BleachBit Cloth Or Something Gag Gift Becomes Viral Money Maker For Independent Software Producer

BleachBit made international headlines when it was revealed as the software that was used to wipe all the data from Hillary Clinton’s private email server. According to the Blaze, Trey Gowdy disclosed to the public that the software was used to delete emails from the server in such a way that “even God couldn’t read them.” The former prosecutor’s statement can be taken as a compliment considering the software’s sole purpose is to remove data from digital media and make it permanently unrecoverable.

During a press conference last August, Ed Henry from Fox News asked Clinton if she had wiped her private email server.

“What, like with a cloth or something?” Clinton’s replied as she made wiping motions with her hand.

BleachBit’s creator and founder, Andrew Ziem, found humor in the remark. On a whim, Ziem had a batch of microfiber cloths printed with the BleachBit logo and packaged them with an image of the former secretary of state and her comment. The product became known as the BleachBit Cloth or Something. Andrew put the product up on his sales page along with a satirical description.

“After you have smashed your BlackBerry, don’t forget to wipe the fingerprints from your email server with this non-abrasive, soft microfiber Cloth or Something. Thin, foldable size makes it easy to stash the Cloth or Something in burn bags. Guaranteed not to prove intent, or you will get a full refund paid when you are released from prison. Don’t wait for a subpoena: Order Now!”

Although the Cloth or Something was clearly meant as a joke, Ziem was unprepared for the response he would get to the product. As of this writing, the BleachBit Cloth or Something is sold out and has a backlog of orders that will not be filled until November 19. Andrew is an independent software developer who provides BleachBit for free with an optional donation. So when he was inundated with orders, he was overwhelmed.

“There were so many orders I freaked out, and for half an hour I turned off new orders until I was sure I could fulfill them,” stated Ziem in an email to the Inquisitr. “It’s crazy, but it’s fun too. We are going to have a pizza party for signing and fulfilling orders. I love it.”

For the first few weeks, product orders were manageable. However, Andrew said that stories of the BleachBit Cloth or Something went viral on several news outlets and Facebook on Wednesday, and he has gotten more orders in one hour than he had received in the time since he put the product up for sale. He is now caught up to last weekend’s sales but is out of printed cloth.

Two more orders have been placed for cloth to be printed, and those will be ready by November 8 and 14. In the meantime, Andrew has hired extra help to deal with the “mountain of orders” that has piled up since the weekend.

“I have been ramping up to quickly send out the mountain of orders placed in the last few days. To scale up I had to redesign my processes and hire help. This morning I went to the post office to buy hundreds of stamps for the smaller orders, and the rolls of stamps they gave me were depressingly small for the amount they cost.”

Andrew did not wish to comment on his sales figures or the size of his backlog. However, he has not stopped taking orders for the Cloth or Something, which sells for $3 each. Ziem is also offering an autographed version signed by him for $5 apiece. However, he does warn purchasers to be patient with their orders.

“Order volume is extremely high,” his disclaimer states. “I am sold out and am working with two print vendors to get more cloths. Please allow more time for signing. It may take weeks to catch up.”

If you are interested in getting a BleachBit Cloth or Something for yourself or as a gag gift for a friend, head over to the BleachBit website. Your order should be shipped by November 19. However, orders are being taken on a first-come, first-served basis, and if supplies sell out again, you may have to wait until more can be printed. If you own a copy of BleachBit, do not expect any updates until the Cloth or Something runs its course.

[Featured Image by Andrew Ziem/BleachBit]