April Newsletter Update

Denver Concierge on April 10, 2015

Happy Spring 2015

We are so happy that spring is finally here. Another weird winter, with record snow in Denver for the month of February. In case you didn’t know, we broke a record that stood for 100 years!!! Boy are we glad that’s over. Now, as we enter spring with birds chirping and baseball starting, our moods have certainly improved! We love spring cleaning and realize that we can’t be in your home every day, so we included a very awesome list of green cleaning tips that you can use while we are away. The article includes 10 products you can make yourself right at home (some of these we actually use in homes as well, like vinegar). To learn more, visit the folks at Green America here. Wishing you a fabulous Spring!

 Jacque Stevens

Partners We Love

We aren’t sure about you, but we get so busy taking care of business that we sometimes don’t do a great job of taking care of ourselves. One of the folks in town that can help is Jacque Stevens over at Body Renewed. Her company specializes in non-traditional fitness approaches, including new technology such as a recumbent bicycle that uses infrared light to eliminate cellulite and detox the body. Beyond the cool technology, we love that they approach fitness from a holistic standpoint and are very creative and different in their approach. In short, this is no regular gym. So if your New Year’s fitness resolution has fallen by the wayside, give Jacque a call at 720.428.2347, or check out their site here  and they can help you get back on track! Mention that you saw her in our newsletter and you will receive a special offer.

 Spring Cleaning in Denver, CO

Spring Allergies

Here at Denver Concierge we take the bad with the good. As you may have heard…we love Spring! What we don’t love as much are the allergies that come with it. After all that moisture over the winter (see snow record above) we are expecting a pretty robust allergy season here in Colorado. We found some good information on surviving the allergy season on WebMD here.

Spring allergies in Denver
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Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I can honestly say our clients are the best in the industry. I know some of this is due to the fact that we have been in business so long and have known many of you for years. Still, when I get calls about different topics or things “just because I thought you’d like to know”, that’s pretty amazing. No action necessary; just touching base. I mean, who gets calls like that from clients? And while I’m at it, thank you for the interesting articles, photos, trip descriptions, pet updates, family updates. I even received a lovely hyacinth plant to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Thank you for it all! You’re the best.

Vehicle Update

For those of you that don’t see our Facebook page or our occasional Tweet, we are proud to announce that we now have FIVE new vehicles on the road! Our fleet upgrade project is working well and our ladies are happy to be driving these shiny new vehicles around town. Our latest happy team is shown above. We hope you like these as much as we do, stay tuned for more updates!

Denver Concierge Fleet for cleaning

Denver Concierge Cleaning Fleet

Tax Season

We are guessing that this is a topic that you are as thrilled about as we are…tax season. Another unfortunate reality of life. Now that our complaining is done, we wanted to dive in and see if we can help even a little bit. We realize the deadline is right around the corner, but if you have procrastinated a little like we have been known to do, Forbes has published a comprehensive Tax guide for 2015. Obamacare requirements have kicked in, and there are other nuances going on this year that are new. Check out the nice resource here if you have questions or need information.

March Newsletter Update

Denver Concierge on March 10, 2015

Our Big News

We want to thank those of you that called or emailed to guess our big announcement. We had a lot of creative guesses (some we may actually steal and use) but no one got it right! Drum roll please……

We are upgrading our fleet! We are proud to announce our partnership with Peak Kia in Denver for the transition of our existing fleet to brand new all-wheel drive Kia Sorentos. Our ladies will be safer, warmer and happier in getting to your homes for sure, and the Colorado winters should be easier to navigate. Not to mention we think it will look a lot nicer sitting on your curb while we are inside working our magic! We took delivery of our first new vehicle in February and will be adding to our fleet each month. Yes, we kept our octopus who seems to be very popular with you all. Here is a look at the graphics, the full vehicle is further down in the newsletter. Take a look and let us know what you think!

