Hayden Mueller cleans a company van.
Granddaughter pitches in at Cardinal Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning
Cardinal Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning owner Mark Mueller looks on with pride every weekend when he sees his teenaged granddaughter, Hayden Mueller, pitching in to help his Wildwood-based business.
Hayden represents a third generation involved in the cleaning service, which also includes her father and Mark’s son, Nick. Hayden works part-time on weekends.
“It is a dream come true to see my family having a way to make a living when I am gone,” said Mark, 65, who said he started the company when he was 19.
He said it is important for those moving into homes to make sure their carpets and air ducts are clean to keep their households fresh and cut down on energy costs.
“Air ducts and carpets could be likened to a time capsule of someone else’s DNA,” he said. “Skin cells, hair, pet dander, body oils, all of those things are left behind when the other family leaves. You don’t want to be living with someone else’s DNA in your carpet or breathing someone else’s air from residue left behind by the prior family.”
He said there are many ways air ducts can become clogged, cutting down the efficiency of heating and air condition systems.
“We have found hamsters, mice and baby squirrels (in air ducts),” he said. “They get in there and make a nest and the babies can’t get out. Then you are breathing that contaminant.
“We found seven tennis balls in one vent. The kids were playing hockey and they opened a vent as a goal. When they missed the ball that went down the vent, they just got another one. That vent was totally clogged with seven tennis balls.”
The company offers free, in-home evaluations. Call 636-288-8910 or visit cardinalcarpetcleaner.com or the company’s Facebook page.