I was away for a couple of days this past weekend and came home to, I have to say, a bit of a mess. I had packed very quickly, tossing things to the side, leaving them for “later.” Well, later came around —and I have yet to be in the mood to sort through all the clutter. I had to laugh when I knew I'd be speaking with cleaning expert, Cindy Inman of New Rochelle… how did she know I was owner of a big ol' mess? Well, we didn't get personal. After all, my clutter is my problem. Her specialty is the actual cleaning end of things… something I'll tackle once I pick up the mess from my floor. But had I brought it up, I knew she wouldn't give me a hard time about it — one of the first things she said to me about coming into a client's home was “I do this in a fun way, and I don't come with judgment.”

I still remember that enthusiasm that came through my friend and colleague Linda Lombroso's story on Inman last year. Through her company, Ask Cindy, Inc., Inman offers super-detailed home (and commercial) cleaning services. Here she is, in a photo taken by another of my colleagues, Carucha L. Meuse, for that story: While I do have my own cleaning issues, I was speaking to Inman to get a few more details about her newest venture, her own branded cleaning products which are now featured on her Web site www.askcindyhow.com.

“I have a lot of fun tools that I'm now sharing,” she said, mentioning the Ask Cindy glass cleaner and the Ask Cindy stainless-steel polish, in particular. Not the most exciting thing to shop for, to be sure, but even I have to admit — a necessity. Inman told me that people are indeed overcome by the idea of a large cleaning project. “I am there for everyone because it can be overwhelming,” she said. Her site is full of tips and ideas, things she also offers through seminars. She was telling me that she's now expanding to work with some appliance stores and companies to offer presentations to shoppers. After all, if you're going to invest in a fancy new appliance, you want to be sure and keep it clean, right?

And throughout the process Inman tries to keep it simple. She mentioned that giant Martha Stewart book on housekeeping, for example. “It's a very good encyclopedia for me,” she said with a laugh. But it's not the way she would offer advice. “I try to do it in a very fun way. I try to do it in a way that will limit the steps to success.” Check out Inman's site, especially if you're curious on how to keep all those lovely things you buy in likenew condition. And I have to warn the world's restaurants and restrooms — you just might be her next target. “The world is dirty,” Inman said. “It really annoys my senses and all the sensibilities.” Hey, I'll do my part this weekend to clean up my own little world. The public places, I'll leave to Inman's next venture.