By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Bre’An Calderon has turned her knack for helping people into an honest-to-goodness business.
The Wood County native knew for a long time that she wanted to take care of people. She enrolled in nursing school after graduating from Bowling Green High School in 2015 and was ready to care for people in need when COVID hit and changed the nursing landscape.
“I had just had my second daughter and decided to step back and watch what happened. I didn’t like what I was seeing, and my school colleagues were telling me that they were working all the time,” Calderon recalled.
She decided she didn’t want to be pulled away from her family or take a chance on bringing COVID home. “My little girls deserved better than that,” she said, so she took her need to help in a different direction. She started cleaning for others.
“I didn’t necessarily love cleaning when I started, but I discovered it was good for my own mental health, and I was helping people in a way I never imagined,” Calderon said. The reward at the end of every cleaning job was a happy client and a feeling of satisfaction.
Initially, she was a one-person business cleaning mostly commercial and rental properties. As her business expanded to include more homes, she hired additional teammates and Bre’An’s Cleaning Services LLC was incorporated.
Now Calderon and her team of three cleaning colleagues are mopping up messes, wiping down windows, and scrubbing showers. They also are cleaning up clutter, organizing offices and handling hoarding situations.
“People get overwhelmed in their homes and give up. Our job is to guide and help them get to a system that will work for them,” Calderon said.
Before she takes on a new job, she meets with the client to assess how the house functions and to learn what is important to them. She goes over a checklist of items from if they have children or animals to if they want regular cleanings or a one-time clean. Whether they are tidying up a space or clearing and organizing a cluttered or hoarding situation, each job is customized to the space and the client’s needs.
“Once we know that, we can determine if items are functional and, or bring joy to the person,” she said. That is when her values kick in. If the item doesn’t work in the space or doesn’t have sentimental value, rather than throw anything out, she tries to find a new home for it, whether it with someone else within the client’s circle or a local donation center.
“Among our values are to reuse things before you pitch them. We also believe in using nontoxic products,” which she often purchases at The Eco-Fill Shop in Bowling Green.
She also values clear communication with her employees and clients. She expects her team members to respect the places they clean and the people they work for. And she asks clients to be clear about their expectations.
The fees for cleaning are determined by the time it takes to clean the space and whether the site is a recurring job or a deep clean. Calderon prides herself on working within people’s budgets by focusing on what they care about most.
“We can make it affordable to fit your needs and then give you resources to keep it maintainable,” she said.
Because the business is growing, both in the number of team members and clients, Calderon is in the process of unveiling a new name, logo and website soon. No longer a one-person business, the company will become Bloom Cleanings to convey the positivity she delivers in her work.
She hopes to expand the services throughout northwest Ohio, but her main goal is to establish a business that has a strong brand, strong values and shows her two daughters that hard work and dedication pay off.
“To me, this work is an overlap of the nursing field and how I can use my skills. I love it when clients are happy and tell us how good it feels to be in a clean, organized house. That is why I do this,” Calderon said.
“I am creating something I actually care about. Even if it stays small, I want it to be successful as it is,” she said.
To inquire about cleaning services, Calderon can be reached through the company’s Facebook page.
