In additional to her more typical services, Dawn Zapf, owner of Executive Maids for 25 years, offers house cleaning services free of charge to women undergoing cancer treatment.

by Len Lear

Of all of the concerns affecting a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, the last thing you might think about is getting the house clean. But Dawn Zapf, 54, of Cheltenham, thinks about it all the time.

Zapf started a house cleaning service 25 years ago called Executive Maids, whose 15 employees clean homes in Northwest Philadelphia, Eastern Montgomery County and other parts of the Delaware Valley. But she is also part of a nationwide network, Cleaning For A Reason, whose members offer their professional services free of charge to women undergoing cancer treatment.

According to the website of Cleaning for a Reason, headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, the participating 1,200 cleaning businesses like Zapf’s have donated $11 million worth of house cleanings to 33,000 women with cancer. The service was recently honored by Ellen DeGeneres on her “Ellen” TV show. A woman from Philly’s Port Richmond section, Raylene Arko, owner of Keep it Clean with Raylene, appeared on the show and accepted a significant donation from Ellen on behalf of Cleaning for a Reason.

Zapf, who grew up in Burholme and moved to Cheltenham in 2002, owned and operated a state registered day care for six years when her children were small, but in 1993 one of the mothers suggested “that I work like she did. She cleaned homes for a living. “She would drop her little girl off at 8 a.m. and would be back for her around 2 p.m. She noted that I was working much longer hours.

“So I took on one job and then another. A friend filled in for me while I tried it out. I was good at it and enjoyed it, so I gave the day care parents a couple of months notice to find new day care providers for their children.

“I started cleaning one home a day, then two homes a day. Soon I had so many clients, I had to hire employees.”

Zapf estimates that she has had about 40 to 60 clients in Northwest Philadelphia and Eastern Montgomery County. The average cost of a house cleaning is $150 to $200 and takes about one to two hours with three professional, insured and bonded house cleaners.

But Zapf has been providing the free house cleanings for cancer patients, thanks to Cleaning for a Reason, since 2002.

“I remember seeing a commercial for a cancer that affected one in three women,” she explained. “When I went to work the next day, I looked around the room at my management team, three of us, and wondered which one of us would that be?

“It was then that I searched for a program that I could get involved with to help out. I found Cleaning for a Reason and thought it would a good match for us and for them.”

Cleaning for a Reason contacts a participating cleaning service anywhere in the U.S. when they get a new patient in that firm's service area.

One satisfied customer who received complimentary cleanings from Executive Maids is Maureen Robinson, of Dresher. “Dawn's agency did provide four cleaning visits when I was going through my treatment for cancer in 2011-2012,” she told us. “I was grateful to have them come since my kids were 12, 10 and 8 at the time. Their help allowed me not to have to worry about one more thing. I was in the home at the time they were there since I was recovering from the side effects of treatment, and they were very respectful of my home and of my presence. They did a great job!”

Another satisfied client, not part of the Cleaning for a Reason program, is Greg Santamala, who said, “I am a Philly Homicide Detective, and my wife is a Philly Police Officer. As you can imagine, our schedules are quite busy. We have a son, daughter, three small dogs and a cat, and when we do find time to break away from work, we like to entertain, so Executive Maids has been a true blessing. They are very thorough and professional, leaving the house always looking and smelling good. We have used them for years and have always been completely satisfied.”

What is the best advice Zapf ever received? “When you look at people, look for the good in them. If you look for the bad, you will find it. If you look for the good, you will find it. So look for the good. My grandmother used to always say that.”

For more information about Executive Maids, visit executivemaids.com or call 215-690-4000.