Restroom Survival Kit" is a working description, but ultimately my proposed name for this product is Keep It Tidy™ KIT. It contains two of the reworked bathroom door clips (now called a Stall Stopper™), flushable wet wipes, seat protectors, toilet paper, and anti-bacterial hand wipes.

The clip can be carried by itself or with the toilet paper for everyday use. The entire Keep it Tidy KIT can be with you for extended activities like picnics, a day at the beach, camping trips and travel where you're more likely to have problems with privacy, cleanliness and missing supplies.

My Mentor

I love Doug Hall. He has been and continues to be a real cheerleader and inspiration for me and my "Keep it Tidy™" Restroom Survival KIT. He has been an inventor for almost his entire life and has worked with many of the brands you interact with on a daily basis. He knows his stuff and he graciously shares his advice. I have all his books and listen regularly to his tapes about the business side of inventing - detailing the steps and examples in the invention process. He was a huge help in doing what I did and proving the potential of my large market.

My Fellow Inventors

I made many close friends during the course of American Inventor and it was wonderful to be with so many inspiring, creative people. Most of all, I loved everyone in my group. Jaunsz Liberkowski (Anecia Spherical Safety Seat) is a truly decent and smart man (and funny too) and Joe and Jenny Safuto (Pure Flush) are true friends. I tell everyone I know how funny and what a truly gifted magician Joe is. I love both of the products these people have invented and I wish them all the success they truly deserve. I couldn't be happier about Doug's choice to pick Janusz for the finals.

My Design Team

My design team did a great job. Everything had to be done within the schedule of a TV show. Further complicating things, I had a more compressed time frame because I didn't stay with my original choice for design team. I'm still reworking my prototype and my KIT to integrate and maintain some of the best qualities of my original prototype with the new one created during my process with American Inventor. Sign up [here] if you'd like to know about updates.

Additional Info

You can find progress on the development of my invention at any of the following links:
www.keep-it-tidy.com
www.restroomsurvivalkit.com
www.stallstopper.com