THREE friends are cleaning up after launching a carpet-cleaning product that is said to perform better than a vacuum cleaner.

The cordless electronic sweeper was invented last year by Nick Grey in the living room of his home at Crowle, near Worcester.

The 34-year-old built the prototype in his garage, giving it to his mother Mary, aged 72, who subjected it to ''extensive tests".

Since going on sale four months ago, half-a-million of the GTECH sweeper have been sold in Australia, Canada, Germany, the USA and Japan.

The ultra-light machine is the biggest-selling product in the growing Japanese TV shopping market. When it went on sale in the USA, more than 12,000 were sold in the first few hours.

Mr Grey runs the operation with designers Christopher Elsworthy and Andrew Kent, both aged 26, and now the trio is hoping that the product will clean up in the UK market. It is on sale from this month at Miller Brothers and Apollo 2000 stores.

"I knew the sweeper had potential because mum gave the OK, and she has very high standards," said Mr Grey, adding that it was light and handy, very effective and looked good.

"We've been staggered by the success it has had around the world. We have not spent a penny on marketing - it has all been through word-of-mouth," he said.

Mr Grey, who had 12 years experience in vacuum cleaner design, has patented the GTECH sweeper, which retails for £50.

He set up Grey Technology Limited (GTECH), an independent design company, in his living room, in November, 2001, financed by £20,000 savings.

The room is now home to numerous sweeper prototypes, video conferencing systems and computers, and the garage has been converted into a fully-functional workshop.

"I used to ask my mother to leave her vacuuming for up to a week at a time," said Mr Grey.

"When we realised that it worked better than a vacuum cleaner but used less power and was about five times lighter than a normal cleaner, we knew we were on to something."

Mrs Grey said her son had always been interested in design.

"As a child I was always having to tell Nick to tidy his room as he used to take toys apart to see if he could put them together again. It seems it worked out well in the end."

The sweeper is manufactured in China and Turkey and there are plans for a "more professional-looking" UK base. The trio also plan to set up an office in Hong Kong.

For more information on the product, pay a visit to the partners' website at

www.greytechnology.co.uk