Nina Hazelwood established the Raleigh Cleaning Company as a one-woman residential cleaning business in 2015. Over the past 10 years, Nina and her husband, Derek, have steadily expanded the company by delivering exceptional service and upholding the highest standards. Today, Raleigh Cleaning Company employs multiple crews that provide weekly and biweekly cleaning to more than 30 homes per day, earning recognition as one of the area’s highest-rated in-home cleaning services. 

Raleigh Cleaning Company deploys more than 20 ProTeam backpack vacuums to provides recurring and deep cleaning services for happy homeowners throughout Raleigh and Wake Forest, North Carolina. Local real estate agents also recommend the company for home detailing before selling and for move-in and move-out cleaning. 

Make Cleaning More Efficient

The ProTeam GoFit backpack vacuums, tools, and accessories have made Raleigh Cleaning Company’s crews more efficient. “ProTeam’s features have boosted our productivity and business growth,” said owner Derek Hazelwood. “Plus, our team members appreciate the comfort of the GoFit harnesses.

The crews use the standard floor tool with scalloped felt to clean hard floors, low-pile rugs, under furniture, closets, and floor edges. They like the crevice tool for tight spaces, edges, and detail work, such as baseboards, under appliances, stair edges, and around pet crates, kennels, and litter boxes. “The ProTeam dusting brush is great for both horizontal and vertical blinds, ceiling fan blades, lampshades, plantation shutters, stair railings, vents, and light fixtures,” explained Ms. Hazelwood.

Crews employ the hard-floor tool with either the horsehair or nylon bristle attachments to pick up hair in tile bathrooms before mopping, to get all the crumbs and debris off kitchen floors, to clean under tables and chairs instead of sweeping, and to vacuum rubber-backed entryway mats. For deep cleans, they’ll use ProTeam tools to clean dryer lint screens, fireplace hearths, AC return ducts, garage steps, and entry zones. 

The variety of floor tools and ProTeam’s stronger suction power speed up cleaning. “With other vacuums, you have to stop and remove hair, dirt, and dust from the bristles. With ProTeam, it all gets sucked up in the bag, where it stays,” said Ms. Hazelwood.

Due to OSHA and workers’ comp rules, as well as homeowners’ preferences, crew members are not allowed to move furniture. “The lower profile on the Xover Floor Tool allows us to get under beds and other furniture more easily,” continued Ms. Hazelwood. Additionally, many of the large homes they clean have hard-toreach areas that collect dust, such as floor-to-ceiling windows, tall built-in shelves, and ceiling trim. “With the backpack vacuums and extension wands, we can reach high places safely.” 

Always seeking greater cleaning efficiencies, Ms. Hazelwood uses ProTeam’s new blower attachment to easily dislodge pet hair and dust bunnies from beneath low-to-the-ground furniture, such as couches and bookcases. “We blow the dust out from where it’s hiding underneath and then switch the tools and vacuum it up,” she explained. 

Acquiring New Customers

ProTeam’s four-level, advanced filtration system is also key to growing the company’s residential business. “Having multiple effective filters on ProTeam vacuums is a huge selling point that helps us gain new customers,” said Derek Hazelwood.  

Many homeowners are concerned about cross-contamination of pet dander and allergens. When I explain that my ProTeam vacuums have four levels of filtration for improved indoor air quality, that gives our company a distinct advantage,” said Ms. Hazelwood. With each filtration level designed to sift out smaller and smaller particles, ProTeam’s ProLevel Filtration® technology captures microscopic dust that can harm health and trigger asthma or allergies.

Ms. Hazelwood also likes that ProTeam GoFit vacuum exhaust vents have HEPA media filters and are on the sides of the unit, not the top. “With other brands, when the exhaust is on the top, it seems like you’re blowing particles into the air that are going to land on the floor you just cleaned,” she says. ProTeam’s HEPA media filters stop particles from re-entering the air, while side vents help her crew stay cool.

Customers Demand Durable Equipment

Durability and sustainability matter to their customers. “With ProTeam’s reputation for durability, my customers know we won’t miss appointments due to equipment failure,” said Ms. Hazelwood. “They appreciate that ProTeam vacuums last longer, which means less landfill waste.” ProTeam designs its vacuums with practical repairability in mind. Users can easily replace many parts, such as filters, cords, drive belts, hoses, and switches, with genuine ProTeam parts to keep vacuums in good working order. 

Reliability becomes especially important when cleaning 30 to 40 3000-plus-square-foot homes a day. While Raleigh Cleaning Company has invested in new ProTeam GoFit models over the years, they still have older models in use. “A few of our ProTeam ‘grandpa’ vacs are 13 to 15 years old,” said Ms. Hazelwood. “With regular maintenance and minor repairs, they keep working effectively for us.”

With such close attention to detail, outstanding service, and exceptional ProTeam equipment, it’s not surprising that the Raleigh Cleaning Company has been voted “Best of the Best” for in-house cleaning services by the Wake Forest community. 

To learn about ProTeam, visit us at proteam.emerson.com.