Carpet care expert Kent Wilkinson has gone supersize with a new vehicle that has the space and grunt to cope with his expanding Taupo business.
When it came to a vehicle suitable for the job, his choice of a Nissan NV350 ticked all the boxes, he says.
“We can carry a lot more equipment around. It means everything is in the van when I need it. There’s heaps more room with this vehicle.”
Business is taking off in the Central North Island tourist town and there’s a growing demand for carpet cleaning among schools, hotels and business premises, says Kent, who plans to buys a second carpet cleaning machine.
“Every business has to clean their carpets at some point. Demand for carpet cleaning has been picking up quite rapidly.”
Kent, who runs a CrestClean business with his partner Nancy Nandan, says he enjoys the rewards of doing a great job for his customers.
CrestClean carpet cleaners attend specialised training courses, are experienced in carpet cleaning and stain removal, and are equipped with the latest portable hot water extraction carpet cleaning machines.
“It’s a satisfying job when you look at the difference with carpet that’s only been vacuumed and then compare it after it has been steam cleaned,” says Kent.
He’s been busy cleaning carpets at many of the kindergartens in Taupo.
“The kindergartens have been rapt with the work we’ve done. The first time I did the carpets at one of the kindergartens I look after, the manager was around when I was cleaning the carpets.
“She said ‘I’ve never seen my carpet so clean – and I’ve been here for 15 years’.
“It was nice to hear that as she is a lady who is very particular about the cleaning. If she says you’re doing a good job you know she means it.”
Cleaning carpets is like a gym workout, says Kent. “Physically it’s quite hard work and you feel it after a day of carpet cleaning. It certainly helps to keep you fit!”
Bill Douglas, CrestClean’s Taupo Regional Manager, says there’s a high demand for carpet care services in the area.
“We get a lot of enquiries about carpet cleaning, from offices to hotels and bars. Taupo is a busy tourist town and businesses get a lot of foot traffic.”
He says Kent’s new sign-written van is turning heads in Taupo. “A lot of people who haven’t been onto our website to read about our carpet care service won’t be able to miss Kent’s new van with its distinctive message.
“Kent does a very good job. He’s efficient and gets things done straight away. When I get an enquiry I forward it to him and he’s immediately on to it and out there talking to the customer.”
CrestClean’s carpet cleaning service has third party accreditation from Environmental Choice, which independently audits products and services to verify they meet its environmental standards.