Kiwi is a carpet cleaning company founded in the Dallas, TX area that has expanded to many cities, including Austin. They have a unique approach to carpet cleaning and a catch advertising campaign but are they a good company to hire? I will look into their website and online reputation and answer that question.
Method of Cleaning
What's in this article...
Kiwi uses a method that they refer to as emulsification which is confusing because the industry term for their method is bonnet cleaning.
They spray a cleaning solution on your carpet and then use cotton bonnets on a rotating floor machine to agitate and absorb the solution.
The result is carpet that dries in a short time, usually less than an hour.
This is one of the recognized methods of carpet cleaning but it is not the method endorsed by most carpet manufacturers.
The main benefit of the method is the short dry time which makes it a good choice for commercial applications where a short dry time is needed.
In a residential setting, it is less than effective. You are limited to the amount of soil that a bonnet can clean up and there is a fair share of cross contamination.
For example, you have a pet stain in the corner of your room. The cleaner cleans it with the bonnet and then proceeds to move to the next section of your room, using the same bonnet.
You can imagine that some of the pet stain would be transferred to the new area
. Sure they could change the bonnet after the pet stain but unless they bring in hundreds of bonnets, time and cost prohibitive, that is not going to happen.
So, thumbs down on the method for residential use.
Other Cleaning Services
Kiwi Services offers a full range of services including carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, wood floor cleaning, carpet repair and air duct cleaning.
Cleaning Prices
Prices are not listed online, so you will need to call for current prices in your area.
They usually have a special for 40% off but, 40% off what.
The unique thing about their prices is that it includes a one year warranty. With this warranty, you can get discounted cleanings for one year from the original cleaning date.
A unique concept that many carpet cleaners have attempted to copy (steal), but that Kiwi seems to have pioneered or at least been one of the first to offer.
Website Overview
One word comes to mind with their website, crowded. They are just putting way too much information out there and none of that information is very valuable.
They could do with a simplification of their website to make it more user friendly.
Reviews
Okay, now on to the reviews. As always, let’s go to Yelp. At the time that this article was written, they have 3.5 stars out of 5.
This includes 12 five star reviews and a whopping 8 one star reviews.
None of the one star reviews are addressed by the owner or management and most of them claim poor quality.
Conclusion
So, lets get down to it. Would I hire Kiwi Services for carpet cleaning in Austin?
No.
They have too many low reviews and use a method that is just not that effective in a residential environment. If I owned a 24 hour business, I might give them a call to give me a quote but bonnet cleaning, in my opinion, has no place in residential carpet cleaning.
Got to give them credit for the impressive branding though.
Service Area
They appear to serve most of the Austin TX area including Bee Cave, Cedar Park, Elgin, Georgetown, Hutto, Kyle, Lakeway, Manor, Pflugerville and Round Rock.
512-381-3405