She only left her house once a week.

Carissa Rybarczyk only went to the grocery store and cleaned a single home to make extra money to provide for her 5-year-old son, Jaymes, who has autism. She wondered how she would be able to do that even after she dies, she said.

But after her very first client spread the word about her work, cleaning one home turned into cleaning several.

The sudden rise in traffic led her to start Carissa’s Green Cleaning in 2019.

“In the beginning, I would undercut myself just to get business,” Mrs. Rybarcyzk said. “I’m very strict with the way I do things because I know reputation was everything — and it worked.”

Carissa’s Green Cleaning now has 10 employees and a fleet of company vehicles, she said. 

The business covers Toledo and 30 miles outside of the city, going into Michigan. 

She’s also begun selling her own line of multipurpose, toilet bowl, and floor cleaners after learning the toxicity levels of mainstream cleaning products.

Mrs. Rybarczyk said she began making her cleaners, which took years to perfect, when she was cleaning the home of her very first client. She didn’t want to expose herself to those chemicals for long periods of time, Mrs. Rybarcyzk said.

“We use all-natural soap base, distilled water, and essential oils,” she said. “We use a whole bunch of essential oils for different things. Some cut through soap scum. They all have a different purpose.”

Customers are able to buy those cleaners via the company’s Facebook page or by making an appointment, she said.

Clients like Jaci Myers, who lives in Grand Rapids, Ohio, appreciate her chemical-free approach to cleaning as well as knowing that everything will be thoroughly taken care of by the time she gets home, she said.

“The house smells refreshing when you walk through the door,” Mrs. Myers said. “It’s not all chemical smells. She’s really easy to communicate with. They’re always on time.”

Mrs. Rybarczyk said her husband was also able to quit his job because of how much money her business was bringing in.

“We needed a caregiver for my son,” Mrs. Rybarczyk said. “I asked my husband, ‘How much money do I need to make [for him to quit his job]?’ He laughed, which was great because it motivated me, and I made him quit his job a year later.”

Mrs. Rybarczyk takes pride in being able to provide for her son, which is why she started the business, and her clients know it, she said.

“The clients know, ‘Yeah, I’m paying for a cleaning service, but I’m also paying for this little boy’s future,’” she said.

First Published March 27, 2024, 4:00 p.m.