Clean Spaces & Places
Volume 1, No. 6
What’s happening?
I have started this year's spring cleaning, organizing, and minimizing. It always amazes me how much one person can accumulate if you're not mindful or have a process that keeps things in check. That became abundantly clear as my dad and I clean out my mother's things after her passing. She had a multitude of things even after downsizing homes. This has reinforced the commitment I made years ago to not follow in the footsteps of my mother and grandmother.
Make the time this month to do all three. They are not interchangeable. I will be providing some tips and tricks in the next few newsletters. If there is something in particular that you want me to cover, email me back or comment on this newsletter below.
HIDDEN HERSTORIES:
Donna L. Allie (1957–): Founder and president of Team Clean
Donna Allie's life began surrounded by entrepreneurship. Her mother was a hairstylist, and her father was a bar owner. Many of her relatives pursued self-employment as well. It did not appeal to Allie She sought after the stability of a 9-to-5 job.
While attending Wilberforce University, a historically black college in Ohio, Allie charted out her future. She completed a dual degree program, vocational rehabilitation and sociology. Her post-graduation plans involved pursuing an engineering graduate program focused on prosthetic development. Allie was gearing up for a career dedicated to assisting paraplegic individuals who were no longer supported by these programs in securing employment.
However, life intervened and her plans had to change. Per a quote in the Technical.ly website, “I was down on my luck,” she said. “Sometimes we have these pitfalls and I had a daughter right after college. I was a single parent and I couldn’t find a job in my vocation at all. I ended up on public assistance meandering around looking for work. I did what my grandmother and great-grandmother did and cleaned.” She developed a love for the cleaning industry.
Being a forward thinker helped keep her business going during the pandemic. In 2017, she equipped and trained her employees with a new cleaning tool to combat the growing opioid problem. When the pandemic occurred, Team Clean’s employees had previously been certified in infectious disease cleaning and became certified in biohazard cleaning. Team Clean had the right product, certification and sprayers. When growing a business, A.G. Gaston would say, "Find a need and fill it."
For over four decades, Donna has elevated Team Clean into a distinguished and flourishing enterprise within Philadelphia. With her at the helm, the company has not only achieved a solid standing but also reached a valuation in the millions. Team Clean offers its cleaning services to an impressive array of esteemed venues, such as the National Constitution Center, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Kimmel Center, and Citizens Bank Park—famously known as the stomping ground of the Philadelphia Phillies..
CLEANING TIP OF THE WEEK:
Having trouble finding things? Do you walk around saying." I know I have one, somewhere." Before you clean and organize, minimize the number of items you own. You don't have to become a minimalist. I did this and can guarantee it works. I did it two different ways depending on the area.
Pick an area of your home (i.e. bedroom closet): Take everything out of the closet. Place them in your living room or spare bedroom. Sort them using four piles: Keep - Sell - Donate - Trash. If you have forgotten to add anything to the pile, it automatically gets donated so make sure you have everything before you begin. Keep on the things you love that you look and feel great in it. If you haven't used it in six months and it is not a seasonal item, out it goes. (P.S. Be honest: are you ever going to be that size again or wear that style?) Are you keeping it because you love it
Pick an area of your home (i.e.junk drawer): Place everything in box or bag. Give yourself a time limit- between 1-3 months. Take things out as you need them. Whatever you don't use in that time frame, take directly to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. Do not open the box or bag just seal it so you can give it or throw it away.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don't.” ― Joshua Becker
This is a constant personal reminder for myself. It reminds me to no longer hold on to things I don't regularly use "just in case." Feel free to adopt add it to your own list of reminders.
SOUL FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
For the next month, before you purchase anything especially on line, let it sit in the cart for at least 3 days preferably a week. Let me know how much money you saved just by waiting.
Take the money you saved and start a vacation fund. Add to it every time you don't buy something you really didn't need or there was something that you already owned that was sufficient. Let your story for the generation following you knows experiences shared with the people you love are more valuable than things.
Share you thoughts in the comment section on the website.
Until next time.....remember your voice and stories matters!
