Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Bergen County
Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Ep # 147 Family-Run Cleaning That Treats Your Home Like Home
Need a cleaning service that treats your home like their own? Meet Roberto Abru, the Brazilian-born co-founder of RAB Cleaning Services, who turned a small residential side hustle into a trusted, 23-year, family-run operation serving New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. We dig into the human side of building a service business—what it takes to earn trust, keep the same trained people on recurring jobs, and grow by listening closely to what clients actually need.
Roberto walks us through the company’s evolution from routine house cleaning to a robust lineup: deep cleans before parties and moves, post‑construction cleanup, appliance detailing for ovens and refrigerators, and emergency response for leaks and floods. Then there’s the outside: window cleaning, power washing patios and pool areas, roof soft washing, and gutter work that pairs perfectly with spring cleaning and outdoor refreshes. The jump into commercial cleaning came naturally when loyal clients asked RAB to maintain their offices and clinics; with the right training and insurance, the team built a dependable presence in professional spaces where reliability and compliance matter.
We also explore the reality of running a small business after COVID: embracing a website, social media, and marketing to stay visible; tightening hiring with background checks to protect clients; and solving language gaps by sending a supervisor who can translate and set expectations during early visits. Through it all, Roberto’s immigrant story shines—gratitude, hard work, and a clear promise to care for every space with respect.
If you’re a homeowner craving consistent results or a business owner seeking a licensed, insured partner, this conversation offers practical insight and a path to stress-free maintenance. Subscribe for more local business stories, share this episode with a neighbor, and leave a review to help others find the show.
RAB Services LLC
Robert Abreu
New York · New Jersey · Stroudsburg, PA · Penn, PA
(973) 393-8050
rabcleaningservices.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
SPEAKER_01:Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. I am your host, Doug Drone from the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. Today we are joined by Roberto Abru. Roberto is a Brazilian native, uh, but now resides in Bergen County and owns RAB cleaning services. Roberto, uh, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. Thank you, Doha. So to host me, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, uh, I wish I could say a little bit more than uh uh. I guess I could say to the bain, right?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, you're doing great, you're doing great. Uh you're doing better than me. You're doing better than better than me.
SPEAKER_01:I think we talked about this. I've been to Brazil twice, I've been to Portugal two or three times. Um, yeah, that's great.
SPEAKER_02:In Brazil, you've been to Brazil as well. Yeah, I've been I've been to Sao Paulo twice.
SPEAKER_01:My old my previous career took me there.
SPEAKER_02:So that's great. That's made you a smart man talking, yeah. Different language.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so so tell me. Um, so you're from what part of Brazil are you from?
SPEAKER_02:Um, I'm from Goiás. It's uh it's like I say, like by Brazilia, by um um I'll say southwest in the country.
SPEAKER_01:It's like yeah, okay, and and when did you come to uh to the states?
SPEAKER_02:Uh to the states I came first in January 2000. Um okay. I first came here. I was blessed to come to this uh to this blessed country, and um I my wife as well. Uh she's Brazilian, and uh we met here, but we met here, never never met before. And we made a family here, and I'm so blessed to be here for 25 years.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So um, so when did RAB services start? When did you guys launch that business?
SPEAKER_02:Uh the business started right when I got here, like um I start to work in the cleaning uh industry, but uh we used to work for um big companies. Um, and then uh in 2002, um the business, our business launched because um my wife used to work um as a clean service, um residential clean service, and um one day she came to me and um asked, why don't we uh work together? And um we can help more people and help ourselves and we can work together. And then I think a little bit because I was back on time, I was like um a little bit concerned about that because I have uh you know a um a study job, like a good job, a good paid job, and um um insurance and everything, and then I was afraid to uh leave everything behind. And um I think for a you know um a couple days, and then I told her, you know what, um let's do this because uh we're gonna you know we're gonna um add together and you know and do our business. And um, but and then we start from there, um, 2002. We launched our our company.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. So um obviously there's a lot of competition when it comes to cleaning services, but there certainly is a need, right? On your on your website, it says tired of cleaning. And I think um, you know, one of the um, you know, one of the benefits, I guess, for you for being in northern Bergen County is that people are busy, they have a lot of uh dual income families, you know, both husband and wife are working. Yes, the time to clean is uh less and less. So they need help, but they also have the money to pay for it. So um I guess that's why you know the cleaning business has become so populated with other with lots of companies. So what do you what do you guys do that's different um than other cleaning services?
SPEAKER_02:Well, as um um we've been blessed to be in the air, like you said, in the Bergen County and North New Jersey. And uh uh we've been blessed to to meet so many good people. Um uh the thing is uh we are based on operator company, uh family base. Um uh think about family base. Uh we think like um ever each home that we go in to clean, we think like our own home. And uh me and my wife, we we try to we strive to make sure that uh we're gonna bring the same personal always on the serves and make sure that we're gonna meet 100% of satisfaction on our clients. We um try to go beyond the expectation on the SERFs, uh making sure that we're gonna um um achieve. And uh we focus on uh on like long-time uh relationship, not just one-time clean. Even if they call me and ask for a one-time clean, I'm gonna go over and gonna do that uh with passion and make sure with the team that um works like um our own home.
