Laura’s Cleaning Service

Cleaning may seem like a very mundane thing to do for most of us, but for Laura Lechinger, it has become her passion. She takes it very seriously and, for the past 23 years, she has dedicated her life to helping others clean their homes. It all started when her kids were young and brought friends over to play. When their parents would come to pick them up, they always commented how nice and clean her house was, so in 1998, she decided to open up her own cleaning business, Laura’s Cleaning Service. Since then, she’s been helping others transform their living spaces into clean, healthy, and visually appealing homes. Prior to opening up her own cleaning business, Laura also worked as a CNA nurse and as an occupational therapist assistant, but she always had a passion for cleaning.

Laura describes her business as a traveling cleaning service, providing their amenities to a vast area which extends all the way from Leona, Brenham, Caldwell, Trinity, Lovelady, Livingston, New Waverly, to Huntsville, and pretty much anywhere in between. Whether you’re walking into a newly built home or rental property, or having company over for a special occasion, you want the experience to be pleasant for prospective buyers, renters, or guests. Laura’s Cleaning Service ensures they arrive at a clean and sanitary environment and leave with the best impression.

“Cleaning can be very interesting work,” said Laura, “and we have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Some of our patrons are famous people–authors, attorneys, DPS officers, and very prestigious community members, but we respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality.” On one occasion, Laura recalled receiving a call from a man with an unusual request. He asked if we could clean his ‘crawl space.’ I said, “Sir, excuse me?” Then he repeated the question, “Can you come clean the crawl space underneath my house?” and I said, “Oh, no sir. No, no, no! We don’t do stuff like that.” That’s just something you don’t normally get a request to do,” said Laura, “and I couldn’t help but think that guy was killing people and sticking them in his crawl space!”  Laura admitted, jokingly, that she watches a lot of crime TV shows, and said if she walks into a customer’s house and sees a freezer–one of those long chest ones, she gets a little bit leery, “because you know, sometimes, they put bodies in them!” As she was telling these stories, Laura pointed out that in her line of work, she has to maintain a good sense of humor, but always takes her work very seriously–adding, there is never a dull moment.

Most of Laura’s customers range in age from 40 on up. “I just love all my customers,” said Laura, but she admitted to having a soft spot for her elderly customers. “I truly enjoy listening to their stories. We are often contracted out by APS (Adult Protective Services) to clean at elderly people’s homes, and I’ve been told that I have a way of working with people, particularly with this population.” As part of their service for the elderly, Laura’s Cleaning Services offers Adult Protective Cleaning, which means they wear protective safety gear during their visits. They offer general and deep cleaning services starting at a minimum of $125 per house (price may vary depending on the size of the house).  Laura’s Cleaning Service currently has a team of 8 crew members, and generally are split up into 2 crews. A single crew can handle up to 6 houses a day. When they have a specialized cleaning job, such as cleaning out a hoarder/packrat home, they all work together–and for everyone’s protection and safety–gloves, masks, and hazmat clothes are worn. For these jobs, they use separate equipment and disposable cleaning supplies. Laura is a Certified Hoarder Specialist, as well as a Certified Chronic Disorganization Specialist, and she has many years of experience. “We understand hoarders have a difficult time letting go of certain items. The process can be very emotional and challenging. Our goal is to help our customers improve their quality of life.” Occasionally, younger generations also need cleaning services, but it’s usually their parents who contact us.

Laura has been a resident of Grimes County since the early 70s. Her grandparents on her mother’s side were long-time Huntsville residents. Her grandfather, Dewitt Cauthen, worked at the Sam Houston State University Museum as a groundskeeper for many years. In fact, their family home was located right behind the museum. Laura also had several uncles and aunts that lived in Huntsville. Her uncle, James Cauthen, owned a little country store off I-45 and Lake Road. She couldn’t remember the name of the store, but she said it has long been a part of her childhood memories. Needless to say, Laura has deep roots in Huntsville, so its no surprise that–although she has never lived in Huntsville–she considers it her hometown.  After all, she does all her business and shopping there.  “I love everything about Huntsville,” said Laura, “especially the people. Everyone is always so friendly and courteous.” In previous years, Laura was a member of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce and is currently working on rejoining. She gives often to Good Shepherd Mission, and before the end of this year, she also hopes to get involved with helping out at the SAAFE House and with the Rita B. Huff Animal Shelter.

Her parents, Leslie and Marie Hall, raised her and her siblings in a very strict, Christian home.  “There were five of us,” said Laura. “My older brother David and sister Sandra passed away at the age of 53, both from some form of cancer.” Still living are her brother Johnny and the youngest, Debora. She currently lives in the Magnolia area, but has plans to move back to Grimes County in the near future. According to Laura, she never left Grimes County, because she liked and was used to the small-town country living.

Laura graduated from Anderson High School in 1985, then married Kenny, her husband of 35 years. They had two children, Michelle,and Austin, and both live close to them. Laura and Kenny have four grandchildren, “Our pride and joy,” said Laura, “and they live next door, so we get to see and enjoy them pretty often.”

When she is not at work, Laura enjoys spending time at home relaxing with her husband and being with her grandchildren. She also loves listening to KSAM radio. She’s been listening to the same station since the early 80s. “I won roses and valentines candy on one of their games back in ’86,” said Laura. She has been a member of the Christian Biblical Church of God in Houston since 2009, and their day of Sabbath is on Saturday. Fortunately, they have the option to attend virtually, which makes it better for them since they don’t like driving in Houston. Laura is a member of the WGNO, which stands for Women Generating Network Opportunities.  The group promotes women-owned businesses in and around the Huntsville area.

At Laura’s Cleaning Service, they specialize in deep cleanings. They are insured, licensed, and bonded, and do everything from moveouts, move-ins, rental properties, foreclosures, new constructions, and so much more! “We can either take our own cleaning supplies and equipment, or if the customer prefers that we use their personal supplies and equipment, we can do that as well. It really depends on what the customers want,” said Laura. They also provide trash and junk removal from barns, garages, storage units, hoarder houses, etc. Most of their business comes from recurring customers and word of mouth. They do everything from sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, to dusting, polishing, cleaning, and sanitizing. For a complete list of the services they provide, visit: www.laurascleaningservices.net. The following forms of payment are accepted: cash, credit/debit, Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal. According to Laura, they are steadily growing, and in the future–if the need arises–they will hire additional crews to be able to meet their demand. They can also be contacted via email: deepcleanings@aol.com, or by phone: 936.577.4717.