A Cleaner Place is located in Walnut Village at 122 and North Rockwell in Oklahoma City. It’s a locally owned, family business. They sell and repair vacuums and also sell natural cleaners, personal care products and more. We were able to interview A Cleaner Place’s co-owner Jeanie Jones, here is what she had to say about the store.
Steve Fuhrman & Jeanie Jones owners of A Cleaner Place
GO: What made you decide to start A Cleaner Place?
JJ: Steve had a Vacuum Cleaner Store in California. When we got married, we moved to OK, home for me. Our first location in OK, we used the name VacShack, which was the name of his store in CA. When we moved to our current location, November, 2009, we changed the name to reflect what we do. I started using natural cleaning products because of my own sensitivities. I used to make all my own, before they were available commercially. Steve carried some cleaning products and I convinced him to try greener alternatives. Now we look for products that are natural, sustainable and regionally-made, whenever possible. That has expanded into not just Vacuum Cleaners, Floor Cleaning Products, Cleaning Supplies but also Kitchen Gadgets and Personal Care Products.
GO: Why is it important to you that your business is eco-friendly?
JJ: We want to offer things that are healthy for our customers. Our tagline, Your Clean & Healthy Home Store, is what we are all about. We don’t believe you can have healthy without clean and vice versa. Healthy for our Environment is a natural extension of that philosophy. We both grew up on farms and agree that more natural, getting back to nature is good for us, the next generation, our pets and our precious planet.
GO: What’s the best advice about going green you have ever gotten?
JJ: It still has to work.
GO: If someone was going to try just one of your products which would you recommend?
JJ: Wow! That is a hard question. I guess it would be Pet Odor Eliminator by Unique Manufacturing. It can be used for what it says, but also for any organic stain or odor. It can replace so many products and can be diluted and used as a spray, as well. It is completely natural and was in existence and eco-friendly before eco-friendly was cool.
GO: Why do you feel it’s important to shop locally?
JJ: The local shops are our neighbors. They have a vested interest in the success of their business, which means they care about us as customers. You get much better service from them. But, the reason it’s important is because the money you spend stays here. You are supporting people who choose to make their home in the same community that you do. More like-minded, they care more about the things that you do.
GO: What is your favorite thing to do in Oklahoma?
JJ: Watch Sooner Football, of course! Really, anything that involves getting together with friends. The people are Oklahoma’s greatest resource.
GO: Other than your own business what is your favorite eco-friendly business in Oklahoma?
JJ: Braum’s. I know it is not what people typically think of, but I love that they have their own dairy and are only major ice cream maker in the country that milks its own cows. Buying local is the best kind of sustainability, in my opinion. I love their fresh markets. From their website: “We have always believed that the natural way is the best way.”
Hope you enjoyed getting to learn more about A Cleaner Place and the face behind the business. Be sure to let us know other local green businesses you would like to see featured. Just post in the comments below, on our Facebook page or email us at gogreenokla@gmail.com.
