Residential trash bins are steamed cleaned.
For Trash Bins with Maggots, Flies and Dog Poop
The Palisades Pitstop truck was an eye catcher in the Fourth of July parade. Announcers explained, “They’ll come to your house on Tuesdays, clean, sanitize and deodorize your trash bins so you don’t have to.”
Pitstop co-owner Kevin Miller was driving the truck, and joined by two of his four boys, Max, 9, and Dillon, 6. “Daddy, they’re talking about our truck,” one of his boys said.
This writer/parade announcer elaborated how she dropped something in her bin and in the process of trying to dig it out, ended up going headfirst into the trash. The announcer’s husband was listening and on Tuesday morning, the Palisades Pitstop truck showed up curbside.
“The bins are nasty and dirty, that I see,” said Miller, who explained how his company cleans bins with 190-degree hot water, leaving them looking brand new once he’s done.
Especially during the summer months, flies start to become a problem for homeowners because they lay eggs in garbage bins, which hatch into maggots that resemble tiny, squirming grains of white rice. In nature, they help consume the carcasses of dead animals, but garbage cans with maggots are a filthy nuisance.
Another problem is that some trash bins provide a great place for spiders to live. On a local social media, someone posted a photo of a black widow spider that had taken residence in the handle of a bin.
Finally, homeowners in the Palisades have long complained about dog owners who deposit their dog’s poop in their bins (and of course, every family with a baby has to deal with dirty diapers).
There are three options for bin cleaning by a Pitstop employee. Residents can do it once for $35 for a bin, they can schedule it quarterly for $15 a bin, or monthly for $12 a bin.
How did Miller and his wife Lindsey happen to get into trash-can cleaning?
When Miller moved to California from Ohio in 2000, his first job was with Westside Rentals, partnering with Mark and Lonnie Verge, who are Pacific Palisades residents.
Miller and wife Lindsey moved to the Palisades in 2012. Westside Rentals was sold in 2017, and Miller stayed on with the new owners until the transition was complete on May 1, 2018.
As he was trying to figure out his next step, he read an article about Pitstop owners Marilyn and Gary Mons and how they had recently purchased the business – and how they not only cleaned cars, but also offered car-seat cleaning and valet service.
“I wanted a family business, something local, if I could get it,” Miller said, and the couple bought Palisades Pitstop this past February.
The bin washing had its beginning because “We have chores for the kids and the boys take out the trash and recycling,” Miller said, noting that they would come back with dirty hands.
“There has to be a better way,” he thought, and after some research purchased the truck, which started its rounds the first Tuesday in June.
Miller paid to drive his truck in the parade because he thought it would be a good way of exposing the new service to the community. When he and the boys reached the end of the parade on Toyopa, Lindsey, Wyatt, 4, and Duke, 1, were waiting for them.
“Nothing’s changed with the Pitstop,” Miller said and added, “We’re now cleaning cars and trash bins.” He has the same washing/waxing/detailing crew but has added some new signs.
“We’re a local business, this is our community,” said Miller, who invited everyone to try the carwash and detailing – and if you are disgusted with your trash bins, try a wash on a Tuesday.
Visit: palisadespitstop.com or call (310) 573-9247. The outdoor shop is located behind the Garden Cafe, off La Cruz.
The bins are placed upside down in the truck for a thorough cleaning.