Have Babies, Will Mop

What started as a chance meeting in Merrimack, bloomed into a lifelong friendship – and in innovative business idea – in Bedford

Now, Sara Melone nods in the affirmative when asked if she subscribes to "attachment parenting." It's a fair question, considering she's mopping the floor like nobody's business, with baby Edison strapped to her back.

And in actuality, she's mopping like it's her very own business, because it is: Mopping Mommas Natural Cleaning Service was founded about six months ago by Melone and Emily Brosnahan, fellow mom and business partner.

"I wear him all the time, even when I'm not cleaning," says Melone, making another pass with her mop at the far end of Katie Olivier's kitchen floor. Nearby, Brosnahan is surface cleaning a counter top, her own baby, Cecilia, neatly tucked next to her mother's chest in a carrier strapped over her shoulders.

It's a perfect fit for both moms and their babies, because it combines their mutual obsessions: motherhood and cleaning.

"Neither of us wanted to go back to work," said Melone, who was working from home as a writer, before baby. "But I didn't plan to go back after Edison. Emily thought she would."

Brosnahan, a formulation chemist by profession, had every intention of easing back into work once she got used to being a mom. After Cecilia came along, it was game over.

"Before I had Cecilia, I had a dog in doggy day care and I would call three times a day to check in on the dog. My husband said he knew I'd never be able to put a baby in day care," Brosnahan said. "And honestly, I didn't want to miss anything."

After a chance meeting at the two moms became fast friends, and began attending Nini Bambini together, a mom's group in Bedford. They also discovered they were both serious "clean freaks."

Melone had a brainstorm.

"I used to clean houses while I was in college, and my brain started ticking – why not start a cleaning business, by moms for moms," said Melone. "A business where you could take your babies with you while helping out working moms by cleaning or organizing for them, all while creating jobs for other new moms."

She found a line of organic cleaning products, Clean Irene, which were a perfect fit for the business – and now they are local distributors of the national product line.

On a recent Friday, they are working in Nashua, sprucing up Katie Olivier's kitchen. It's the first time Olivier has used a cleaning service.

"We met at a mom's group barbecue, and we were friends on Facebook. I didn't know about the cleaning business until I saw it on Sara's page," said Olivier, mom to 14-month-old, Jaydon.

"I'm expecting a house full of people tonight, family is coming up from South Carolina for my sister's graduation, and I knew I wasn't going to have time to clean the way I should," Olivier said. 

She said she felt comfortable having a couple of moms come in to clean, rather than hiring a cleaning service.

"A lot of our clients say they actually like the fact that we're moms, because they're moms, too, " said Melone. "It's a perfect synergy."

They will clean your home or business and charge based on the size and scope of the job, not by the hour, said Melone.

"Most of the time we'll charge between $60 and $120. But it all depends. Recently we did three bathrooms which took us about an hour, and we charged $30," Melone said.

When they're finished cleaning they leave a thank you note, printed on organic paper, along with a soy-based tea light.

"They smell yummy," says Melone, who keeps the candles tucked in her cleaning caddy, along with her microfiber cleaning cloths and organic sprays.

"We like the microfiber because we can just toss them in the washing machine, and so we're not using paper towels or disposable wipes," Melone said.

Other services include "Nesting Cleaning," for moms preparing the house for their new baby, and house organizing.

"We're big fans of the TV show 'Clean Sweep,'" Melone said.

They're currently working on producing some how-to YouTube videos to help moms help themselves around the house.

Although they live in Merrimack, they haven't set limits for how far they'll go to make the world a greener, cleaner place – they currently have clients all around the state, and have gone as far north as Hanover.

"We'll go wherever we're needed," said Melone, who's actually looking to hire some additional Mopping Mommas.

Who is the ideal candidate for the job?

Someone who can clean with a song in her heart and a baby on her back.

"You do have to be a little OCD about cleaning, that's for sure. But the more important thing for us is that we come joyfully. Our phone number is 204-JOY1," Melone said. "We come to your home with a smile and we leave with a thank you."