the Dirt on Tri-Kleen

Tri-Kleen was founded by Michael S. Glass, one of those "build a better mousetrap" kinda guys. You know, the type who doesn't settle for the same-old same-old when there's a better way to do something. Like cleaning cars. Who wants to line-up for 30 minutes only to drive off in a wet car that's still half dirty? Mike doesn't. So he came up with a better way and called it -

TRI-KLEEN MOBILE WASH

How It Works?

A member of the Tri-Kleen team arrives at your house, office or wherever your vehicle is parked and kleens your car by hand, using no water and no nasty chemicals. Only the best products are used including our gentle microfiber kleening cloths and scratch-free kleening agents. You get a worry-free wash that looks great every time and gets better the more you use us.

CONVENIENT

Why It's Better?

The Tri-Kleen 3-step process softens, emulsifies and lifts off surface grime, leaving behind a protective coating that keeps your car kleener longer. And hand kleening removes bugs, tar and brake dust that automatic washers miss, leaving your car looking showroom new. For an
even longer lasting kleen, select the Deluxe or Royale package from our services.

CAREFREE

The Eco-Friendly Way!

A Tri-Kleen hand wash is one hundred percent eco-friendly. No electricity needed. No water used. No chemical run-off. No litter left behind. And most cars can be kleened in an hour or less with our Quickie service. Plus, we donate $1.00 to your choice of the American Red Cross, the Wisconsin Humane Society or the Arbor Day Foundation with each Tri-Kleen service.

COMMUNITY

more Dirt about Tri-Kleen

Founded in April 2010 in Milwaukee, WI, Tri-Kleen was the master mind of Michael S. Glass, the CKO (Chief Kleen Officer). It is the first mobile, detailing service in the area to offer all natural, non-toxic, biodegradable products to kleen your vehicle. This allows us to provide our services any where a vehicle is parked without worrying about toxic wastewater run off into our streams and water ways. More info on why the products we use are so much better can be found in the two columns to the right.

Mike has been in and out of the car care industry for over 15 years. It has always been a dream of his to offer a mobile vehicle kleening service that was convenient, carefree and that gave back to the community. He hesitated, because he didn't want to offer a service that would cause damage to the environment. So in late 2009 he started doing extensive research into waterless car wash technology, that has been hugely popular in the south and Australia for years. He researched franchises and the numerous products that are out there. But, he wanted to keep it as local as possible so he forewent the franchise idea and picked products made in the US as much as he could.

And woola! 6 months later, Tri-Kleen mobile wash, LLC was born!

waterless Car wash Facts

What is Waterless car wash? Well, as defined by Wikipedia, it is "a technique used to wash a vehicle without the use of water." I'd be inclined to describe it as, "a technique used to wash a vehicle without the use of 'heavy doses' of water."

Why you ask?

Well, all the products we use are water based, therefore the word 'waterless' can be misinterpreted. This water is mixed with a special organic super polymer blend, which make it extremely safe and effective as a vehicle paint protectant.

According to the EPA, the average person will waste 110 gallons of water while cleaning their car at home. The average stand-alone car wash will use over 35 gallons per car. This is a lot of wasted energy and soapy gray contaminated water going down the storm drain and into the environment.

It only takes 2 - 4 ounces of waterless car wash to kleen the average sized car and none of it goes in the drain.

The 'waterless' kleening concept is truly "Green". It conserves precious water, protects the local resources and has little to no effect on the environment and our community.

products We use

Our products are made with natural ingredients, waxes, surfactants and/or with organic premium soaps. These soaps are as safe as the ones in your shampoo. It is the "eco-friendlier" option. The performance is touted as 'unmatched' in the industry.

Waterless Car Wash:
Our waterless car wash products can be used virtually anywhere and anytime, within its limitations. We can use them in the sun or shade. The surface can be wet or dry, but can't be excessively soiled, muddy or have caked on sand. When used correctly, our hand applied car wash products will, kleen, polish and protect most of today's non-porous and porous vehicle surfaces all in one step.

Window Kleening:
We don't use any cleaner when it comes to kleening windows. We use a little water and the Ultimate Cloth. That is it!

All-Purpose Kleener:
The all-purpose kleener contains no petroleum solvents, no listed hazardous ingredients, no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), is not based on harsh caustics or silicates and has no dyes of deodorants that may result in an allergic reaction. All this and we still get awesome results!

the Dirt on The chief Kleen officer (in a nutshell)

Mike grew up in Waupun, WI, a small town about an hour north of the Brew city. After 18 years there, he headed into the US Army and became a Combat Engineer for 4 years of active service ('86 - '90). After his service to his country he headed back home where he worked and learned about the automotive industry at a local dealership. He moved to San Diego in 1990 and pursued his passion of becoming a photographer. He came back home in late '91 and started his own photography business, while working in the automotive industry at the same time. Business was slow so in '95 he moved down to Chicago and became a vehicle detail manager for a short while and also became a sale rep for Helix Photo and Samsung Opto-Electronics. He got downsized in 2000 and moved back to Wisconsin where he pursued different sales positions. He got involved with MUSA (Midwest Unconventional Sports Association) in the Spring of '01 and in '03 he started his own sport event planning business (MUSA Madison), that still exists today.

He is a firm believer in supporting local sustainable living practices. He buys his meat from local farmers, visits local farmers markets and loves to recycle as much as possible. He's a member of the OurMilwaukee business alliance and the Outpost co-op. He volunteers at the local Red Cross chapter and WI Humane Society. He is involved in the H.O.P.E. program and is a 1st team disaster responder for Triple-R-Pets.

His 'purchase local' practices carried over to the design of this business. He hired local designers to help him with his logo and marketing material, he uses local printers to print his eye catching brochures, business cards and other material. He gets his business shirts embroidered and screen printed locally and he'll continue to look for other local ways to enhance his business. His passion is to become known as a philanthropist and have it engraved on his grave stone when that day comes.

He's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, in his environmentally friendly and local sustainable living practices, but he does what he can and feels everyone should do what they can to support their community and environment.

The near Future of Tri-Kleen

We are currently looking for heated indoor facilities to offer our services during the winter months. If you know of a condo complex, business or someone interested in renting out a heated garage space please let us know by Contacting Us today.

For 2011 we will be working more with business parks and local businesses to offer a semi-fixed location on a once, twice or three time a month basis. If you know of a business or location that might be interested in having us offer our kleening services at their location contact us or send us the info. We will bring added exposure to that business and promote it on our all our social media platforms.

Also for 2011 we are hoping to expand a little bit into the Madison, WI area. Nothing set in stone yet, but keep an eye on our website or Facebook page for updates.