Business Spotlight: The Obsessive Cleaning Diva who Cleans for a Cause

By Justin Adams

Kat Watkins has always had an eye for details, a talent for organizing, and a drive to keep things clean. While some people with those traits might get diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), Watkins opts for a different acronym using the same letters: Obsessive Cleaning Diva.

Watkins started OCDiva Housekeeping 12 years ago as a single mom.

“I was hustling for years and years until I was able to do this exclusively. I grew mostly by word of mouth. I didn’t really do any marketing or advertising,” she said. ‘I like the immediate satisfaction that it brings. I like that I can go into a place and bring out its best side in a matter of hours.”

Her clients apparently think she does just that, considering that she still has some of the same clients from when she first started over a decade ago. Many of those clients have turned into life-long friends.

“I’m not necessarily in the cleaning business, I’m in the relationship business,” Watkins explained. “It’s a very intimate arrangement that requires a high level of trust to let someone into your home like that.”

Some of the most meaningful interactions that Watkins has had while housecleaning have come through her involvement with an organization called Cleaning for a Reason, a non-profit that does free house-cleaning for cancer patients.

Watkisn learned about the organization through another cleaning company and thought she’d give it a try.

“The first few people that we did it for, they left such an impact on me. I formed such a bond with them from just a few times I was in their home,” she said.

One particular client that stands out in her memory was an elderly woman that passed away soon after Watkins had cleaned their home. After her passing, the woman’s husband reached out to Watkins to express his appreciation for what she had done.

The man explained that his wife was the kind of person who just couldn’t relax if the house was messy. But between his own age limitations and the responsibility of caring for his wife, he was unable to keep up with many of the household chores. So when Watkins had come in and cleaned their home for free, it had allowed his wife to finally feel relaxed and at peace during her final days.

For Watkins, experiences like that are the reason why she does what she does.

“Anything we can do, in what is a very dark time in their life… we never forget. I remember every one of these clients I’ve ever had,” she said.

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