By Joanna Tovia. October 10, 2006.

When dust busters Michael Sweet and Toby Giordano started 1300 Cleaner, their goal was not just
to turn their brand into a household name, it was also to build themselves a reputation for making
homes healthy.

This cleaning duo prides itself on getting rid of dust and grime from every corner of a house and completely removing it from the home using air filtration equipment."Most cleaners use a duster and that makes the fine dust particles become airborne so it looks clean when the customer first sees it but the dust settles within a few days," says Mr Sweet. "We get the dust out and it's amazing how long a clean house stays clean for." 1300 Cleaner charges $40-$50 an hour. substantially more than many cleaning companies charge. But Mr Sweet says home owners who use 1300 Cleaner save over time.

The first visit to a new home involves a 21-point clean which goes well beyond a traditional clean.
"Our 21-point clean is a very thorough clean in which we move furniture and get on top of cupboards to
remove built-up dust that rarely gets looked at," Mr Sweet says.

Air vents and ceiling fans are cleaned, bathrooms are scrubbed and skirting boards wiped. Even the grime and gunk that collects under a fridge is removed. The microwave is cleaned, appliances are left sparkling and the furniture is moved so all dust can be removed from every nook and cranny.

An ioniser, HEPA air filtration, an antibacterial filter and Dyson vacuum cleaners then get rid of fine dust particles down to the size of 30 microns (one 30th the size of the circumference of a human hair). "Rather than just shifting the dust around that has built up over the years with a duster, we actually get rid of it which means your home stays cleaner for longer." So instead of having the cleaner return a week later, Mr Sweet says householders usually book in for cleans fortnightly or three-weekly.

A 12-point regular service is then used to maintain the home's cleanliness. "They are getting better value and a better job but they have to pay more up front," Mr Sweet says. "It's literally a complete house wash." He and brother-in-law Mr Giordano started the business last August after securing the phone name 1300 Cleaner.

Mr Sweet's background is in advertising and Mr Giordano comes from the finance industry. "We complement each other unbelievably well – every weakness I have he has a strength in and vice versa," Mr Sweet says. "No detail escapes him and he's very good with customers no matter how annoying some customers can be." Mr Sweet's focus is on turning 1300 Cleaner into a household name.

He says he has been experimenting with various forms of marketing from flyers and magnet drops to online advertising and the Yellow Pages. "If wisely done, online strategies are great but the Yellow Pages book is a complete waste of money."

By far the best response has been achieved by having the 1300 Cleaner name placed on their car – a $300 job that has generated more than $10,000 in revenue. "The back of our car has given us the best bang for our buck by far ... once people see it, they remember it."

It was the phone name phenomenon in Australia that gave Mr Sweet the idea to start the business. Although phone names have been used in the United States for 20 years, it has only been in the past few years that international phone standards have been enforced in Australia, meaning that the letters found on a phone's keypad now have to be uniform.

Mr Sweet says 85 per cent of home phones now have uniform keypads (where the letters ABC start on the number 2).

The pair chose to start a business in the cleaning industry largely because it was a fragmented market with no obvious market leader. They are also passionate about cleanliness.

"Most of the harm that's done through unhygienic and dirty things is at the microscopic level," he says.

"The inside of the average home is seven times more polluted than the air you'll find outside ... and in Sydney the air outside isn't that great anyway."

By the time cleaners have given a home the 21-point clean, Mr Sweet says the air has been cleaned of dust and pollutants through their filtration equipment about 20 times.

"When you walk into your house it feels like you've walked into the top of a mountain, people are amazed."

He says householders who have suffered from asthma and allergies or other irritants caused by the dust inside their house find their ailments disappear.

Some customers also report they are sleeping better and not waking up with headaches as they used to.

Visit www.1300cleaner.com.au for more.