By Yeraldi Pachecco-Miguel
I would love to welcome the community to the very first edition of the Bucktown Business Beat. With this new engaging interview-style series, my goal is to shine a light on all the vibrant local businesses that form the heart of Dunmore and its neighboring communities.
Our journey through these entrepreneurial endeavors is made possible thanks to the unwavering support of our advertisers, whose products and services are not just promoted, but celebrated within our pages. With each issue, I will carefully select a business and give the readers an inside view that will offer insight and inspiration. Join us as we explore each unique story and commend the remarkable efforts of Dunmore’s local businesses while discovering the myriad of ways they contribute to our community. We hope you enjoy the read, and here’s to celebrating the spirit of local enterprise!
For the first edition of the Bucktown Business Beat, I sat down with Bill & Kendra, the owners of NEPA Hygienitech. Bill & Kendra have been married for 16 years and are both long time residents of Dunmore. Kendra graduated from Marywood University & Johnson College, and Bill’s family settled in Scranton after his father retired from the Navy. Kendra is also a volunteer K-9 handler on a search and rescue team, who has actually just finished raising their seventh dog for America’s Vet Dog, which donates service dogs to veterans and first responders.
Bill and Kendra launched their new business, NEPA Hygienitech, back in August of 2023, and their reasoning to do so is one many of us can relate to. Kendra unfortunately suffers from severe allergies, including those to household allergens like pollen, dust mites and even dogs.
“I’m allergic to dogs, and guess what I have in my house? I have two dogs,” Kendra says to me jokingly. Bill and Kendra started looking for ways to get rid of allergens in their home and in their research, they came across the inventor of the machine used in their services. They started learning more about the science behind UV-C light. They decided to give it a try, and they loved it!
“We did our bed, I was thrilled to know what I got out of there!” After not only seeing, but physically feeling the results, Bill & Kendra decided to invest in this newer technology. They envisioned themselves providing their community with the very service that had so improved their quality of life. “We looked into it, we tried it, and since I’ve treated my mattress and my carpet, I’m off of oral antihistamines,” exclaims Kendra.
So what exactly is NEPA Hygienitech and what sets it apart from other cleaning companies? NEPA Hygienitech is the only chemical-free, toxin-free cleaning/sanitizing service for upholstered furniture, mattresses, window coverings (drapes, roman shades), and carpets in NEPA. By utilizing UV-C light and high-powered extraction, they sanitize your most valuable assets.
I asked Kendra to give us some insight into how the UV-C light works, and she informed us that “UV-C light, in essence, is the sun’s rays captured in a bulb… what the UV-C light is actually doing is disinfecting, killing all the bacteria and viruses… and that is what our technology is.”
She goes on to explain, “The UV-C light is directed into the surface that we are sanitizing, and it’s on for about 10 seconds per area. What the UV-C light does is alters the DNA of your dust mites, the dust mite eggs, bacteria, and viruses. By altering the DNA, we are, in essence, killing the dust mites, the eggs, the viruses, the bacteria, the pollen, and even the contaminants from the manufacturers that are in the fabric.”
They then use a commercial-grade vacuum to extract out the debris. “This is allowing us to clean without chemicals, so that our animals aren’t hurt, kids aren’t hurt, and our elderly people aren’t exposed to more chemicals,” Kendra states.
I chuckled when Kendra followed with “every single minute of every day we lose skin cells,” and then reminded us that our skin cells just happen to be the dust mites’ favorite meal. “Am I going to be able to eradicate your exposure to dust mites forever? No. But if I can get them to sub-allergenic levels, I’m going to improve your life!”
NEPA Hygienitech can also treat stains! There is only one requirement. “First of all, the stain needs to be dry before we can use the machine on it,” Kendra informed us.
Let’s say you have kids at home that just happened to be running around with juice in their hands when all of a sudden they spill it all over their bed! Kendra explains how NEPA Hygienitech can be of service, “we are going to sanitize the mattress, kill anything that could potentially be growing from that moisture that got in… and then we are going to work on the stain. We use mild soap and water, no harsh chemicals! We can get to the bottom of your mattress; we don’t need to flip it.”
NEPA Hygienics intends on engaging with our community in many ways. For the Dunmore couple, a very important part of this journey is being able to educate the community on the benefits of UV-C light. NEPA Hygientiech has also donated services to two not-for-profit organizations in the area, and they hope to partner with more in the future. Kendra’s personal journey underscores their mission: to empower others to reclaim joy in spite of allergies and environmental sensitivities. Cleaning and sanitizing can start at just $75 for a queen mattress and to pillows.
“I had to find ways to be able to work around my dog allergies and still have the joy in my life, which are my animals,” Kendra states. “I know opening my windows in the spring and summer brings in pollen, but I love having my windows open, I love hearing the birds.”
Bill and Kendra would like to remind us that “hard work pays off. All preconceived expectations are just that – preconceived. Keep moving forward towards your goals. Enjoy the ride.” Their advice to us is “don’t let fear stop you. Try something new and unique like we did.” NEPA Hygienitech is looking forward to growing by adding more machines and developing new clients as well as looking to improve the education of the service itself.
I hope you’ve found Bill & Kendra’s story as inspiring as I have. Their warmth and dedication are palpable, and we wish them every success in their endeavors!
NEPA Hygienitech is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m, and Monday and Thursday evenings. They service both residential and commercial accounts. NEPA Hygienitech can come into your home and demonstrate what they extract from one piece of furniture and how they can improve your indoor air quality and hopefully your health!