By Maddy Vitale
Five years ago, Nelly Rivero and her three sisters-in-law thought owning a business was just a dream.
But with hard work, persistence and some coaxing from their husbands, they opened Impeccable Cleaning Services in 2015 in Ocean City. They have built up a solid customer base and in the summer, they get so busy, they sometimes have to turn away customers, Rivero said.
“We were working for hotels and different companies for 15 years. We were afraid at first to do this, but our husbands were pushing us to do our own thing. They said, ‘You do such a good job. You should do it together,’” Rivero recalled in an interview at their 1125 Asbury Ave. business Wednesday. “When we first opened, we didn’t have that much faith, but people have been so nice with us and through word of mouth, business really grew.”
Not only is their business booming, but the family, who moved here from Mexico City in 2002, are closer than ever. They each have their own house cleaning specialties and deliver on providing more than just a clean house, Rivero said.
“We take care of each house the same way we would take care of our own houses,” Rivero said. “We have kids and pets and husbands too, so we understand what needs to be done.”
Their motto: “We don’t simply leave your place clean, we make it impeccable…Just how you want it.”
They take pride in getting to know their customer’s needs. “We know exactly what they are expecting. It is not enough to be clean. It has to be impeccable. That is what we expect, and our customers should expect the same.”
Each sister brings different skills to the business. Cecilia Bautista, 38, of Ocean City, and Rita Ontiveros, 40, of Linwood, are very fast, while Felix Hernandez, 36, and Rivero, 40, both of Ocean City, are very detail oriented. Rivero handles the business now and doesn’t clean houses anymore, but she runs the business, purchases supplies, and coordinates the jobs.
“My phone starts ringing at 7 a.m. and doesn’t stop until nighttime,” Rivero said.
Ontiveros and Bautista love cleaning kitchens, they said, while Hernandez likes to see that every part is clean and will go over the entire home to make sure everything is done to perfection. They even take turns with different tasks in a day that begins at 8 a.m. and ends in the evening, so that everyone does the fair share of dusting, scrubbing and cleaning.
Impeccable Cleaning Services use a lengthy housecleaning checklist to make sure they are delivering on their promise of impeccable cleaning. Cobweb removal, scrubbing and sanitizing kitchens and bathrooms, taking out the trash, hand-wiping wood floors, vacuuming, dusting and even making the beds, are just some of the duties.
Impeccable Cleaning Services does residential homes in Somers Point, Margate, Marmora and Linwood and have about 60 regular clients. In the summer, when rentals business is bustling, the team hires more people to help and they still have to say no to business when their schedule is packed.
“We want to do it right,” Rivero said. “We promise impeccable cleaning and we want to make sure that is what we give the customer.”
The crew brings their own cleaning supplies, brooms and vacuum cleaner, to each home, but before they clean, they tour the house and gives a potential customer an estimate. The rates for residential cleaning ranges from $80 to about $150, but increases to $250 or more depending on the size of a home. They clean about five houses a day. In addition to residential and rental properties, Impeccable Cleaning Services also does commercial jobs.
There is just one day, the sisters-in-law take off – Sunday, to devote to family and church.
“We are Christians, and this is a gift God gave us,” Rivero said. “We think God made this possible.”
To schedule an appointment with Impeccable Cleaning or for more information call Nelly Rivero at 609-398-1529 or email impeccable.cs.321@gmail.com.
