• White Glove Elite

  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!”

From the 2004 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine