Hot Trends: Eco-Friendly + Luxurious Cleaning Services : TreeHugger

This past week, we read an article in the The Wall Street Journal about Deanna Hains and Miguel Zabludovsky, two young entrepreneurs from New York City. Both recently launched two separate cleaning companies that target consumers. We know that the ideas themselves are old news, but here's the twist: luxury service that is also environmentally friendly.

Now we wrote about ZENhome, Ms. Hains’ company, back in November and it seems her business is going extremely well as the eco-friendly element has proved to be a magnet for clients with health problems like asthma and allergies. Eco-friendly products + luxury touches like spraying linens with organic lavender mist and leaving behind organic potpourri and organic chocolates is part of her everyday routine. Her business concept was built from her own frustration with cleaning services that used harsh, toxic products. “Things are just moving really fast, at a pace we can barely keep up with,” she said. Mr. Zabludovsky, who opened an eco-friendly laundry service called Slate NYC this past September, uses biodegradable and organic agents instead of Perchloroethylene or perc, a chemical that is used in traditional dry cleaning. He gives customers hampers that a driver picks up and returns weekly at times the customer chooses on Slate's website. The clean clothes are returned in Slate shopping bags wrapped in tissue just like new. Eco-friendly cleaning methods + a luxury touch has made Slate’s profitability quickly increase with about 150 current customers and about five to 10 new patrons being added each week. We love Slate's hip website, with the slogan "We protect the environment from Perc and your reputation from Ms. Rivers." From the Wall Street Journal: “These companies have found success by tapping two hot trends: rising health and environmental concerns and the ‘mass luxury’ movement, which looks to offer better quality than traditional mass-market products at prices that are higher, but still within reach for many consumers. The ecological element can add to a luxury item's prestige and exclusivity.” Via ::Wall Street Journal (subscription) ::ZENhome ::Slate NYC

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