A new cleaning business has opened in Williamsburg to provide residents with a local touch.
In November, Toano residents Jeff and Jessica Ruiz opened the first franchise of Home Clean Heroes. The business, headquartered in Virginia Beach, provides professional cleaning teams that work with various client schedules.
Jeff Ruiz said that’s one of the main reasons he wanted to open the franchise.
“The time-frame for the business hours was a big factor,” he said. “It’s flexible but mostly during the business hours so my evenings and weekends were free to spend time with my family.”
This is the first franchise of the business and the first time owning a business for the couple as well. Prior to starting the business, Jeff Ruiz said he was looking to get out of his job in information technology and his wife was looking for something different from her time working in guest services at Great Wolf Lodge.
When the pair considered opening a venture, Jeff Ruiz said a cleaning business wasn’t the first opportunity he thought of. However, after learning more about Home Clean Heroes and considering the scheduling and the availability, he realized it might be perfect for him and his wife.
“I had always dreamed of being a business owner and you have to start small,” he said. “I know the competition is fierce with different providers and services, but I liked that it would be a challenge.”
When the business first opened in November, Jeff Ruiz said there was a lot of anxiety because it was something he and his wife had never done before. But now that they’ve worked out all the kinks and have figured out how to operate smoothly, he’s happier than ever.
The business, located in McClaws Circle, is operated by Jeff Ruiz and his wife but they’ve hired a team of professional house cleaners to provide the service. However, in a pinch the family will also help with the cleaning services, such as on Christmas Eve when the staff was busy but a home needed to be cleaned late that night.
“What makes us unique is that we make sure we touch everything,” he said. “From the baseboards to the crown moldings, we don’t just hit selective items. No one wants to clean after a cleaning company has been in your home, so we don’t leave anything—there’s no dust, every nook and cranny is touched.”
Jeff Ruiz said now that the business is taking off, he’s excited to see where it would go and how it would grow.
