WEST CHESTER, OHIO - Based in Brookeville, Md., Pupkar Property Maintenance is known for their quality tree care and excellent customer service. As a company that truly cares about its clients and its environment, they strive to provide the best possible experience for their client in all aspects of their services. From removing trees as quickly and seamlessly as possible to making sure the yards and driveways of the client are clean before workers depart, Pupkar Property Maintenance prides itself on its full service capabilities.

Since a first impression is so important, all of Pupkar’s vehicles and equipment are spotless when they arrive on a jobsite. With a unique blend of biodegradable detergents, Mean Green Industrial Strength Cleaner & Degreaser is helping this tree service company maintain its sparkling image.

As a full-service tree care company, PPM maintains an extensive fleet of equipment and vehicles including two International trucks, a GMC bucket truck, a Sterling boom truck/crane, two Brush Bandit chippers, two Carleton stump grinders, a Boxer/Dingo, and a Cat skid steer loader.  From the very beginning, Pupkar noticed a problem with oil spills from their machinery.  “We have large trucks, chippers, stump grinders, and skid loaders, just to name a few.  And, from time to time, we spill or drip oil, either on our own equipment or on the client’ driveways.”  Because customer care is primary to Pupkar Property Maintenance, this was an immediate concern. 

He tried some cleaner/degreasers which were effective at cleanup but were harsh both on employees and the environment.  Then a friend suggested that he try something different - Mean Green Industrial Strength Cleaner & Degreaser.  This unique blend of biodegradable detergents certainly looked different – because it is green.  But appearance aside, it also proved to be different from a performance perspective - removing oil, grease, dirt, and grime from all sorts of surfaces.  This ability to cut through grease and oil – without harming the environment – was exactly what company owner Steve Pupkar was looking for, because his employee’s time and resources are in high demand.

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Success Born from Trial and Error

At first, Pupkar tried heavy-duty cleaners and solutions.  While these cleaning solutions did remove the oil, Pupkar and his employees quickly noticed the adverse effects that the products had on their bodies and on the surrounding grounds.  

“The past solution we used was really harsh,” recalled Pupkar.  “It would oxidize aluminum and burn our eyes and lungs.  We weren’t very fond of that.  When you work with big trucks and pressure washers, you end up spraying it all over yourself.  At the same time, you don’t want to worry about killing the client’s grass or bushes when you’re trying to remove an oil spill.”  Not only were the clients’ yards at risk, but also Pupkar and his employees were directly exposing themselves to the dangerous chemicals.

As a company, Pupkar Property Maintenance realized that a change was necessary.  That was when a friend suggested that he give Mean Green a try.

Mean Green’s Influence on the Company

After discovering the cleaning strength of Mean Green, Pupkar began to use it in all applications of his business.  Not only did employees begin to use Mean Green to remove oil spills and drops from client property and machinery, but they also began to clean all equipment and vehicles with Mean Green.  “When you’re dealing with trees,” says Pupkar, “you’re dealing with sap and dirt constantly.  And if it’s damp outside in the morning, the dirt and dust sticks to everything.  At Pupkar Property Maintenance, we have white trucks and yellow equipment.  We have to look respectable.  I rely on Mean Green to keep my equipment and vehicles clean.”

Pupkar and his team realized an immediate savings in time and effort by using Mean Green because no scrubbing was necessary!  Employees simply spray Mean Green onto the trucks and equipment and return minutes later to rinse it off.  Pupkar figures “it saves me roughly 50% on time spent cleaning my trucks and equipment.”  In the small, privately held company, this type of efficiency is not only valued but also necessary – because it frees time formerly spent cleaning for other projects while presenting a professional image to their customers.

Soon, Mean Green was used in a variety of ways at Pupkar Property Maintenance.  In the winters, it removed salt from the trucks.  After a long day of work, the road grime and residue would be removed with ease from the equipment.  When the interior of the car was dirty, a spray version of Mean Green would be used to wipe down the dashboard or clean off the floor.  The cleaner even removed stains from seats in cars and in the building.

Above all, the biodegradable nature of the ingredients in Mean Green remained the most important factor for this environmentally conscious company.  “Mean Green is not harsh,” notes Pupkar.  “It does not burn your skin.  It does not burn your eyes.  I do not like getting chemicals on myself… but I’m not worried about Mean Green.”  In the end, a company that deals with nature on a daily basis wanted a product that provided the least amount of injury to the environment, and Mean Green provided that solution.

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Continuing to Find Alternate Uses for Mean Green

It is not surprising that a company that provides so many types of landscape and property maintenance services would require a cleaner that provides several innovative uses and solutions.  During their years of using Mean Green, Pupkar and his employees have continued to find more uses for Mean Green, on the job and in their own homes.  They’ve used Mean Green to remove mold and algae from the siding on their buildings.  On their farm property, they remove horse manure from vehicles, buildings, and concrete surfaces.  If one of the employees’ pets has an accident, Mean Green is used to save the floor, regardless of whether it’s indoors or outdoors.

Steve Pupkar puts it best when he says, “If I have anything to clean, I use Mean Green.  It’s amazing how it will break down the oil, the diesel fuel. The horse manure, the mold, the algae – it will take that right off.  My concrete floors, my equipment covered with dirt and grime and dust and grease.  Basically, anything that I want to clean, especially outside, I would use Mean Green.”

Using a single cleaning product – especially one that is safe for the environment – for virtually any surface or project makes life easier for the entire Pupkar team. Stocking a single cleaning product is far simpler than having multiple cleaners.  Since they buy Mean Green Industrial Strength Cleaner & Degreaser in 5-gallon pails, they also achieve better economy than stocking numerous products in smaller sizes, so each cleaning project costs less.

Mean Green provided an innovative solution for Pupkar Property Maintenance. With its intense cleaning power and biodegradable ingredients, the cleaner saves the company time and money. More importantly, though, the health and environments of the employees and the clients are always protected.   PPM’s reputation is also safeguarded -   which is vital in a business that relies so heavily on word of mouth referrals as the tree care industry.