Cleaning Is Cheaper Than Painting

SPRING HILL - Nicotine can leave a noticeable stain.

Those stubborn brown blemishes do not just appear on teeth. They can also be spread across walls, ceilings and fixtures.

Most chain smokers who light up indoors realize this. They eventually break down and pay hundreds of dollars for a paint crew to come in and cover those stains.

One local smoker was told - by a painter - he could opt for a cheaper alternative.

In came Saundra Piercy, who for nearly 20 years has owned and managed Premier Ceiling Cleaning along with her husband.

"The ceilings were the color of these walls," she said as she pointed to various spots in the house. "That's how bad it was."

Larry Hannan's house has brown walls and white ceilings. Before Piercy and her crew came along Wednesday, visitors could barely see a difference.

While the masked workers cleaned the ceilings in the bedroom, Hannan smoked two cigarettes in the garage within 10 minutes.

"I had my doubts," he said of Piercy's services. "Everyone I spoke to about it laughed at me. They had never heard of it before. They thought it would never work."

Cigarette stains are not all Piercy can make disappear. Cooking grease, dust, dirt and mildew also can build up over time.

She does not come in with a power washer. Instead, she uses a hose mechanism that releases a "very gentle mist" of industrial-strength hydrogen peroxide.

Sometimes her crew comes in with brushes and mops for extra scrubbing, but for the most part, the mist does the trick.

"This costs half of what it takes to paint," Piercy said. "We clean the vents, fanes, lights and returns."

Those with popcorn-style ceilings are ideal for her service.

Popcorn ceilings were popular in residential construction in the 1960s and 1970s. The "cottage cheese" texture was supposed to have been a breakthrough in interior design. It was meant to eliminate echoes and soften sound.

Most of the ceilings contained asbestos. As a result, they stopped being such a popular choice. They also become unsightly when they get dirty and are difficult to clean - but not for Piercy.

Her crew will spend one or two days on a house and leave it sparkling and odor-free.

"Any house five years old or older has got plenty of dust and bacteria," Piercy said. "If people have allergies, they need us. This isn't just for smokers or heavy cookers."

Those who burn candles should also take note. They don't realize the amount of carbon that travels into the ventilation system, she said.

If there are any black or brown smears around a ceiling vent, she can clean it.

Her business has been lagging lately due to the economy, she said. Some years she will do more than $100,000 in business while other years she will barely do more than $40,000. This year is looking more and more like the latter.

"This has been the worst year for business so far because of the economy, but we're in the busy season now," Piercy said. "This is the time for spring cleaning ... It's a feast or famine sort of thing."

Premier Ceiling Cleaning has maintained a good reputation among local Realtors and home inspectors, who often recommend its services to customers.

Depending on the size of the job, Piercy will bring along one crew member or as many as six.

Regardless of the ebb and flow of the local economy, she has done nicely in an area with an abundance of homes. She has no plans to move on to something else, she said.

She left a great impression with Hannan, who was seeing white ceilings again for the first time in years.

"I'm very pleased with what she did," he said. "I didn't know it could be done."

Biz at a glance:

Name of biz - Premier Ceiling Cleaning

Owners - Robert and Saundra Piercy

What it is - Interior residential cleaning service - ceiling and walls

Get in touch - 352-688-7707 or 1-800-736-7831