Why: The Clean Haven Project
It started with one client in 2022.
One woman who changed everything.
She broke down crying of embarrassment before I had even walked through her doorway.
She was an overwhelmed mom with two young kids. The home was bursting with clutter and chaos. She’d been a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years, and I know there are people who would look in at that and think: “Home all day… how could it look like this?”
She’d been thrown into a new, uncertain life in 2020 and had been fighting ever since to claw her way back to “normal.” Judgment wasn’t what she needed. She needed someone to see HER without the shame she was drowning in.
We did a full walk-through of the house so I could estimate how long it would take to clean. It was definitely going to be a full day’s work… every room, every surface… needed a lot of attention.
As we moved from room to room, she kept apologizing. She bent down to pick up toys and clothes as we walked, carrying random objects with her while her eyes scanned around hopeful she could erase things before my eyes.
She explained it all in quiet detail. The sick kids who needed constant care, the relentless work demands that never seemed to ease up, the endless piles of laundry that multiplied overnight, the toys scattered everywhere that never stayed in their place, and that overwhelming feeling of constantly being behind no matter how hard she tried. And as she talked, the heavy mental burden of it all came rushing over her, pulling her back into tears. She was a person on the verge of giving up, worn down by the relentless tide of everyday chaos.
I saw her.
The giver. The fighter. The one who pours everything they have into others, and feels guilt for anything they do for themselves.
I told her I wasn’t judging her — not once, not ever. And none of the “reasons” for the mess mattered to me. She didn’t need to excuse it. But shame, just like the chewing gum holding books to her floor, doesn’t unstick easily.
So, I shared my own story- of being a single mom, of carrying it all alone, of knowing exactly how heavy that weight can get.
While her eyes softened, I could still see the storm behind them. That’s when I decided I wasn’t there as a cleaner that day. I was there as her friend. To give her what I felt I needed when life handed me moments like this.
As I worked along side her in that messy, chaotic house, I got to know her children.
Polite. Kind. Loving towards each other in a way siblings rarely are. She had chosen where her energy went.
And, she had chose right.
Over the course of that day, I watched her smile come back to life. And as we cleared the physical clutter, and wiped empty countertops I could see the mental fog lifting. We talked about so much. Deep conversations about our pasts, our struggles, our hopes for the future. I told her how I’d been running my company for many years, but since 2020 I’d been working alone, it was lonely, and the work had started to feel repetitive. But this day with her… it was anything but that!!
She laughed and said, “Well, you could just do this for a living.”
While she was only joking, in that moment the idea for The Clean Haven Project was planted. And today, Samantha, I bring that vision to life. To offer free professional cleaning services while showing up as a friend for anyone experiencing this kind or any kind of struggle.
Our homes are meant to be our safe havens. A place where we can breathe, rest, and simply be. Sometimes, clearing the floors is like opening a window in the mind… letting the weight lift and the light shine through.
The Clean Haven Project exists to create peaceful spaces in overwhelmed homes. All with no judgment, no shame- only relief, dignity, and a loud, undeniable reminder:
Your worth has nothing to do with how spotless your home is.
This is where we let the light back in.
