In six months, Robert Poleki’s invention will be available for public use.

The Pocatello resident and former Bannock County clerk said his Washie self-cleaning toilet seat will be utilized in multiple public venues starting in the spring of 2020.

Poleki, Washie Co. founder and CEO, devised the product in 2014 and spent four years in the patent process before it was finally approved.

He said he is “not nervous at all” about whether the product will be a success.

“We’ve proved there’s a need for this product,” Poleki said. “So we’ve seen tons of interest and (we’re) really confident about getting our product out there.”

The Washie was a hit at the Boise Startup Week Pitch Competition earlier this month, beating 31 other entries for the first place title.

“Just very fortunate to be able to pitch and get that far,” Poleki said. “I competed with some of the top tech companies in our area.”

The prize for Washie Co. was $20,000 for a competition that was part of Boise Startup Week, which calls itself “Idaho’s largest community-driven, entrepreneur-focused event.”

“I really don’t care about the money. It’s the connections I made in Boise,” said Poleki who called the networking opportunities “priceless.”

The Washie is all about providing people with clean toilet seats in public restrooms.

After a user waves their hand across a sensor on the side of the Washie toilet seat, a cleaning solution softly ejects from the back of the toilet seat. The cleaning solution can then be spread across the seat with toilet paper to ensure a clean and sanitary surface.

“They can have peace of mind before they sit down on the seat,” said Poleki, an Idaho State University alumnus.

This year, ISU received an $83,000 Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission grant from the Idaho Department of Commerce to test and improve the Washie.

The university’s mechanical engineering and chemistry departments tested the product’s life cycle, the cleaner’s effectiveness and the effect of the chemicals used in the cleaner on the other parts of the product, according to an ISU press release.

Poleki said he has already secured deals with three airports in the United States and Canada to install the Washie in their public restrooms, but he wouldn’t disclose which airports those are. He said he is negotiating with more than 15 other airports.

He can also see his invention being used at stadiums, hospitals, gas stations and even at ISU.

“A lot of companies have complex issues that are sometimes hard to launch,” Poleki said. “Our product is very simple, sustainable and has a great business plan.”