What does your operation entail?
We go to people’s houses pick up what they need toiveled take it to the mikveh toivel it and bring it back. Sometimes I’ll show up and the stuff is all packed and ready to go other times we need to do it ourselves — wrap it in bubble wrap if it’s fragile pack it into boxes. We’ll make sure there are no stickers no glue take it off if there is and then we toivel it. After that it’s just drying it off packing and bringing it back.
How did you get started?
Last year when I was 21 a bunch of my friends were doing car cleaning before Pesach. I always did that the quick-service businesses like selling lulavim and esrogim before Succos hustling for three to four months and then going back to yeshivah. Car cleaning is very profitable but the market is cluttered — all my friends were doing it employing like 10 or 11 guys each. So I sat down in my house with a pen and paper to brainstorm for a few hours. I was thinking of things connected to holidays and Judaism — shaatnez pick-up and drop-off service; a service that sends a mashgiach to your house to check your fruits and vegetables; tevilas keilim. These were some of the ideas I came up with. I ran them by my family and tevilas keilim got the best reaction. What started off as a nice sideline hobby has become my main source of parnassah. It’s taken over my life — my chavrusa and I study the halachos from the Shulchan Aruch and its various commentaries daily I’m constantly learning and re-learning. I never thought my parnassah would be tevilas keilim but I love that it is!
Who’s your clientele?
A lot of people get our tevilas keilim service as a wedding present — we have these newlywed gift cards. Think about it every chassan and kallah gets tons of kitchen items from their registries showers friends family and then they have to toivel it all. Sometimes I’ll meet a new couple at the mikveh while I’m on a job. I’ll say “Hey guys you don’t have to be here I can do this for you ” and I give them my card. They laugh and say “I wish we would’ve known about you yesterday!” I also do a lot of kitchens for baalei teshuvah they’re redoing their entire kitchen they have tons of stuff from over the years. Sometimes they even come with us to see what we do how tevilah works. I remember one big job for a baalas teshuvah it was two guys working with me and it took the three of us almost 11 hours! She called halfway through the job to see what was taking so long and then she saw how much stuff it was… Other times I coach them through it so they can do it on their own once they’re settled and comfortable with the idea.
What’s the farthest you’ve gone for a job?
