Cleaning for a Reason helps cancer patients at home

Penny Faw helps cancer patients to put everything in its place just when life seems so out of control.

Faw, owner of Coastal Cleaning Services, is a member of Cleaning for a Reason, a national nonprofit group that provides professional house cleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatment.

Professional cleaners agree to help one or two clients at a time, providing service once a month for four months. All services are free of charge.

“I personally take it to heart,” said Faw. “They tell you it’s routine cleaning. But I want it to be perfect for them, because nothing else is.”

Faw has participated in Cleaning for a Reason since 2009, but it took a whole new spin in 2010, when her own mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Suddenly Faw understood the craziness of lives affected by cancer. Between doctors, treatments and test centers, people lose time and energy for housekeeping. Women can really feel the strain because they want to take care of their homes, Faw said.

After her own mother passed away, Faw took a break from Cleaning for a Reason. Soon after, she heard from a New Castle woman whose mother was undergoing cancer treatment. The older woman wanted to stay in her own Sussex County home, but had difficulty maintaining it, and both women felt the strain.

“Now I can understand in a better way. It’s not just doing something nice to help out,” said Faw. Clients, she said, have to be treated like a family, not just a number.

Faw decided she was ready to continue with Cleaning for a Reason. Her staff are not obligated to donate their time, but Faw said it is amazing how many do help.

Coastal Cleaning Services is based in Millsboro and serves the entire state, including coastal areas. The company has served more than 21 Cleaning for a Reason clients to date.

Sarah Tascano is glad she called the service, which she considers priceless. Otherwise, the Millsboro resident said she would have tried single-handedly to maintain her mother’s house in Dover in between work and her own responsibilities.

Her mother always took pride in maintaining the home, but stage four cancer interfered.

“Chemotherapy and radiation take a toll on you emotionally and physically,” said Tascano. “Now she can concentrate on herself. It’s a great relief. … And I don’t have to worry about if the bathroom is clean.”

Tascano said diseases such as cancer affect the entire family, so she recommended that people ask for help. She appreciated Faw for doing a caring and thorough job.

“You don’t realize how much you bring to their lives through this program,” said Faw. “I wish more people could be involved … quality cleaners.”

However, only five Delaware companies participate in Cleaning for a Reason, including Heather’s Home Works in Ocean View, LaChance’s Maids in Seaford and two northern companies.

“These are people that are self-employed, and I know times are tough,” said Tascano. “For them to volunteer their time is even more greatly appreciated.”

Cleaning for a Reason has more than 800 cleaning service partners in all 50 states and Canada, but diagnoses and demand are growing rapidly. The web site cites the American Cancer Society’s estimation of 750,000 new diagnoses in the year 2011.

Cleaning for a Reason seeks additional licensed cleaning services to partner in serving the community.

Faw fully intends to continue with Cleaning for a Reason, even as requests increase.

“I don’t need relief,” she said. “I just need to know these people are being taken care of.”

For more information on registering as a cleaner or client, go to www.cleaningforareason.org.