The Story of Citrus-O

The story of Citrus-O Carpet Care is a great example of how experience, vision, timing, and a little bit of risk-taking can come together and become an unqualified business success.

The journey began in 1982, when Mark Filiatrault, an entrepreneur with a passion for sales and customer service founded High Quality Carpet Cleaning. His dream was to establish High Quality as the best carpet and upholstery cleaning service provider in Canada, through excellent workmanship and complete customer satisfaction. Determined to make his dream a reality, Mark and his wife worked tirelessly to get High Quality on its feet, and by 2003, Mark’s company employed over 20 technicians servicing a customer base of 35,000 Lower Mainland residents.

In the 1990’s the environmental movement was becoming more prevalent in all walks of life, and although High Quality was a successful company, Mark realized that he had an obligation, and an opportunity, to make some changes for the better. The carpet cleaning industry was stuck in a rut, using toxic cleaning chemicals and out-dated equipment. In-home air quality was becoming a real issue, and with young children and pets of his own to be concerned about, Mark knew that he would have to take the initiative, and the substantial risk, to re-invent carpet cleaning for the benefit of his clients, their families, and for the environment. Little did he know that his mission would lead to the winding down of High Quality and the birth of Citrus-O (Citrus-orange) Carpet Care, a company that is now drawing attention from around the world and revolutionizing the carpet cleaning industry. It’s turned out that the “greenest” carpet cleaning company in North America just happens to be orange!

Mark researched and developed a fast drying, all natural cleaning process using the cleaning power of d’limonene, an oil extracted from oranges. After much experimentation, a group of natural, custom-blended proprietary products were developed that could work with the latest state-of-the-art steam cleaning technology, and the results were fantastic. This new combination of natural cleaning solutions and new cleaning technology produced cleaner carpets that dried faster, leaving behind a fresh citrus scent.

Armed with this new exclusive technology and process, Mark also decided that he could further enhance his company’s growth and reputation by franchising. Based on his own experience, Mark knew that owner-operators with a substantial financial investment in their own businesses would produce the consistently high standard of work that would take this new carpet cleaning concept to great heights. By 2003, franchisee training programs had been designed for the classroom and the field. Factory trained mechanics were recruited to maintain the cleaning equipment to the highest standards. A state-of-the-art call centre was designed and put into operation to book work and provide superior customer service. A dispatch department and a graphics department round out the services designed to insure the success of each franchisee and the Citrus-O brand. A quality control division (another unique service in carpet cleaning only Citrus-O provides) is dedicated to keeping all cleaning technicians focused on optimum cleaning processes, and is specially trained to deal with any problems or deficiencies, should they occur. By 2010, over 20 franchisees were operating approximately 50 Citrus-O carpet cleaning vans throughout the Lower Mainland and southern British Columbia.

These Citrus-O vans, adorned with giant rolling oranges, have become billboards for our safe, citrus cleaning solutions, and are now common and familiar sights on the roads and in the driveways throughout southern British Columbia. Inside each shiny van, there is a trained and uniformed professional cleaning technician, and a van full of the best cleaning equipment and accessories available. Like our slogan says, Citrus-O Carpet Care has truly become the “natural choice” for discerning people throughout southern British Columbia.