Buy Local, Go Green

By: NKCDC

Tuesday Jul 01, 2014

greening

Spotlight: New Leaf Cleaning Co.

Based in the Kensington neighborhood, this crew serves the City of Philadelphia with customized, eco-friendly cleaning and excellent customer service! As our first Buy Local, Go Green spotlight, these guys graciously answered our questions.

From left to right: Brian MacNamara, Justin Schlaffer, Joe Salamon, Grimaldi Baez

Photography by Jenni Kowal: http://jennikowal.com

How did your business start?

“The four of us met while working for another green cleaning company and the inspiration for New Leaf grew out of our dissatisfaction with the way things were run. New Leaf Cleaning Co. was founded on the premise that a truly democratic workplace can provide a superior service. Our business is a bottom-up structure. We believe that the people in the homes, doing the cleaning work, are in the best position to handle the day-to-day logistics. We have no managers, the workers decide what should be included in the kit, what the best practices for cleaning are, how profits should be spent and what goals we have set for our future as an organization. As a result, our clients can deal directly with the people coming into their homes and we can tailor our service to meet each client's needs.”

What lead you to develop your own green cleaning products?

“We chose to make our own cleaning products so that we could guarantee the safety and consistency of the products we bring into our clients' homes. We also genuinely enjoy the art of crafting our own products and recipes and plan on continuing a lot more of it in the future.”

What’s your favorite product?

"Our favorite cleaning product is our all purpose spray using vinegar infused with lemon rinds and fresh basil. In addition to lemon being a natural de-greaser, deodorizer, and disinfectant, the sweet scent of lemon mixed with the earthy basil creates a wonderfully unique aroma."