By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

When Alabaster resident Melissa Payton began cleaning houses around the area a few years ago, she soon realized the job was an answer to her prayers.

In the wake of her father’s death, the stress of Payton’s former waitressing job began to wear on her, and she began to pray for another career path to present itself.

“I love cleaning, and I always have,” Payton said. “It’s been amazing since we started doing this. God has opened so many doors.”

Not long after Payton and her husband, Steven, began the 2 Buckets and a Vacuum Cleaning Service, Steven Payton left his former job to join the cleaning service full-time.

In the beginning, the Paytons set a goal of cleaning about five or six houses a week. Today, the number has grown exponentially, allowing the business to hire additional staff.

“We do anywhere from five to seven houses a day now,” Melissa Payton said with a laugh. “We have something like 60 or 70 clients now, and we have only been doing it for three years. It’s been amazing.”

Every day brings something different for the family, as nearly every house, commercial property and church must be cleaned differently. The Paytons’ son, Dustin, helps clean during the summer, and the family is looking to hire a new part-time employee to help handle some of the cleaning load, most of which is from repeat customers.

“We love what we do. I love the hustle and bustle of it, because it’s never the same each day,” Melissa Payton said. “It’s very physically demanding.”

She said the company caters cleaning packages to its clients’ needs, and said services include everything from sweeping and mopping to dusting and cleaning bathrooms.

“If we can touch it, we clean it. That’s pretty much our motto,” Melissa Payton said. “I am very detailed, and I don’t like to take shortcuts.”

The family offers service throughout Shelby and Jefferson counties, and offers weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and occasional cleaning service packages. The business charges by the job, not by the hour, she said.

For more information about 2 Buckets and a Vacuum Cleaning Service, call 358-6492 or visit 2bucketsandavacuum.com.