Smarter. Simpler. Stronger: How Technology and AI Are Redefining the Cleaning Industry
Welcome back to the Five Door Media Podcast! In Season 4, we’re diving deep into what’s next for the cleaning industry, from automation and data to AI and the systems that make growth scalable.
In this episode, we sat down with Tom Stewart, CEO and Co-Founder of Maid Central, one of the most powerful software platforms built by cleaning professionals for cleaning professionals.
Tom’s story is unique: before building software, he built one of the most respected residential cleaning companies in the country, Castle Keepers. He knows firsthand the day-to-day realities of running crews, managing customers, and trying to squeeze profit from an unpredictable schedule.
Now, he’s leading the charge on how technology, data, and AI can simplify operations - and make cleaning companies not just bigger, but smarter.
Here’s what stood out from our conversation.
From Analog Chaos to AI Clarity
Tom has been around long enough to remember when “marketing” meant yellow page ads and “operations” meant three-ring binders. If a customer rescheduled a job, you’d literally take the paper out of the binder and move it.
Fast forward three decades, and software has revolutionized how cleaning businesses run. But as Tom explained, that’s just the beginning.
Today, cleaning business software isn’t just about managing a calendar, it’s about managing profitability. The real evolution? Moving from sales-based systems (how to sell and schedule more) to profit-based systems (how to make each job more valuable).
That shift (from “more homes cleaned” to “more profit per home”) is what separates the sustainable companies from the ones just staying busy.
Profit Is the New Growth Metric
“Revenue is for vanity. Profit is for sanity.”
For years, cleaning companies measured success by how many homes they cleaned each week. But as the industry matured, that number stopped telling the whole story.
Maid Central changes that equation. Instead of chasing volume, it helps owners understand their payroll-to-revenue ratio, a simple but powerful metric that tracks how much of every dollar earned goes toward labor.
If you can reduce that percentage without underpaying staff (by increasing productivity and optimizing scheduling), your profits go up, your team earns more, and your stress goes down.
“We can help owners lower their payroll-to-revenue ratio not by paying less, but by helping technicians be more productive,” Tom explained. “It’s about making more money from the homes you’re already cleaning.”
That’s not just smart business, that’s sustainability.
Data: The New Competitive Edge
Tom credits one principle for Maid Central’s approach to software: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Every cleaning business runs on numbers, but not every owner understands which ones matter. Tom calls them the 12 Core KPIs, a model that lets companies forecast their future performance months ahead.
With the right data, Maid Central can predict what your next quarter will look like and help you adjust now to hit your goals later.
“Without data, you’re just cleaning homes and keeping your fingers crossed,” Tom said. “With it, you can make informed changes to grow profitably.”
That’s a game-changer for an industry that’s traditionally run on instinct, not analytics.
The Five-Hop Process: From Data to Decisions
Collecting data is one thing, but turning it into action is another. Tom broke down Maid Central’s process into what he calls a “five-hop journey”:
Data: Accurate, real-time information.
Reports: Clear ways to visualize performance.
Exception Reports: Focused insights on what actually needs attention.
Suggestions: Actionable recommendations based on the data.
Automation: AI-driven systems that eventually do the work for you.
That last hop is where Maid Central’s newest innovation, MaidSense, comes in. Think of it as ChatGPT for your cleaning business. You can ask it questions about your operations, customers, or profitability, and it answers instantly using your company’s own data.
“The idea of logging into software, pulling reports, and sorting through them is going away,” Tom said. “Soon you’ll just ask a question and get an answer.”
AI Is Not the Future, It’s the Now
The cleaning industry is on the edge of an AI revolution, whether we’re ready or not.
Maid Central’s new AI-driven features, like MaidSense and Maid Central Pulse, are built around Agentic AI (systems that don’t just analyze, but act).
Here’s what that looks like:
A scheduler AI that notices a last-minute cancellation automatically texts nearby clients and fills the gap.
A performance tracker that flags underpriced jobs or unprofitable routes and recommends changes.
A training assistant that helps technicians identify surfaces or cleaning products on the fly using an AI-powered wearable.
“Humans aren’t going away,” Tom said. “They’re just going to be more productive and the results are going to be better.”
The takeaway? AI doesn’t replace people. It amplifies them.
Building an “AI-First” Mindset
Of course, new technology comes with new fears, especially from team members who wonder if AI might replace their role.
Tom’s advice? Start with transparency and education.
“There’s a term called ‘AI First,’” he said. “It means setting the expectation that everyone asks: how can I do this with AI? How can AI help me do this better?”
By giving staff learning opportunities and involving them in the process, owners can help teams see AI not as a threat, but as a tool for growth.
The goal isn’t replacement, it’s empowerment.
Profit, People, and Purpose
When asked how to balance technology with leadership, Tom framed it around three stakeholders:
The technicians who get out of bed to clean homes every day.
The customers who trust your business.
The owners who create opportunities for both.
“If you run a profitable business, everyone wins,” Tom said. “If you don’t, no one does.”
Profit isn’t greed, it’s sustainability. It’s what allows owners to pay fairly, provide benefits, and build a business that lasts.
And as Maid Central proves, the right software doesn’t just manage tasks, it creates win-win-win outcomes across every layer of the business.
Why Change Beats Comfort
So what separates companies that thrive with technology from those that struggle? It’s not budget. It’s mindset.
Tom calls it the willingness to embrace change and to understand that most decisions in tech are reversible.
“If you try something and it doesn’t work, the plane doesn’t fall out of the sky,” he joked. “You just learn, adapt, and move forward.”
That’s the attitude that separates leaders from laggards. The ones who test, tweak, and improve will always stay ahead of the ones waiting for “perfect timing.”
The 60-Second Case for Technology
At the end of our interview, we asked Tom a tough one: If you had 60 seconds to convince a skeptical cleaning business owner to invest in software, what would you say?
His answer was simple and spot-on:
“It’s 2025. You’re competing for the same talent as every other industry. The only way to win is to have the right tech stack that helps your people generate more revenue per week. That’s how you create great jobs, great service, and a great business. Without the right technology, none of that happens.”
Final Thoughts
The cleaning industry is evolving fast and Maid Central is one software company leading that charge. From analog notebooks to AI agents, Tom Stewart’s journey shows that technology doesn’t replace the human touch, it strengthens it.
At the end of the day, great software, solid data, and smart automation don’t just clean homes more efficiently. They create stronger companies, happier teams, and more profitable owners. Because when you combine technology + people, you don’t just scale a business, you redefine what’s possible.
