‘I cleaned my way out of debt’

Janet Nash, 54, from Dorchester, Dorset, took a brave decision to secure her family’s financial future.

‘Staring at the bank statements, I felt sick inside. I was £10,000 in debt following a difficult divorce, a single mum to two young children and close to breaking point. I didn’t even have a job. ‘What am I going to do?’ I fretted.

In the end, I was forced to declare myself bankrupt. In desperate need of work, I decided to try my hand at cleaning, because it had flexible hours that I could work around school drop-offs. First, I made up a pile of flyers and, with my children, Stacey, then six, and Shaun, then four,

I walked around all the housing estates in my home town, putting leaflets through letterboxes, hoping

I’d get some work.

Luckily, I got some bookings and soon I was working all hours, carefully saving every penny to support the children.

Yet even though

I was always busy and went on to employ 12 part-time staff, my wages weren’t enough.

Then, one day in 2016, five years after I’d started my cleaning company, I spotted a new van in one of the estates. It belonged to a company specialising in biohazard cleaning – something I’d never heard of before. Intrigued, I did some research and discovered it was a form of cleaning for badly contaminated homes, such as those of hoarders, drug addicts and the deceased. It didn’t sound very appealing, but reading up about it, I realised there was high demand for such a business.

‘I wonder if this is something I could do?’ I thought. I signed up for a course and invested in some special cleaning tools and products. Soon, I was up and

‘After four years, I sold my business for a six-figure sum’

running and found work with our local housing associations, who needed expert cleaners to remove black mould in tenants’ houses. From then on, the jobs continued to come in. I retrained my team and started cleaning houses categorised as ‘extreme filth’. The first time I entered the home of a hoarder, I stood frozen in shock at the piles of rubbish, newspapers, old food cartons, clothes and unwanted things. It was so sad to think of some people living in conditions like this. I set to work and, after three days, I’d managed to clear and decontaminate the whole house. I was also paid triple the rate I’d been paid before.

EMOTIONAL WORK

There was no denying that the work was hard. The tenants often had mental health issues and were afraid of strangers entering their homes. I always made sure I took time to talk to them, listen and reassure them.

Sometimes it was scary. I’d go into a house first, to check for needles and drugs, before letting my team in. Clearing up the home of someone who’d passed away and who had no relatives was also very emotional. I’d see old family photos and treasured keepsakes, and it felt like I was boxing up an entire lifetime. It was sad that there’d been no one there for these people at the end. Returning home after a long day, I’d count my blessings that I had a close-knit family.

Within a year of specialising in biohazard cleaning, I’d cleared my debts. After living on a tight budget for so long, I could finally afford to give my children the life I wanted for them. I felt proud of myself and the company I’d created and, after four years, I sold my business for a six-figure sum.

Now my office is a converted barn where I coach others, mostly mums like me, in how to become biohazard cleaners. My children are now 16 and 14 and I’m glad they’ve seen their mum achieve in business. Yes, the taste of financial success is sweet, but knowing I’ve made my children proud is the real reward.’

• Find Janet’s business at synctrainingsolutions.co.uk