Time is a Precious Gift
If there’s one thing we’ve all learned over these past few years it is that time is our most precious gift — especially the moments we spend with our loved ones.
This family-first mindset inspired me to start Carolina Cleaning Services out of the trunk of my car back in 1994, with just a handful of residential clients at first. I had recently moved to Wilmington from Brazil with my two little boys to be reunited with my husband Luiz, who had been living here for one year. With no “village” at first to help us raise the kids, I decided to become my own boss so I could have flexibility and still contribute to the household income. Of course it was a huge step, but the professional experience I had acquired from having been the first woman to become an account manager at one of the most prestigious car rental companies in Brazil gave me the confidence and skills I needed to thrive.
I had faith that I was creating something good and worthwhile, a unique service unlike any other. And because having quality time with my family had always been a priority, I made sure that Carolina Cleaning Services not only offered high-quality service, but also gave people the gift of time so they could enjoy life in the company of their friends and family.
Naturally, over the past 28 years, a lot has changed. And although that first handful of residential clients turned into hundreds of customers and a wonderful team of cleaning technicians, we remain a local, woman-owned, and family-operated business that values each client, tailoring our services to specific needs.
I like to say that our business has a heart — we operate with kindness, integrity, and professionalism. As a Latino woman who’s had to reinvent herself multiple times to thrive in a new culture and country, I can tell you that building our reputation and getting to where we are now, a place we’re extremely proud of, didn’t happen overnight — well, it took almost three decades! It required a lot of hard work, resilience, and consistency. We’ve faced tough setbacks and challenges but bounced back every time with the help of the Wilmington community, who has welcomed and embraced us from day one.
We call Wilmington home. It’s where we’ve built our business, raised our boys and where we witness our eight beautiful grandchildren growing up. We are immensely grateful to this community for consistently recognizing our hard work and helping us become a top-rated professional cleaning company and for being recognized by Wilmington Magazine as the Best Cleaning Company in Wilmington NC, both 2021 and 2022.
As a thank you, we’re always looking for ways to give back to this town. One of our priorities is to help empower the women of the community through training and mentorship. My female cleaning technicians are taught responsibility, integrity, and a sense of community. At Carolina Cleaning Services they learn that they can do and be anything they want. And because we’re members of the ISSA, the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, our employees always have the most up-to-date certifications. After all, our town deserves the highest quality service.
Since 2017, we’ve also been partnering with Cleaning for a Reason, a non-profit that provides free house cleaning to patients battling cancer. By offering this service, we relieve cancer patients of the stress of having to worry about house chores, allowing them to solely focus on getting better. This is an effort I’m extremely proud of and an experience that provides our techs with a deep sense of pride, purpose, and joy, knowing that with kindness and compassion they can improve someone else’s life significantly. All this is an integral part of our culture and reflects the healthy work environment we cultivate.
Aneliese Bard Andrades
Founder & Owner
Carolina Cleaning Services
