When I founded Shelton's Janitorial in 2013, I was living in Marysville, in Yuba County. I was not chasing a dream that looked pretty on paper. I was trying to survive, support my children and find my way back to the strong woman I had once been.
I was rebuilding after abuse, homelessness and chronic PTSD. For a time, the stress had taken so much from me that I struggled to speak and shook like a little Chihuahua. My family was not where it needed to be, and I knew that waiting for someone else to rescue us was not going to build the life my children deserved.
I started as a waitress and cleaned houses on the side.
My first job was waitressing. I worked those shifts while cleaning houses on the side, doing whatever honest work I could to support my children and move our lives forward. I saved the tips I earned waiting tables and used that money to buy my little red Volkswagen Bug. As the cleaning work began to grow, I saw that it could become more than extra income—it could become the business that helped me rebuild.
Before I had reliable transportation for the cleaning work, I walked to jobs carrying what I could. Every home mattered because every customer meant groceries, stability and one more step forward.
That little red Volkswagen Bug felt like freedom—even though it was far too small for a cleaning company. I would drive down the street with mop heads, handles and brooms sticking out of the windows because the supplies simply would not fit inside.
The car was too small for the supplies, but the dream was already bigger than the car.
It probably looked funny to anyone passing by. To me, it meant I could reach another customer. I did not need everything to look perfect before I moved forward. I needed to show up, work hard and keep the promises I made.
Little by little, the equipment outgrew the Bug. Branded company vehicles eventually replaced the brooms sticking out of the windows—a visible reminder that the business was growing one job at a time.
Houses opened the next door.
The work grew from homes to construction trailers, commercial janitorial accounts and larger facilities. Each new opportunity came because somebody noticed the care we put into the last one. One open door led to the next, and then the next.
Then came CAL FIRE's Camino construction trailers.
After houses, one of our next opportunities was cleaning construction trailers for a CAL FIRE project in Camino. We cleaned the working and living spaces shown here, including shared areas and restrooms. That job helped carry the company from residential work into larger, more demanding accounts.
More than 40 homes prepared for military families.
One of the projects that stays close to my heart was at Beale Air Force Base. Another woman in her seventies and I completed the final cleaning of more than 40 newly built military homes. We were preparing those homes for service members and their families to come home.
It was demanding work, but it carried a purpose bigger than the cleaning itself. Two women—one rebuilding her life and one still working hard in her seventies—helped turn brand-new houses into homes ready to welcome military families.
The first time I went that high.
I also cleaned the DFAC, which had extremely high ceilings. It was my first time working from a scissor lift, and I was scared to death. But the job had to be done. I learned how to operate the lift safely, worked through the fear and finished the cleaning.
There were many times I accepted work before I had every answer or all the experience the job would require. I learned each step as it came. Looking back, I believe God carried me through and, by His grace, showed me what I needed to do next.
Ninety feet up inside a Travis Air Force Base hangar.
At Travis Air Force Base, the work took us even higher. We went 90 feet into the air to clean inside a hangar. It demanded courage, attention and trust in the team around me. Every time the work stretched beyond what I had done before, I learned, adapted and finished what I had promised to do.
Learning soft washing on a secure remodel.
Another project at Beale Air Force Base took us into tightly controlled, high-security areas for a building remodel. What I remember most is what the work taught me.
It was my first time learning to soft wash a building's exterior. We also completed the remodel cleanup inside, which required a different approach from cleaning a newly constructed building. Once again, I learned what the job required, respected the security of the property and saw the work through.
Growing into major commercial spaces.
Our commercial work also included Grocery Outlet. A project like this required us to work carefully around a large retail space, high fixtures and equipment while preparing it for the people who would use it. It was another sign that the company that began with houses could handle demanding commercial work.
Eventually, that road led to government and military work. I went from carrying cleaning supplies on foot to completing the cleaning of a 216,000-square-foot building three separate times for an Army Corps of Engineers project.
I remember looking around at the size of that facility and thinking about where I had started. I had once felt as though I had lost my voice and forgotten who I was. Now I was standing inside a project that demanded organization, courage, accountability and the strength to finish.
Three Airbnbs cared for over three and a half years.
For about three and a half years, our team has cared for three Airbnb properties. Turnover cleaning requires consistency on every visit: fresh rooms, carefully prepared living spaces and the small details that help each new guest feel welcome. That long relationship reflects the dependable service we work to bring to every property.
I was never rebuilding alone.
I worked hard, but I was never completely alone. My parents helped me in every way they could. Along the way, I built deep friendships with good people—many of them older than me—who showed me a different kind of life and helped me learn new ways of making decisions.
Those relationships helped me believe in a peaceful future. I found a wonderful man, built a loving relationship and, at 40, we welcomed a baby. My story did not end with survival. It grew into family, friendship, faith and a life filled with love.
I chose what I would carry forward.
I made an important decision while rebuilding: I did not want to become like the people who had broken me down. I learned from the pain, but I chose to carry forward the love shown by the few people who opened doors for me. I chose faith, compassion and God's grace.
That decision shapes the company today. I want Shelton's Janitorial to create real opportunities—especially for women working to regain their independence, support their children and remember their own strength. I want to build a better business so I can offer better wages, dependable work and more chances for families to move forward.
We are still cleaning one space at a time.
The company is larger now, but the standard has not changed. Whether we are cleaning a family home, preparing an Airbnb, caring for a bank or commercial property, cleaning a parking lot or completing a post-construction project, every space belongs to someone who is trusting us.
I am proud of how far we have come. I am also proud that I have not forgotten the woman walking to work—or the little red Bug carrying more equipment than it was ever designed to hold.
That is why our words still mean so much to me: Cleaning up the world, one small space at a time.