I started Obsessive Cleaning Disorder LLC in 2022 after a decade-long career in software and IT, as an escape from what I would later realize, or confirm, was neurodevelopmental disabilities.

 

For me, it started with AuDHD (...if those are decidedly are disabilties - I'm not convinced).  Incidentally, the business was not originally or intentionally named after obsessive compulsive disorder, but rather as a way to describe myself...and well, "cleaning" happens to start with a "c", creating that acronym.  Obsession & compulsion are part of ADHD, and I choose to live doing what I enjoy, and what I am naturally good at.

 

My first 132 reviews on TaskRabbit were all 5 stars, and having serviced thousands of Pittsburgh homes, and immersed myself in industry knowledge for several years, you could say our team qualifies as "industry experts" at this point. 

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I often spend 2-5 hours cleaning a bathroom (at least the first time), which at a professional level is not rare, but I'm not someone who knows what a "quick clean" means.  My teams have spent 14 hours in a kitchen. 

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Of course, education regarding disabilities is important. While those of us with ADHD are traditionally known for being unfocused, its because ADHD was named poorly; the attention deficit is a myth! We call our obsessions "hyperfixations" in the ADHD world, and sometimes we can't stop. Its the action of "switching" between tasks as soon as we're asked to, that's problematic for us.  On the other hand...why should we need to? Quality work is done with focus, isn't it?

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Despite breaking stereoypes, we also know (and respect!) that some will disagree with our name choice, due to still-more stereotypes, that those with obsessive compulsive disorder face around cleaning. I am grateful that people care, who reach out to us to provide education on the topic, and who are driven to stick up for what is right. That's amazing. 

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We neurodivergent folk tend to have a strong sense of justice, and personally, I'm proud of us for it!

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We've serviced quite a few clients with OCD, who we've consulted with, asked for input, and developed wonderful relationships with. To be clear though, individual's who take offense are not "wrong" either, and its still their right to make that choice!​

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There you have it. Ultimately, our history was simple. After a 10-year career in software, I woke up on an otherwise normal day - on my best friend's birthday - and I decided to quit my tech job to clean. I happened to already have a 1:1 meeting scheduled with my manager that morning too, so I thought...well, there's no time like the present. Those of us with ADHD tend to be comfortable with risk. ​

While I choose to lean into the positive side my neurodivergent traits, the symptoms can of course waver between incredibly powerful and out-of-nowhere debilitating at a given moment.  The lines that we draw between education, navigating our "disorders", and celebrating them, is akin to what we programmers call "spaghetti code" (...a logical mess)...and sometimes it's best to start over, and take the opportunity to re-align expectations. Our values are to be intentional, be articulate, and to lean into our strengths to improve quality of life for anyone that we come across.  As we often say, "it has to get messier before it gets cleaner!"