Anthony Drankiewicz works in the Baltimore, Maryland area cleaning commercial and residential carpets with his company Corridor Carpet Care. We talked with Anthony about his experience using Whittaker machines and chemistry and how they have helped him win new clients.
Whittaker: Tell us a little bit about your company and what you do.
Anthony Drankiewicz: I am the owner/operator of Corridor Carpet Care, located in Baltimore, Maryland. We have a sister company, Corridor Flooring Associates, that installs commercial flooring. We do maintenance for those floors, and we also do a lot of restorative cleaning as well.
We have a pretty broad client base, but we do maintain a lot of the country clubs and golf courses in this area. Many of those jobs are restorative. If they have not had general maintenance cleaning on their carpets, I can come in and provide that “wow” factor when I clean with Whittaker products.
Country Club Before and After using CRYSTAL® QUICK RESTORE™. The pattern seen in this photo is a result of the pile lifting action of the brushes. Some customers love this and some do not. The pattern can be easily avoided by overlapping each backward pass. See more information about cleaning patterns in our YouTube videos for the TRIO and the TWIN.
W: How did you get started using Whittaker systems?
A: I started Corridor Carpet Care to complement the installation business of Corridor Flooring Associates. As I was starting my business, I was researching ways to clean carpets other than hot water extraction with the truck mount because I know I’m limited to how far I can clean. With the truck mount, you’re tethered to the truck and you can only go as far as the hoses that you have. I knew I needed another method, and that’s when I came across Whittaker and got in contact with Joe Bshero. He came down to the office in Fell’s Point and did a demo in our office, and I ended up purchasing that demo machine that he had brought with him.
W: How do you use Whittaker products in your business?
A: I use the 15” TWIN machine, and I also use the CRYSTAL® QUICK RESTORE™ and CRYSTAL DRY® EXTRA.
We are fairly new, as we’ve been in business about 2 years. We have a residential cleaning business where we use hot water extraction on a truck mount, so the low moisture encapsulation method is newer to us. We’ve been implementing this into homes here and there, and we’ve had great results within the homes.
The reason that I like using Whittaker chemicals so much is that they don’t have a strong smell. For the clients and our employees, it’s nice to be able to clean without an overpowering fragrance.
W: What is the biggest benefit Whittaker provides to your business?
A: I would say it’s definitely the fast dry times. Before, we would have to set up blowers in the evenings and return to the job in the morning to make sure the carpet was dry. Now, on commercial jobs, we arrive early in the morning before anyone is there. We finish the job, and it’s dry and ready to be walked on by 9:00 a.m. when employees start showing up. It is helping us with scheduling because we no longer have to work at night. That has been beneficial to our clients as well, because morning cleanings are not something they are accustomed to.
W: Is there a time when Whittaker helped you gain new clients?
A: I had a recent job at a local country club, and I had really good results using the CRYSTAL® QUICK RESTORE™. In this case, the carpet was right off the kitchen. There was a hard surface that met the carpet, so that was generally being used as a walk off mat and collecting all the grease from the kitchen. First, we did a pre-vacuum. I doubled up on the CRYSTAL® QUICK RESTORE™ application and we sprayed the area, let it sit, and brushed it in using green brushes so it was a little more aggressive. After the post-vacuum, a lot of the grease came out beautifully and it really presented a “wow” factor to the customer, because they just had me come in to see what I could do. We had cleaned a 100 square foot area, and we ended up getting the job and now we’re cleaning the whole place on a regular basis.
W: Have you found Whittaker is a good value for the money it costs?
A: The CQR is expensive, but it does a good job, so I would say that it’s a good value. I know that it’s going to work. I don’t have to worry about people complaining about the smell when we’re cleaning. I have the confidence going into facilities, looking at the majority of stains, and saying that this chemical is going to clean them. I don’t have to second guess whether it will work or not. One chemical is going to clean all of it. I have done research and tried other product samples, but I haven’t found anything that cleans as well as Whittaker.
