At the onset of the pandemic, our lives took a 360-degree turn. For what we thought would be over in just three to six months, prolonged to more than a year. As a result, our homes have become a safe haven from the deadly virus.

Even with restrictions starting to ease up a bit with the availability of the vaccine, it’s still not a free pass to ignore minimum health and safety protocols. Since we still spend most of our time at home with occasional trips to the mall and supermarket, maintaining a clean environment is a must.

And helping homes and establishments achieve spotless spaces is Brookesworth Urban Property Managers run by Christina Sy. During these times, food and daily supplements are not enough to keep us out of the woods, but with a squeaky clean environment, we are on the right track to wellness.

In this interview with Chris, we dive into her work in the cleaning business and how she got certified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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For our readers who are not familiar with your type of business, can you share an overview of what Brookesworth Urban Property Managers do?

We carry out top to bottom property management services such as cleanings, repairs, disinfection, deep descaling services, carpet cleaning, and property rentals and management for overseas Filipinos. 

We’re curious; growing up, were you always particular about having your space clean and tidy all the time?

I must confess I grew up with the comforts of life, so I never had to worry about keeping things clean and tidy. I didn’t realize how much it mattered until I moved overseas for school and lived independently for the first time.

When did you enter the cleaning business, and what made you decide to open up a service like this one?

I came upon it by chance when I was in Malaysia. I had just completed my studies in Kuala Lumpur and was on vacation in Sarawak. A friend’s aunt had fallen ill and needed help with her cleaning business.

I became her manager and quickly learned the ropes. I then took over some commercial and government contracts and later opened the first private home cleaning service in the state.

After 10 years, I came back to Cebu with the hope of expanding my business here. Everything was up and running by February of 2020.

What are the different products and services that you offer at Brookesworth? And what types of establishments or spaces do you usually cater to?

Currently, we cater to many private homes, buildings, and offices. We have also serviced clinics and multi-national corporations in different capacities.

Brookesworth carries out post-construction cleans, chandelier cleaning, Airbnb turnovers, SARS-CoV-2 disinfection that is in line with WHO standards, and deep descaling services for hard water deposit removal.

In line with the latter service, we have also developed our own cleaning product, BW Hard Water Descaler, a safe alternative to muriatic acid. It is tough on limescale but safe on the skin.

What establishments in Cebu have you already provided your services for?

Brookesworth was commissioned by Shell Philippines early in the pandemic to disinfect COVID-positive sites at any of their gas stations. They were very particular about procedures and not cutting corners, so we were happy they found our four-step procedure satisfactory. We are very stringent about applying the same procedure to all sites we disinfect. 

Brookesworth was also commissioned by MSY Residences to carry out a thorough deep clean in several of their units. This included mattress and upholstery cleaning, perimeter and window cleaning, deep bathroom descaling, carpet cleaning, and deep cleaning for 16 two-storey units.

Brookesworth is also currently managing properties for many overseas Filipinos who are unable to return to the Philippines. These can be family homes that may need maintenance or repairs or condos for rent. We can provide them with the peace of mind that their investments are safe while they are away.

At the height of the pandemic, your business was certified by the World Health Organization for COVID-19 disinfection; what moment led you up to this recognition?

Working with the Malaysian government and many multi-national corporations has instilled organization and adherence to proper procedures in our work. When the pandemic hit, we wanted to make sure we were carrying out the proper methodology when it came to SARS-CoV-2 disinfection. 

Through this, we learned that not all disinfectants were meant to handle a novel coronavirus. When the pandemic first hit, many OEM (no brand) disinfectants hit the market. Some people were using disinfectants meant for water purification. It is comparable to treating a brain tumor with paracetamol. Others used bleach and chlorine that later caused damage to valuable antiques and other surfaces. 

When we educated ourselves on the pandemic, we learned to only trust disinfectants that are listed in the US EPA List N. These are disinfectants that are effective against SARS-CoV-2. We also learned that using light or fogging as a primary means of disinfection is not sufficient as light can be blocked by objects and fogging leaves gaps on surfaces.

This is why we are insistent on carrying out a pre-clean (to prepare the surface), observe dwell time (to give the disinfectant time to do its work on the surface), and a wipe down with the appropriate disinfectant to ensure full coverage. We provide fogging and ozone disinfection as supplementary disinfection to our usual procedure and usually for air conditioning and ventilation units.

