A group of low income women in Northern California have banded together to create their own cleaning business using environmentally friendly cleansers. Not only have their working conditions improved, as demand for their "green" cleaning service continues to grow, they have been able to offer higher than average hourly wages and even benefits.

Emma’s Eco-Clean is a women-owned housecleaning cooperative located in northern California’s Silicon Valley. It was started by a local non-profit called Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security, or WAGES, which is dedicated to helping low-income women become self-sufficient (www.wagescooperatives.org). Launched on Earth Day 1999, Emma’s is now a fully independent for-profit cooperative.

Maria Rosales had worked in the electronics industry for over a decade when she decided she wanted to start her own business. “I was thinking of a retail store – clothing, perfume, jewelry.” She joined a business training class for Latina women offered by WAGES. The class worked together as a group, and one of their projects was to survey an existing business. “We did it on a 99 cent store, but you needed a lot of money to start that.”

WAGES suggested they consider starting a cooperative house cleaning business. Maria remembers the group thinking, “We don’t want to do service.” But on further consideration, ”We realized that selling a service we were going to have earnings faster than having a retail store. So we said, OK, we’ll start a housecleaning service.”

Maria continues, “We took the training with WAGES for almost 15 months. It was about finances, how to have good communication, how to write a business plan, how to get a loan.” In the end, five women from the WAGES class decided to go into business together. Using the first letter of each of their names, they came up with the name “Emma’s.”

Together with WAGES, the Emma’s team developed the idea to use only low- or non-toxic cleaning products, thereby creating a niche market for themselves. Emma’s cleaning team arrives at a client’s house with all of the supplies they need. Their cleaning agents are almost old-fashioned: vegetable-based soaps, vinegar, borax, and baking soda. Their tools include pumice stones and putty knives. The ubiquitous paper towel has no place in an Emma’s cleaning operation; it has been replaced by cotton cloths that are laundered and reused. Since cleaning without chemicals is something of a lost art, every new member is trained for 14 hours before being turned loose with a putty knife.

Monica Norley had worked with women’s cooperatives in Guatemala before she was hired by WAGES to be Emma’s business manager; she now works directly for the cooperative. When Emma’s opened, Monica focused on getting the word out in press releases, local newspapers, and the yellow pages in the two counties they serve.

The business really took off. Emma’s became profitable in its second year, which meant every worker/owner got additional money at the end of 2000. In two years the Cooperative went from five to 12 members. “It was amazing,” says Monica. “I attribute it to the women having a niche. The people in this area have the income to pay for housecleaning and we put a least-toxic spin on it. It really attracts people’s attention. The women are fortunate to be in the Silicon Valley, where there are a lot of toxic industries going on around us, but there are also a lot of environmentally-minded people.”

The yellow pages ad, which has drawn the most customers, stresses the environmental message. But Monica notes, “People don’t just come to the co-op for environmental reasons, they like to see that it is a co-op, that it’s women owned, and that women are making the decisions on their own.” Emma’s now includes 15 members, and the demand for their services keeps growing.

One important indicator of Emma’s success is the benefits they have been able to provide themselves. Monica says, “Health insurance wasn’t something we were able to get them until the early part of this year. That was the big goal. Their business has really arrived in my eyes, to be able to cover all of them that way.” Maria explains, “We have vacation pay, sick time, health and dental insurance, pay for mileage, laundry, one hour of travel time each day, and meeting time.” Given the nature of cooperatives, the meeting time pay is particularly important.

In the beginning, members were required to attend weekly meetings, for which they were not paid. That situation improved over time, with pay for meeting time provided in the second year, and fewer scheduled meetings. Today there is a nine member board of directors that meets monthly, and all 15 members meet just twice a year.

Maria says the hardest part of the business has been working out “how to get along, and how to make decisions.” Monica, who facilitates the meetings, adds, “Interpersonal conflicts, making decisions together have really, at times, almost threatened this business. We keep stumbling through, keep learning, keep working on it.”

Monica continues, “Emma’s made a decision recently to focus on education for the 14 or 15 people that they have now. I think a big pressure when we were working with WAGES was growth, turning out numbers, making the co-op bigger. And even though that sounds beautiful, it is really hard to hold that up and support it. So we are going to be doing a lot more training and teamwork stuff and environmental classes together. Everyone came here at different times. Some people haven’t found their voice completely yet, and then there are others who potentially use it too much!”

Many of the women who join the co-op have worked in the cleaning industry before. Yolanda Razon has been a member since 2001. She says, “What really attracted me was having a better salary. I was doing the same kind of work, but for lower pay. I would leave my house at 7:30 in the morning and come home at seven at night, and never had any time for my family. I am content here because I receive more pay and I have the flexibility to go home and be with my family, check in with them, cook meals, and at the end of the year there are profits. Other companies pay $7 to $7.50 an hour or $50 a day for working from seven in the morning to seven at night. I don’t work 40 hours here, but I earn more than if I was working 40 hours somewhere else.”

Monica explains, “At Emma’s they start at $10 an hour and after they officially become a member they go to $12, and at that point it is based on merit and budget. So everyone now is getting from $12-14 an hour, and they just approved raises for themselves for next year, so it will be $12.25-$14.25 an hour.” In addition, the hours are more flexible, and no one spends more than 30-35 hours a week cleaning. Monica notes, “Housecleaning is really hard to do 40 hours a week.”

Using the least-toxic cleaning supplies is a bit of an adjustment. Yolanda says, “At first, it was hard because I was used to the chemicals working really fast. Now I really like it. It is also better for my health and my clothes don’t get ruined.” When asked how the members feel about effectiveness of the cleaning supplies, Maria says, “they mention it takes more elbow grease.” She adds, “It isn’t more time though, it is the technique.”

Maria summarizes, “I think it is the same for everyone that comes here. At first, they don’t believe that these products really work, but once they learn they get all excited and happy because they don’t have to use the toxic chemicals anymore. They get interested in learning more things about the environment.” And Emma’s is responding to that interest. In partnership with a local environmental group, the women are all going to participate in a course on broader environmental issues, including energy and transportation.

Housecleaning, according to Monica, is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. “Whether they realize it or not, these women are leaders in changing a very toxic industry. We start small with a group of women, but I really feel that people are paying attention to what we are doing.” Emma’s has received several local awards, and was recently profiled in Yes! magazine.

For the immediate future, Emma’s will stay close to its current size and continue to work on teambuilding. They recently decided to diversify into selling their cleaning products. Emma’s members are happy to offer advice to others interested in creating similar enterprises. WAGES has already launched two other eco-cleaning co-ops in the Bay Area, and there are likely more to come.

Maria would like to see Emma’s provide health insurance for entire families. Since she is a co-owner, there is a good chance she can help make that happen.

Contact
Emma’s Eco-Clean
Maria Rosales, Office Manager
Monica Norley, Business Manager
171 Fifth Avenue, Suite #203
Redwood City, CA 94063
650.261.1788