WS Chronicle

Two Maids & a Mop provides free home cleaning for cancer patients

By Judie Holcomb-Pack

When Crystal Scott and her husband Todd were looking for a franchise to invest in, there was one that immediately rose to the top of the list – Two Maids & a Mop – but not for the financial potential. When Scott read that the cleaning service supported “Cleaning for a Reason,” which provides complimentary house cleanings to people undergoing cancer treatment, it touched her heart. Her husband’s mother had had breast cancer and she remembered how she was embarrassed to have friends over because she was physically unable to clean her home and didn’t want to impose on family members to do so.

Scott’s background is as a mental health therapist, but she took a leave of absence to start her house cleaning service in August of 2018. Since that time, Two Maids & a Mop has provided two free cleanings to cancer patients every month. Scott emphasized that although the company donates the service, their employees still get paid for the work they do for cancer patients. Referrals come from the website www.cleaningforareason.org, which verifies the information submitted about a patient before a referral is made to a local cleaning service.

On the wall of her office is a photo of her first free cleaning client who sadly passed away just a few months after they provided service. Scott said one of the positive outcomes of helping cancer patients is it has inspired her employees to be proactive about their health. “It has encouraged my employees and me to get yearly mammograms.”

They also see the wide range of ages of people who are dealing with cancer treatment, from a young mother of three children under the age of five, to older adults in their 70s or 80s. She said they also have an employee whose husband has cancer, so she is aware how cancer affects not only the patient, but the family, friends and coworkers. Seeing that firsthand has definitely made Scott look at life differently. She said her employees are truly family and they work together to support each other when challenges arise.

Unlike other cleaning services, the employees of Two Maids & a Mop are paid on performance, meaning the higher the customer rates the team after a cleaning, the more money they make. Scott said she uses training videos to help employees develop a system of team cleaning so that it usually takes just two hours to clean a home. Their employees are also bonded and insured.

Darien Johnson is one of the beneficiaries of the free cleaning service.

Johnson is undergoing chemo treatments for breast cancer and really appreciates not only the cleaning service, but the compassion of the team who cleans her house. Johnson said she found out about the free cleaning service from the Facebook page for breast cancer patients. “It is great,” she said of the free service. “I just straightened up a little this morning and I’m exhausted.” Having her house cleaned takes a lot of worry off her shoulders.

The team of Samantha Brown and Latoria Gaither who cleaned Johnson’s home talked about how they have become friends with her. Brown said, “When we get here, she always shares her TV stories and we have a good conversation.”

Johnson added, “The last time I was in bed and they just came in and did what they needed to do and locked the door on their way out.”

Both team members said they enjoy helping people and that is what makes this program so special to them.

Two Maids & a Mop also offer gift certificates that are very popular, especially for birthdays, Mother’s Day or Christmas. In addition to regular monthly cleaning, customers use the service to clean after someone passes away to get ready a home for visitors, for exhausted new mothers, when patients return home after surgery, or to get a home spotless before it goes on the market.

Scott said people need to look at the true value of a cleaning service. “You are not paying for your house to be cleaned, you are paying for your time to be freed up, and your time is valuable.”

For more information on Two Maids & a Mop, visit www.twomaidswinstonsalem.com or call 336-448-4640. To refer a cancer patient for a free cleaning, visit www.cleaningforareason.org.