North Routt creator offers all-natural solution to noisy doors, drawers, sticky windows

Modern-day inventor Cody Lynn is hoping the newest addition to his lineup of products — Smooth Slide Wax — will be a hit among people looking for a natural way to eliminate certain household problems.

“It is the all-natural solution for squeaky windows, doors and drawers,” Lynn said Monday. “I’ve made a business partner (at a trade show) in Las Vegas, and he’s always telling me to expand my operation to do more waxes, and to be the Wax Guy.”

Lynn said Smooth Slide Wax uses all-natural blends of waxes and graphite to create a product that delivers instant results without the risks of toxic aerosol sprays or messy oils. The product is optimized for use on vinyl, metal, plastic and wood found in the household — but unlike traditional lubricants, Smooth Slide Wax is engineered to bring peace of mind with a product that is family-safe and environmentally friendly.

To create Smooth Slide Wax, Lynn has teamed up with Marshall Day, co-founder of The Better Tool Company and one of the creators of the 4-in-1 multipurpose gardening tool the Rak-O; Steven Johnson, the CEO and partner of The Better Tool Co.; and Rick Jacobs, who brings more than 35 years of sales experience to the team.

Many locals are familiar with Lynn’s inventions after the North Routt resident introduced Shovelwax in the winter of 2023. The environmentally conscious product was created from natural soy, candelilla, carnauba and beeswax, as well as graphite. The mixture helps prevent snow from sticking to the shovel in all kinds of conditions.

Lynn had come up with the idea after throwing out his back a couple of times while removing snow from the driveway of his home located in the Willow Creek Pass neighborhood. Today his product is available in 150 stores including the Ace Hardware chain, as well as at Walmart, Amazon and on his company’s website at Shovelwax.com.

He said Shovelwax has been a learning experience, and he continues to grow the business and seek out larger markets where he and Day can reach out to more customers.

“We’re both seeking mass market and there’s no one really out there that can teach you how to take a product from an idea to mass market … there’s a lot we had to learn along the way,” Lynn said. “A big part of it was going to these trade shows, meeting people like us at the new inventor sections and other small businesses. I mean, we’re all just out here growing small businesses at the end of the day and hoping to hit it.”

Lynn and Day started a Kickstarter campaign for Smooth Slide Wax last month, offering potential customers the chance to support the business in its early stages. That opportunity is open until 9 p.m. Thursday.

On Monday, the effort was supported by 28 backers who had contributed $709 or about 14% of the $5,000 goal.

Lynn was still optimistic that the creators might reach the goal before the deadline, but he said plans have already been made to push forward even if the Kickerstarter campaign falls short. He said Smooth Slide Wax will reach out to those supporters that backed the idea and offer ways to purchase the product in time for the Christmas holiday.

“It’s a product that we couldn’t be more thrilled about, as far as this potential,” Lynn said. “Everyone has windows, doors and drawers. Everyone deals with squeaky doors from time to time, and the really great thing about this product is instead of spraying aerosols in your house, with chemicals that you probably don’t want to breathe, this is the all-natural solution.”