Dorm cleaning sparks controversy

A student-run dorm cleaning service that has attracted controversy and national media attention might soon come to the University.

Fraternal entrepreneurs Matthew Kopko '08 and Harvard sophomore Michael Kopko plan to launch DormAid at both Princeton and Harvard next month.

Currently available only at Boston College, DormAid hires professionals to vacuum, dust, wash, organize and otherwise spiff up dirty dorm rooms.

The company made national headlines after an editorial in the Harvard Crimson urged a student boycott of DormAid.

"By creating yet another differential between the haves and have-nots on campus, DormAid threatens our student unity," the Crimson Editorial Board wrote.

The Kopko brothers have defended their business in interviews with The New York Times and radio talk show hosts. They argue that the cleanings are moderately priced — about the cost of a CD or DVD — and are a much less conspicuous display of student wealth than cars or clothing.

The Kopkos are optimisic about their own financial gains from this venture.

"We're hoping to get $200,000 revenue by the middle of next year," Matt said.

The service provides each customer with a small treat after each cleaning.

"If you leave clean sheets out, we will change and make your bed, and our signature, finishing move is to leave a chocolate on the pillow for you," said Matt, who is CEO of the company.

The cost of one cleaning averages between $15 and $20, depending on the size and number of rooms and the quantity of cleaning ordered. Students can purchase and schedule cleanings through a website that offers tiered package deals and onetime cleanings.

"All the ordering is through the website, all the scheduling is through the website; we do all-automatic communication with the students," Matt said. "We make the system very user-friendly so that you can order a cleaning without leaving your desk."

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Some Princeton students were excited about the business' expansion to the University.

"I think it's a great thing, and I will definitely use it," Peter Eichler '08 said.

Others, however, were less enthusiastic.

"I suppose it's good for people who can afford it, which I'm sure there are a lot of," Samantha Adamson '06 said. "But I'll just clean my room myself."

The hired cleaners will not be students. Matt said that it would have been inappropriate for poor students to mop the floors of DormAid customers.

"We don't think it's a good idea to have kids hiring other students," he said. "We understand that's going to be a kind of class warfare-type issue. We think also it's best to leave it to professionals."

The brothers are no strangers to business. They also run a small-scale consulting firm that runs corporate surveys and analyzes markets for companies. They conceived DormAid last summer.

"We both kind of thought it was a little too crazy to go with. Then we figured, you know, if we put our minds to it, it isn't too hard. We spent the summer incorporating the business, setting up the website, contacting some cleaners," Matt said.

The months-long approval process at Harvard, stalled by liability concerns, convinced the Kopkos to expand their enterprise sooner than they had intended.

Boston University approved DormAid in about one day, and the Kopkos then aimed for Princeton.

"We do think . . . that Princeton is a good possible market because the place is so close-knit. It's not spread out like BU is," Matt said.

Matt will meet with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students today to discuss the expansion of DormAid to Princeton. He does not expect any hurdles like those faced at Harvard, he said.