SPEAKER_01:Right, right. Okay. And you have a whole um kind of host of different services. It's you know, there's the the uh typical, I guess, residential, but you guys do things like emergency cleaning. So if I had a leak in my a flood in my basement or um, you know, the washing machine or the dishwasher, right? If there's something like that, is that what emergency cleaning is? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, yes. We do all that. Uh we start like a uh back on 2002, we start like uh residential basically residential clean. And then sometimes a customer used to request, like, uh, I'm gonna have a part and you would like uh some deep clean, or uh, I'm gonna move out, I'm gonna need a deep clean, and then we start to uh get more specialized on those types of service, and um like uh as I have a passion on clean and and uh passion on what I do because um on top of that I have a family to feed and I have to make sure I have to make sure that uh you know I'm gonna do my best for my clients. Um I start to get specialized doing training, uh bring my team uh doing training as well. Um, and then some customers start to request like uh things like uh power washing on the their patio, on the on the backyard, on around the pool, stuff like that, and then we start to specialize on that. So that's uh after um I'll say 23 years, we get like this uh range of service that we can offer professionally.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. So the um so the the spring cleaning, um, I mean it's it's you know it's not just um indoors, you also do you help them outdoors as well, or is it mostly everything indoors?
SPEAKER_02:No, you do outdoor as well. Uh we do like um indoors, like uh spring clean, we do like um um organization as well, like if you need uh your basement organized or garage organized, we do as well. And uh, but most of the spring clean the our customer they request like for the outside, like for around like uh for uh on the backyards, on uh windows clean, like outside windows clean, yeah, or stuff like that. Power washing around the house, uh roofing power washing, daughter clean.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, is that is that where you see a like a growth in your business?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, doing things like that. So I've been um we've been blessed with that because um we first we had that mentality like of um when you start some business, we try to um to get specialized in one thing. And then uh me and my wife used to talk and and say, okay, you're gonna do our best on residential clean service. And then some customers uh start to ask some extra, like uh I have a customer's um that they're professional, they are uh doctors, they have a doctor's office, and then um they request to clean their office. And then um on the beginning, I used to uh to think, uh, it's gonna be no, I I do clean uh uh residential clean service, I'm not gonna go into commercial. Um I I start to like uh resitate a little bit, and then I start to after that, uh I start to get like I I used to tell my clients back in there, um, okay, I'm gonna uh do some research and then I'm gonna do the clean for you. And then I start to to grow on the business like that. And then after that came all those, you know, um uh requires for um for the business, yeah, insurance, etc. And then it's all came along.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, yeah. So, you know, people think of um you know residential cleaning, they think about their typical stuff, right? Their rooms, the bathrooms, kitchens, and things like that, but you guys go beyond that. And um, yeah, I mean it's you know, as a business, you've been around for 20 almost 25 years, 23 years. So, you know, it's I guess it's natural in the car course of a business that's been around for so long, because most businesses don't last five years, to see there's other needs from your clients, and it goes beyond just the interior. And even on the interior, you guys do things like oven cleaning, refrigerator cleaning, um, you know, yeah, uh oven cleaning. Right. If they're doing some renovation, you do some post-construction cleaning and things like that. That that's great. Yeah, so um so what has been, I guess, the uh I always like to ask a lot of business owners like what has been the the joy and maybe the challenges of being a business owner, regardless of the business that you're in. What have been the greatest uh kind of uh triumphs, if you will, of the things you've enjoyed the most and some of the biggest frustrations or challenges?
