What if tidying up your apartment could be as easy as a hotel cleaning? That's precisely the idea behind Chicago startup The Minte, which is bringing hotel-style cleanings to apartment buildings across the city---and it's taking a different approach to home housekeeping than Handy and other heavily VC-backed startups.
The Minte, founded in 2017, makes ordering a quick apartment cleaning as simple as pressing a button---literally. The Minte puts physical buttons on the walls of apartment units, allowing residents to push whenever they need a cleaning. The startup offers hotel-style cleanings, which include tidying up, bathroom cleanings, vacuuming and kitchen counter wipe downs, starting at $30 for a 1-bedroom apartment. It also can provide deep cleanings for $90, and residents can set up reoccurring cleanings at a discount.
Since installing its first physical buttons in an 80-unit apartment building in the West Loop, The Minte has grown to more than 60 buildings across Chicago, and continues to add about eight new buildings a month. It also recently expanded to Washington, D.C., where it is in 15 buildings, CEO and founder Kathleen Wilson said.
The Minte is different than a service like Handy, a startup that's raised more than $100 million and lets you schedule house cleanings via an app. Handy's housekeepers are independent contractors, which allows Handy to spend less on hiring costs but makes for an often less-than-reliable experience for the customer. The user doesn't know who's cleaning their home or if they've been properly trained, Wilson said.
Employees for The Minte, on the other hand, are full-time, W2 workers. This allows for a more consistent cleaning experience for customers and a more stable work environment for the housekeepers, Wilson explained.
"It's all about our housekeepers," she said. "Our housekeepers are truly part of our staff."
The Minte has around 40 people on its cleaning staff and another seven on the executive team. It's raised $2.2 million in venture funding to date from investors including Dundee Venture Capital, Network Ventures and Sandalphon Capital.
Cleanings don't have to be booked via the physical button (you can schedule on its website, too), but it works as a marketing tool for new residents who move in, and apartment buildings enjoy having it to showcase their amenities to residents, Wilson said.
"The button is something that reminds people that we’re truly in their building," she said. "They're getting consistent housekeepers, not just a platform. It really is a partnership with the property and the property manager."
