Monthly Maidstone Spotlight – Cleaning with Meaning

When Kelly Moore left her career in care to start up an eco-friendly cleaning company, she could never have predicted such sparkling results. She tells us how her business has changed her life while also helping protect the planet – one clean at a time.

You used to work in the care industry – what made you make the leap to setting up a cleaning business?
I had always worked in care and at the time of starting my business, I was employed at a hospice. I started as a palliative care and healthcare assistant and soon got promoted to main healthcare assistant at the day centre. I loved my job so when Covid hit and everyone had to work from home, I really struggled being away from the patients.

However, at the same time, I couldn’t help wondering if there was an alternative to returning to the hospice after the pandemic. I’d had lots of training and been on several management courses but unfortunately, I couldn’t move any higher in my role and my skills weren’t reflected in my pay. I was a single mum with a mortgage, living in my overdraft and having to put food back on the supermarket shelf because I couldn’t afford it. I thought there had to be more to life.

To earn extra money, I was cleaning for a barrister who owned several properties. I enjoyed the work and was getting great feedback from tenants. I realised there was a lot of money to be made in cleaning. I had a chat with my little boy about starting up as a cleaner and he told me to go for it so in 2021, I set up Cleaning with Meaning.

How soon did Cleaning with Meaning start to take off?
I started out with just the name and a website which cost £300. I was still working at the hospice at the time but before I knew it, I was getting phone calls, then walkthroughs, then clients. A lot of this came via word of mouth and the business just started growing and growing.

I quickly got too big and started taking on some mums at school, as well as my neighbour and I thought, ‘I can do this!’ I now have a team of eight and they’re all delivering a great service and earning a good living. I’ve got financial freedom and it makes me proud that my son can see how much I’ve progressed.

Care for people and the planet is now at the heart of Cleaning with Meaning – can you tell us more about that?
I’m passionate about reusing plastics and recycling and I wanted to focus on that sustainable approach in my business too. When I started, I made my own cleaning products and now we only use eco-friendly products – definitely no bleach! It’s reflected in our logo which was designed by my son and depicts a heart-shaped world.

I think that working in cleaning is an extension of care work. Having a clean home has such a positive impact on mental health. We recently helped a lady who’d become overwhelmed by the untidiness of her flat. She was thrilled with the job we did and felt she could finally invite friends home – it was life changing for her.

I like to look after my staff, too. I’ve got a great team of women who always say they love working for me. I support them anyway I can and like to treat them. For example, I’m taking them out to experience a sound bath – it’s just a little thank you from me.

You also work with charities – how do you support them?
We collect blister packs for a charity named MYGroup who recycle them into play equipment for children. We also offer charities free cleans for people who are struggling at home – they could be single mums, for example, or people who just have difficulty staying on top of cleaning.

We give away ‘free clean’ vouchers for charity raffles too and are looking at how we can support more causes.

You now have an office at the Business Terrace – how has that helped your business?
It’s a gamechanger. It makes me show up because I’m paying for it – when you pay for something, you pay attention! I love the flexibility of being able to go there whenever I like, and I try to be there 2-3 times a week.

They run a lot of free training and Chris Lyle, the business adviser, has helped me access lots of courses. It’s a great place to network and make connections – I even clean one of the offices there.

You’ve been invited to be a speaker at MBC’s International Women’s Day celebration in March – what will you be speaking about?
I’ll be talking about employing women on and helping them back into work. I want to share my story – I’m dyslexic and didn’t do well at school and always thought I would never become anything. I loved care work, but I thought I’d always be doing that and never really get anywhere, let alone become a boss – but I’m a businesswoman now! I want to tell other women that if you want it enough you can do it!

What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting out of my own head and changing my story. I thought I wasn’t clever – I needed to say goodbye to that way of thinking. I had to let go of the fear and tell myself I was growing, and I was successful. A lot of women suffer from imposter syndrome but now, when I’m at events with other businesspeople, I know I deserve to be in that room and on that stage.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a business?
Just go for it! Don’t think ‘It’s not the right time’ – you’ve got to take yourself out of your comfort blanket. You might not know everything now, but you can learn. And don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. I make a point of not taking advice from anybody that’s not been in my position, or not running their own company.

I’m also a big believer in visualisation – for a year, I had an article from The Sun newspaper on my kitchen cupboard about three women who had been really successful in cleaning, and I used to look at it thinking, ‘That’s going to be me one day.’ Then last year, I was profiled in the paper too!

What are your plans for the future?
We offer domestic and commercial cleaning, but I’d really like to take on more office clients, to help more businesses to be sustainable.

For me personally, I’m trying to be more present. I’ve got a team to look after so I’m guilty of always being busy but I’m learning to take my foot off the pedal a bit and be around more for my family. I used to feel like I had to always be cleaning, but I think my time is better spent in the office now. I recognise that I don’t have to be constantly running around to prove I’m ‘busy’ – that mindset is important.

Hear from Kelly and a panel of other inspiring speakers at Maidstone Celebrates International Women’s Day at the Business Terrace, Wednesday 4th March. Book your free tickets here.

Find out more and follow Cleaning with Meaning:
https://www.cleaningwmeaning.co.uk/
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