SPEAKER_02:Well, um, yes, I have uh uh many things to point as a uh that I enjoy because um I love what I do, and uh we we enjoy a lot every single day. For me, it's like um enjoyment for to go out and um do my job. But we have a lot of challenge, especially like after the COVID, when COVID hit us. That time was like um very challenge for uh for the business because still then I used to uh my wife and I, we used to like think uh not very into technology. We used to think like uh, okay, you're gonna go out and do our job, do our best, and that's it. But and then I see uh the need for um you know to expand a little more because back on time we have a uh like I said, we have a family, and then um I see uh it starts some struggling with uh because was everything study normal, okay, and then one day to another, everything came and boom, and hit us. Yes, and then was like a kind of challenge, and then I start to think I would say like out of the box, like think more like in go technology, do some website, uh go into social media and uh do some uh marketing, advertisement. So that's kind of a challenge is still because uh we you have um like sometimes with um uh there's a many companies in the market, and you know, uh some big companies they they uh focus on make some money. Um we love to take care of our customers, and um sometimes um for a small business like us, uh there's some struggling doing that. But um we're so blessed to say we have more like enjoyment than struggling.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I know during COVID, A, there was the problem of getting into people's homes, and then there was the issue of staffing because a lot of people decided to not work intake. I I know we had a cleaning service, she was actually Brazilian, and um she ended up dropping us because she didn't have any staff and she couldn't do it anymore. She had to cut back on her on her clients, and I guess we weren't um important enough to keep us, but it was you know it was a challenge because exactly was a very solid time, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And it's still because um it's like after that, uh like uh we we try if you're gonna go into our home to clean, I gonna make sure that I'm gonna bring uh you know personal that I can trust. So in order that when we we hire someone, we have to go background check and everything, and um it's hard because some people still like um it's short age of um yeah of um helpers.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. So um to that point, one of the challenges with an English-only speaking household is I, you know, I've had cleaning services where everybody, the staff that comes to my house, nobody can speak English, and I don't speak Spanish very well, or I don't speak Portuguese very well. So there's a there's a challenge when you want to say something to them. What do you guys do in in those instances? Like, does anybody in your staff uh speak English when they go to an English-speaking household? Or um, like how do people uh communicate with your staff if they're oh, I need you to, you know, please clean my refrigerator today, or you know what, you know what I'm saying? That that's been a challenge.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I I understand that. Um, yes, that's another uh uh challenge that we have. Uh most of the time I have uh if I am not or me, myself, or my wife, it's not with the team at home, at least when uh we start the search, like at least uh four or three times after for recurrent um clients. Um we uh have he dropped off, right?
SPEAKER_01:Well, right, we'll wait until he gets back. There he is, back on. There you go. Okay, there you are.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. Uh we have our um our supervisor on the on with the team, and our supervisor most of the time they um they understand and speak he speaks English. So um that's that's what help most, but most of the time we try to be with the team because that's another challenge, and do we have uh to make sure that they understand the whole team understand what our the clients need.
SPEAKER_01:Right. Okay. So how do how do people um how do they reach you? Like what's the best way to to find you?
SPEAKER_02:Um the most um easiest way is to by uh calling us um our number 973 393 8050. Or uh we are in the social media now on uh Instagram. Um our Instagram is RAB Services L L C. Okay all together. Or our website, uh it's a www rav cleaning service.com.
SPEAKER_01:Got it, got it. Yeah, great. So now you obviously you service New Jersey, you service Bergen County, but you also go outside, you're in uh Pennsylvania, New York as well, is that correct?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, correct. Yes. Uh we've been um yeah, in Pennsylvania and New York as well. Uh most of um the clients over um Pennsylvania, it's like commercial clients. It's um like I said, some customers from uh New Jersey, they have offs over there, and then we we serve them as well.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, or I went on your Instagram um you know page, and you actually have a shout-out to the Good Neighbor Podcast. So thanks for that. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. So uh this is great. Uh Robert, I I really appreciate you uh you sharing with us. I think one of the you know, the the guest I had on my show earlier today, she was uh from China, and um I had three shows on Tuesday, and one of my guests was born in Brooklyn, but his parents came over from Russia. Oh, that's great Cold War in the 80s. So, you know, there's always that immigrant um, you know, story that I I love to hear, you know, whether you're a first generation immigrant or you're an immigrant yourself, and you know, to to use a cliche, you know, search for that American dream. But I think the you know, the stories that we we share on this podcast are, you know, why and how people have been able to do what they do, and it and it can give inspiration for other people, whether they're born in the US or not, but give them the inspiration to do what you've done. And I really appreciate you sharing that with us today. Um, and you know, let's just go over one more time uh how people would reach you. The phone number is 973-393-8050. Yes, the website is rabcleaning services.com. It's the same if you look for them on Instagram and social media. Uh, was there anything else that you you wanted to just weave before um you know before we say goodbye?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, on uh Instagram just RAB Services L L C.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, got it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, yeah, yeah. And then what's another thing is uh, yes, like you mentioned, like uh many immigrants they come to this country, and uh we are blessed, like as an immigrant, I can say um we are blessed to come here and be welcome in this country and this beautiful country. And um it's the good thing is um if you are honest people, if you are um hard-work people, you can achieve uh you know, you can come over here and and make your life and grow your family. And I'm so blessed to you know to be here.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, no, that's great. And what I just wanted to go back to you do a lot of residential services, but you also do commercial. So anybody listening owns a business and they need uh you know a reliable and trusted cleaning service. You you guys offer that as well.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, we offer that as well. We are fully licensed and insured and uh trust company.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's great. That's great. So, Robert, uh obrigado, uh, you know, for being on our show. That's all I can say. I don't know how to say it. How would I say thank you for being on the show in Portuguese?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, obrigado for starting the show hoje comigo.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, comido, okay. Well, thank you very much. We uh you and I will be right back. We're just gonna have a um a little uh, you know, uh Chuck is my friend here. He's gonna say goodbye, and then you and I will be right back.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen.com. That's gnpbergen.com or call 201 298 8325.