Many folks often confuse sanitizing and disinfecting. As an expert on this matter and for the sake of our readers, can you share what the difference between these two is?

Sanitizing is a gentler form of disinfection. Sanitizing can be achieved through cleaning (which is removing soils) and disinfection (which is the elimination of microbes). 

Can you walk us through your usual process of disinfecting spaces for clients?

Disinfection cannot happen unless the surface is clean. We always start with a pre-clean to remove physical soils. This is the bulk of the disinfection process and involves wiping dust, spills, etc. off surfaces. 

Once the surface is clean, we spray our choice disinfectant, Virkon, liberally all over. Disinfectants need to be given five to 10 minutes on the surface to do their job. After the appropriate dwell time, we wipe off the disinfectant as it leaves a white residue to show you any spots that you may have missed. 

Our third and fourth steps involve supplementary disinfection for the air conditioning units and ventilation. Ozone is proven to kill coronavirus; however, since it is not safe to breathe, we usually carry this out in an empty room. This and fogging are sucked up into the air conditioning units for their disinfection.

Ozone treatment is fine after disinfection because it starts as three oxygen molecules. Once the ozone molecule meets with a contaminant, the third oxygen molecule breaks off and eliminates the contaminant. The byproduct of ozone treatment is a two oxygen molecule or the oxygen we breathe.

There’s quite a handful of cleaning services in Cebu. What makes Brookesworth different or unique from these other businesses?

I only just came back to the Philippines in late 2019, so I cannot speak on how other cleaning companies carry out their business. I can only speak for the company I created 10 years ago and the principles I instilled in our work culture. 

I am a stickler for our procedures, both for cleaning and disinfection. I am also very hands-on, so I know how much effort and energy the workers spend on each site. I make sure they are well compensated for that, especially during this pandemic when work is scarce and security is uncertain for many in the blue-collar segment.

Even with the vaccines rolled out, the coronavirus pandemic is still far from over. Since you run a cleaning business, how important do you think cleanliness is to an individual’s overall wellness during these times?

People are spending more time at home, and from a cleaner’s perspective, I can imagine things piling up. Saying cleanliness is next to godliness is not an exaggeration. I mean, have you had a nice long shower and laid down in fresh sheets in a nice, clean room? Heaven!

It is not just about being a neat freak. When things are in order, you know where things are, so you are less stressed. When the room is dust-free, the air quality is better, and you get lesser allergies.

I don’t believe cleanliness is the ultimate answer to a healthy mental state, but it is a step in the right direction and taking any step in the right direction is always good for our mental health.

In a way, you’re already helping the community through your services. How does it feel to be that business that helps other businesses provide a safe space for their customers?

I know a tita in the US and a tito in Manila who cannot travel back to Cebu at this time. We were able to clear out their house after their tenant moved out, carried out repairs throughout the property, and found them a new tenant.

We then prepared the paperwork and the house for the tenant to move in. We also had another senior tita who reached out to us from Cagayan to get her condo in order as she could not travel at this time. Our team sent them live updates from the site even though they couldn’t be at their homes.

It gave them a sense of security to know everything was carried out to their request. As a result of services like these, many clients have left their keys with us full time. We find these tasks very rewarding.

Do you have quick and easy cleaning and disinfecting tips that you’d like to share for business owners or those who run a household?

We have recently started posting quick cleaning tips on our home cleaning page. Do search for us on Facebook: Maid2Hire Cebu.

We want to know; what’s your go-to cleaning agent? Why?

If I had to clean a house with only two cleaning solvents, it would be an all-purpose cleaner and our own product BW Hard Water Descaler. We developed the descaler to be a safe alternative to muriatic acid and toilet bowl cleaner (which has hydrochloric acid). It is effective at loosening all hard water deposits, and it is perfect for killing mold. I use it as an all-around cleaner in my bathroom.

Do you have any plans for Brookesworth in the pipeline?

We plan to distribute our own line of products eventually. But for now, we are getting BW Hard Water Descaler into stores to make it more accessible to consumers.

Where and how can interested customers who’d like to avail of your services reach you?

People may reach us on our Facebook pages. Just search for Maid2Hire Cebu or Brookesworth Urban Property Management. They may also reach me directly at 0977 660 0016.

^{Photography by Ryan Seismundo | Videography by PointUp Films | Hair and Makeup by Karlo Damolo and Jerwin Batastas | Set design by Cuckoo Cloud Concepts | Shot on location at Asmara Urban Resort & Lifestyle Village}