{"id":1639,"date":"2021-08-26T09:21:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T13:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/?p=1639"},"modified":"2023-12-28T17:17:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T22:17:27","slug":"kirkland-based-residential-bin-cleaning-service-picks-up-steam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/kirkland-based-residential-bin-cleaning-service-picks-up-steam\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirkland-based residential bin-cleaning service picks up steam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/montrealgazette.com\/author\/silvia-cademartori-special-to-the-gazette\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silvia Cademartori<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;&nbsp;Special to the Montreal Gazette<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>&#8220;The compost bin is disgusting, there are maggots and I don\u2019t like cleaning it because it\u2019s gross.&#8221; \u2014 Vaudreuil-Dorion client<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/0819-wi-curbside-2146.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/0819-wi-curbside-2146.webp 564w, https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/0819-wi-curbside-2146-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/0819-wi-curbside-2146-16x12.webp 16w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><figcaption>With the adoption of recycling and compost curb side pickup years ago, homes now have three waste bins \u2014 garbage, recycling and compost. Kirkland-based Curbside Clean&#8217;s Mike Homsy, left, and Mel Vandersluis, centre, and Sam Homsy, right, use a pickup truck with a customized trailer to clean waste bins.&nbsp;PHOTO BY DAVE SIDAWAY&nbsp;\/Montreal Gazette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s the dirtiest job you keep putting off at home? Cleaning your garbage and compost bins are probably way up there. With the adoption of recycling and compost curbside pickup years ago, homes now have three waste bins: garbage, recycling and compost. Who\u2019s cleaning these bins? It\u2019s not always who you think. The use of standardized bins saw a rise in mobile residential waste-bin cleaning companies in Europe, where they have been a mainstay in some cities for more than 30 years. The industry has been around in the United States for more than a decade but has been slow to grow north of the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"West Island-based residential bin-cleaning service picks up steam\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R-xcR8BmO2g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the West Island is catching up with Kirkland-based Curbside Clean, owned by Mike Homsy and Mel Vandersluis. Operating since March, the company already has 300 clients, more than 80 per cent of whom are monthly subscribers, Homsy said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a family business with Homsy and girlfriend, Vandersluis, running the business side while Homsy\u2019s sister, Samantha Homsy, does the daily cleaning. She drives a pickup truck with a customized trailer that houses the cleaning system. \u201cThe water is heated to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows us to sanitize the bins. It\u2019s high-pressure, high-temperature water,\u201d Homsy explained. \u201cThe bins are then (automatically) lifted two at a time and turned upside down over 360-degree spinning heads. All that dirty water falls back into our trailer, and we take it to a water treatment facility as grey water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cleaning system rids bins of germs, viruses and bacteria, according to Homsy. He also said it\u2019s kinder to the environment than what he\u2019s seen: \u201cWashing bins with a cold-water hose and bleach and dumping that into the street, which goes into our sewer system.\u201d The Curbside Clean process takes just a few minutes and includes a biodegradable deodorizing spray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trailer holds enough water to clean up to 250 bins a day. The cost ranges from $9 to $32 per bin based on the frequency and number of bins to be cleaned per household. Homsy said his clients are \u201ceverybody and anybody who is conscious of the environment and of handling germs \u2026 We go from small-income homes to big houses on the water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anthony Metrakos of Vaudreuil-Dorion has been a client from the start. \u201cI normally do it myself, but I procrastinate. The compost bin is disgusting, there are maggots and I don\u2019t like cleaning it because it\u2019s gross. This keeps me and my wife happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the business idea is not new, it was to Homsy, who also has a window-washing company. \u201cMy clients over the years have asked me to clean their bins. I learned a long time ago that it\u2019s a very dirty job and I didn\u2019t enjoy doing it \u2026 so I started looking into making it more efficient,\u201d Homsy explained. He came across an online video from the U.K. that gave him the idea to start Curbside Clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The couple put out feelers on social media during their year-long quest to launch the business and attracted more than a few skeptics. \u201cThis was the dumbest idea\u201d and \u201cWho would pay for this?\u201d are some comments they received, but they decided to roll ahead with their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhereas others who thought of this before me didn\u2019t follow through because they weren\u2019t sure there would be a demand, I had the clientele who gave me the demand already,\u201d Homsy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He and Vandersluis didn\u2019t want their idea to go to waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-font-size has-medium-font-size\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/montrealgazette.com\/news\/local-news\/west-island-gazette\/kirkland-based-residential-bin-cleaning-service-picks-up-steam\" style=\"border-radius:4px;background-color:#e77200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">View Original Article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silvia Cademartori&nbsp;&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;&nbsp;Special to the Montreal Gazette &#8220;The compost bin is disgusting, there are maggots and I don\u2019t like cleaning it because it\u2019s gross.&#8221; \u2014 Vaudreuil-Dorion client What\u2019s the dirtiest job you keep putting off at home? Cleaning your garbage and compost bins are probably way up there. With the adoption of recycling and compost curbside [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1639"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curbsideclean.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}