Did Ohio woman Susan Warren once break into home, clean it and leave bill for her services?

A rumor circulating online in early February 2026 claimed that an Ohio woman once broke into someone’s home, cleaned it and left a $75 bill in an effort to attract new customers for her cleaning business.

Users shared the claim on social media platforms like Instagram (archived), alleging that the woman was arrested after a girl who was asleep inside the home called the police when she discovered her mother had not hired a cleaner. 

The claim that an Ohio woman broke into a home, cleaned it and left a bill for her services is true. 

The Westlake Police Department arrested the woman, identified as Susan Warren, on May 29, 2012, according to the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts. We’ve embedded a PDF of the case record below. 

The case record shows Warren, dubbed the “Cleaning Fairy,” posted a $5,000 bail on June 9, 2012, and later pleaded guilty to charges of attempted burglary and trespassing in a habitation when a person is present. 

Snopes reached out to the Westlake Police Department for a copy of Warren’s arrest record and will update this article if we receive a response. 

On June 1, 2012, ABC News reported details of Warren’s arrest that matched those included in the case record. According to the report, Warren broke into a home in Westlake, Ohio, and “vacuumed the carpet, cleaned up the play room and removed the trash,” without realizing a woman was asleep in the house. 

The woman, identified as Mallory Bush, told a Cleveland ABC News affiliate that when she woke, items in the house had been moved and “it was cleaner.” Bush also found a note on a napkin that read, “Came here to clean today,” which included a name, address and a bill for $75. She assumed her parents had hired a cleaner, the news report said.

According to the report, Bush’s mother told her daughter that they did not hire a cleaner and to call the police. 

FOX 8 News in Cleveland interviewed Warren on camera after she was released from jail. In a YouTube video dated June 13, 2012, Warren told the interviewer, “I never stole anything, I left a bill on a napkin, which was very unprofessional, I get that. I just needed money… I realize I made a mistake. I just lost two weeks of my life.”

Snopes could not immediately reach Warren for comment. The phone number listed on Warren’s business page was no longer in service. 

On Jan. 24, 2013, ABC News reported another incident involving Warren in which she was arrested “for shoveling someone’s driveway without their permission.” 

In that instance, Lorain County Correction Officer Anthony Conrod told ABC News, “We arrested her because she had a warrant out of Cuyahoga County. She was wanted for probation violation.”

A verified business page for Sue Warren Cleaning on the business directory website Manta was linked in the ABC News report from June 1, 2012. The page listed the business at a location in Elyria, Ohio, and displayed negative reviews that appeared to refer to Warren’s arrest. 

All of the reviews were posted between May 31 to June 2, suggesting users wrote them after learning the news of Warren’s 2012 arrest. The reviews did not feature the year they were posted in the timestamp. 

One negative review of Warren’s cleaning business read, “This woman is a complete criminal, breaking into homes and then demanding payment. I hope the judge throws the book at her.” 

However, another user wrote, “Sue you can come over and clean my house anytime. I’m very busy & need a good house keeper.”