an ironing job to make ends meet, working for £3 an hour working from home, and I would iron up to 15 hours a day. The lady who owned the business decided after a year that she no longer wanted to run it, and offered to sell it to me for £100. I managed to borrow the money and bought the round, and by adding domestic cleaning to the offering, I soon found that I was overrun with work. It was in these early days when I would have welcomed any donations of furniture and essential white goods, but at the time nothing was forth coming, so we had to build a life and home slowly and with very little money.
“In 2005, I was offered my fi rst void property to clean – that was the pivotal turning point for me, as Specialised Cleaning Services was born. The business grew quickly and I started out with a work ethic that I maintain today, that I will always personally attend every cleaning job we take on to ensure that the client is receiving the best service possible and that we meet all of their needs.
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
“It quickly became apparent that large amounts of furniture and white goods were being thrown out and sent to landfi ll, regardless of whether they could be used by people in need. It took me back to the days when I was on my own with my sons, and I knew that if I had been offered the types of furniture and white goods I was seeing being thrown out day after day, it would have made a real difference to my quality of life.
“I made the decision there and then that as a business we could house, and in some cases improve, on the condition of the furniture and white goods we fi nd at the void properties we clean. Not only that, but we could deliver them free of charge to individuals, families and charities in need of help, regardless of the circumstance or crisis they may fi nd themselves in.
“We work with a number of Housing Associations across the North West, and it often puts us one step ahead of our competitors when they learn that we recycle household items for no extra cost to the client, and that we're
doing our bit for the environment at the same time. On a personal level, I have seen that our initiative to recycle unwanted furniture and white goods has really been a big part in turning people lives around and making a real difference to their circumstances.
“I fi rmly believe that if by providing people with a sofa, a fridge or a bed, we can help them with a new start, then it is something worth doing. Due to the increased demand for our recycling services, we‘ve recently expanded to even larger offi ces and storage units, meaning that we can store and recycle even more unwanted household items.”
It will be interesting to watch this new concept and see if initiatives like those run by Specialised Cleaning Services continue to thrive, and ultimately reduce waste and improve conditions for people within communities across the UK.
www.specialisedcleaningservices.co.uk
SPECIALIST CLEANING | 45
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