In case you don’t know our backstory very well, here’s a synopsis – our founder, Jeri, moved to Highland Park in 2009 after leaving New York on the heels of the recession. Jeri’s a lifelong entrepreneur, having owned a few small businesses before this move. But this time, Jeri was armed with something different – not just a great business idea, but an ethical mission.

In her years living in New York, Jeri had 3 kids, and she was suddenly confronted with the harsh reality that working and having a family is – for lack of a better description – super hard. She wanted to spend time with her kids, but she also wanted to work. She wanted to be there when her children got home from school, but she also wanted to be successful. And so, through years of fielding calls from her employees asking if they could switch shifts and calls from her kids asking if she could drop off their forgotten P.E. clothes, Jeri realized there needed to be a business where working Moms could have a respectable, well-paying profession that also let them spend time with their families.

So, when Jeri arrived in Dallas and realized that there wasn’t a high-quality luxury cleaning service available, a lightbulb went off. Here was the opportunity she’d dreamed of: to create a business that meets a need with superior service while also providing great jobs for women who really need them. And so, Vella was born.

Since then, the ethical treatment of our employees has been at the core of our company’s mission.

1. Paying good wages – We pay well above industry average, plus bonuses and tips from our gracious customers.

2. Fair and flexible work hours – We start work at 8 and end at 4 to ensure our employees have time to send their kids to school in the morning and be there when they get home.

3. Vacation pay – We ensure our employees have meaningful time off to recharge.

4. Training – Vella is committed to making housekeeping a profession. Our employees complete rigorous training to become housekeeping professionals, armed with the knowledge and expertise to provide five-star service.

5. Company vehicle provided – Giving our employees company vans helps them keep the mileage on their cars low.

6. No work on the weekends – So they can spend time with families.

Whenever you read about working women, it’s always under the assumption that women simply can’t support their families and spend time with their kids. Vella is changing that. We empower women to have respectable, well-paying jobs that allow them to continue to care for their families. One sparkling house at a time.

There are lots of things that make Vella different. But this post isn’t about a sales pitch, marketing buzzwords, or shiny before and after pictures.

This is our creed.

Comparing our business to other house cleaning services, one of the biggest and most obvious differences is that we don’t use the word “maid.” We call our employees Housekeepers, and that’s not just because of the handy alliteration with “Vella”

Housekeeping is a skill. Any person with a home to clean can tell you that. It requires knowledge of products and protocols, of services and surfaces. Which cleaner should you use where, and why? How do you address pet hair on sofas? Mold in your shower? What about grease in ovens that just won’t budge? And how do you do all of this while still avoiding the use of harmful chemicals in the home?

These are things all of our Housekeepers are trained in. Each new hire goes through an extensive training and vetting process by our expert Housekeepers, who boast years of experience achieving housekeeping excellence. And because of that expertise, we believe our Housekeepers, our skilled workers, deserve to be paid well. That’s why we pay well above the industry average – an average that we believe is unjust given the talent it takes to clean a house well.

That brings us back to why we don’t use the word “maid.” Take a moment and visualize a maid. What do you see? Someone in an old black and white uniform? Maybe the term isn’t as outdated or snooty as “the help,” but it’s not far off. What about a Housekeeper? A Housekeeper is a person with skill, with knowledge — with organization, urgency, and the expertise to match. We’re a female owned and operated business, proud to employ women (and one man!) as Housekeepers. Our Housekeepers deserve a dignified profession with an appropriate title that allows them to support their families and feel proud of the job they do.

So maid? No thanks. We prefer something more elegant. Something honorable. We are Housekeepers.