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- White Glove Elite
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212-684-4460
What distinguishes White Glove Elite from any cleaning service? First and foremost, the staff. “We match up clients with cleaners,” says owner Jim Ireland. “Some people are good scrubbers; others are more detail-oriented.’’ It’s a system that has worked for Robert Redford, Michael Douglas, and Spike and Tonya Lee. (Ms. Lee reports that “they never forget the baseboards, windowpanes, and corners, which a lot of other people gloss over.” One New York editor actually walked in on a White Glove guy as he was cleaning the tops of her doors.) Ireland says he motivates his staff with a substantially larger chunk of the fee than most firms do. He’s also an actor—with the inevitable Law & Order credits to prove it—and often hires others of his ilk. Thus staff members will occasionally quit abruptly upon getting a TV deal. But at least you’ll get a great cocktail-party story if that happens: “That guy on CSI? Used to clean my tub!”
Best Housecleaning
From the 2004 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine
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So what exactly does “best” mean in a city with thousands of pizza joints, hundreds of celebrity masseuses, and museum-worthy concept shops on every corner? Well, in the case of this, our annual “Best of New York” roundup, there’s a heavy emphasis on what’s new or what has somehow remained virtually unheard of (until now, of course).
