30 Years of Creating Healthy Living Spaces

In the beginning

It was 30 years ago this month that Sarah and I started Town & Country Services. This was supposed to be a temporary thing until we found a “real job”. We had a mortgage to pay, so we cleaned houses, mowed lawns, even did post construction cleaning.

In the beginning it was just the two of us, but we quickly had to add some helpers. The mowing/landscaping phase passed quickly and we started to concentrate on the cleaning side. One early disaster was critical in changing our approach to the business. We cleaned a marble floor with what was supposed to be a safe, neutral cleaner. Unfortunately the cleaner wasn’t that safe and we used it too strong. As a result, we burned the floor. It was a $20,000 mistake – we had to replace the floor. At this point I realized that cleaning was not as simple as it seemed… I needed to know what I was doing!

This was the start of a continuing quest to learn how to clean surfaces both effectively and SAFELY.  As cleaners, we deal with every surface in the home.  Since there was no grand overview course (more on this later), I ended up with 17 professional certifications over the years. We are still learning everyday.

Rapid growth

What followed was a period of rapid growth in residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, and post construction cleaning. During the building boom of the late 90’s we did 1400 multi-family units post- construction in one year! We thought we could do it all! In addition to house cleaning we were doing carpet cleaning, cleaning windows, and even restoration work. We were working 16-hour days and we were going crazy! Our biggest problem was finding and keeping labor.  Contractors were literally poaching workers from job sites, enticing them to walk off a job the same day for a little better pay. The recession of 2000 cooled the frenzy. Shortly after, we stopped doing post construction in large multi family units.

Narrowing the Focus

After leaving multi-family post construction cleaning, we increased our focus on residential cleaning and commercial buildings with owners that wanted to be cleaned at residential standards.  We were still doing custom home post-construction, windows and carpets. As labor was becoming increasingly difficult to find, and the business had grown very complex, we decided to focus further. In 2018 we finally sold the carpet and window business to our supervisor who was leading it. This allowed us to focus on being THE BEST residential cleaning company.

 

Training Professionals

Shortly after its founding the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI) realized that, in order to increase the professionalism of the industry, there had to be a rigorous, science-based certification for the cleaning industry. They approached the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) to collaborate in developing a residential cleaning certification. The IICRC is the largest certifying body in the cleaning and restoration industry. They offer international professional certifications for mold remediation, water damage, carpet cleaning, and many more.

In 2007 the IICRC agreed with ARCSI and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was formed. I was honored to be on it. The committee had representatives from multiple residential cleaning services, manufacturers and academics in the indoor environmental field. It took four years of hard work to develop a course syllabus and exam. I became committee chair in 2010. Finally, in 2011 the certification program was approved and I became the first approved instructor. Since then I have had representatives of over 400 cleaning companies, including all but one of the major franchises They have come from at least 8 countries and 5 continents to complete the class. The class has been continuously updated as new materials and surfaces have come out.

This last year has been particularly busy as we have been working with major industry associations to provide accurate and un-hyped information about dealing with the pandemic. As we move forward, the industry is increasingly embracing science-based training to clean for health and the protection of property. We are proud to play a significant role in that change!