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Want to hear what it’s like to clean a 200-year-old house where history lingers—and sometimes taps you on the shoulder? We sit down with Amber Starr to explore Gaines Tavern in Walton, Kentucky, a city-owned landmark built in 1813 that demands gentle hands, careful products, and a steady nerve. Amber walks us through the reality of maintaining original floors, why harsh chemicals are a no-go, and how seasonal shutdowns shape a deep-clean rhythm that respects the building’s age and character.

The stories come alive fast: faint footsteps in empty rooms, a flicker at the edge of sight, and a moment when a child’s hand was met by another, unseen and small. We trace the house’s layered past, from the upstairs ballroom stabbing to the orchard tragedy of Lizzie Rice, and connect those memories to the practical choices cleaners must make to protect fragile surfaces. Amber shares why she only cleans in daylight, how lamp-lit rooms complicate evening work, and what it means to be both cleaner and caretaker in a place that holds its own narrative. Along the way, we touch on regional lore—Gaines Crossing’s stagecoach days and nearby Waverly Hills—and consider how stories become part of stewardship.

There’s a business blueprint here too. Amber’s contract began with curiosity and community: a ghost walk, a conversation, and a phone call from the mayor’s office. We break down the networking moves that matter—showing up, carrying cards, offering preservation-friendly methods—and how a TV interview with Haunted Discoveries turned a unique job into a clear niche. If you’ve ever wondered how to win historic-property work, or how to market “haunted cleaning” without gimmicks, this conversation maps the territory with honesty and warmth.

If you enjoyed this story-forward dive into history, hauntings, and the craft of care, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves old houses, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Your support keeps these living places and their stories in the light

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Erica Paynter is the brains behind My Virtual Bookkeeper, a bookkeeping firm for cleaning companies, and the creator of Clean Co. Cash Flow Academy and the Clean Co. Collective. She’s on a mission to help cleaning business owners make sense of their numbers without boring them to tears! Erica’s all about turning messy books into profit-packed powerhouses.

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Thanks for tuning in to Cleaning Business Life — the podcast for cleaning business owners who want to build a profitable, sustainable company without burning out.

Hosted by Shannon Miller and Jamie Runco, each episode pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to start, grow, and scale a cleaning business — covering pricing, systems, leadership, boundaries, and the real conversations most people avoid.

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Because in life — and in business — clean is just the beginning.

— Shannon & Jamie