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Denver Concierge VehicleRear
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Letter from the Owner

Every now and then, we get our fearless leader, John Kitts, to speak up about the business (OK, those of you that know him realize it’s impossible to keep him quiet mostly, but don’t tell him we said that). In that spirit, we asked him why, if he were a prospective client, would he choose Denver Concierge? What followed was a very thorough reminder, top to bottom, of what really makes Denver Concierge different and truly unique in the world of housecleaning. We posted it on our website, and the link can be found here. For those of you who haven’t seen our new site, this will give you a chance to check it out as well. As always, we welcome any feedback and we hope his comments increase your faith in us even further.

 

March Charity Events

For March, we are happy to be attending the Bal Swan Ball, held at the Omni Interlocken Resort on Saturday, March 7th. Bal Swan Children’s Center is a non-profit that assists families with their preschool children to better prepare them for life, and improve the relationships between parent and child. They also have amazing programs for children that have special developmental needs. They use innovative and proven techniques to ensure the best possible scenarios for preschoolers. Information on Bal Swan can be found here.  The event we are attending began in 1963 and will be attended by over 600 people supporting this great cause. Details on the event can be found on their website.

 
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Partners we Love

It is probably the right time to mention Peak Kia in Littleton. We searched high and low for someone to help us with our fleet and they won the prize. Everyone at the dealership has been outstanding, and they have completely delivered on all of their promises. Our representative, Grant Harrell is outstanding, and was key in us putting this program together. Peak Kia can be found here, and you can email Grant directly if you want to learn more. If you mention Denver Concierge to him, you will receive a nice surprise! We love our new Sorentos, and are looking forward to our brand new fleet! Thanks to Peak Kia for the great partnership!

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St Patricks Day

St. Patty’s Day Green
March is one of those months we love. Not only because it means spring is around the corner (no more snow!), but because of the “green” holiday known as St. Patty’s Day! Much like our tradition of being green, St. Patty’s Day traditions have been passed down for years. From cabbage to shamrocks, we can all identify with this holiday and its history. We found out a lot about St. Patty’s Day in our research, and realized that we had a lot to learn (like St. Patty’s day started with blue not green)! If you are curious about some of the myths behind this holiday, click here. In the meantime, know that by using Denver Concierge, you will be “green” not just in March, but year round! Happy St. Patty’s Day!

 
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Angela Danessi Denver Concierge

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I’ve been with Denver Concierge going on 15 years now (yikes!) and during that time I have gathered in my proverbial black book, quite a few names of reliable, honest and knowledgeable tradespeople from all different industries. I’d be more than happy to share if you are looking for help around your home. On the other hand, if you have someone fantastic that you would recommend feel free to send me their info and I’ll add it to the book.  Many of these names have come from your fellow Denver Concierge clients (thank you Bettie for the roofer recommendation.  I love those guys!).

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  May the luck of the Irish be with you!

 
Spring House Cleaning Denver

Spring Cleaning Specials

Don’t forget that we have some amazing specials heading into our busy spring cleaning season. You are probably aware we have referral bonuses where you can earn free cleans by recommending us to your friends and neighbors. You may not be aware that we have a 50% off special on initial cleans! There are rules to the promotion, and we are really looking for people that want to become clients. This offer gives folks a chance to try our services at a reduced rate, and hopefully fall in love with what we do. Give Angela a call at 303-975-2808 to learn more. As always, we appreciate your faith in us and your recommendations. Here is to a great spring!

Deep Cleaning Tips

Denver Concierge on February 25, 2015

Deep Cleaning Hacks2Deep Cleaning Tips

“Deep cleaning” are two words that inevitably evoke association a lot of efforts and sufferings. Maybe, you were doing it all wrong. Although you cannot omit it completely, you can make your life far easier. Get a thorough cleaning while saving times and money.

The Faucet

You can take care of the whole sink including the drains with green cleaning products. You will need baking soda, white vinegar, lemon, sea salt and a liquid dish washing soap. Bleach and strong acid, as well as abrasive cleaners may damage the stainless steel. Sprinkle the baking soda over the area, with a small amount of water running until you create paste. Place paper towels soaked in vinegar and let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove them and wash the sink with hot soapy water. Grab your old toothbrush and rub the difficult to reach parts. To clean the drain, put half a cup of baking soda and vinegar. Then pour boiling water. Finish by putting sliced lemon that will sanitize and aromatize the area.

The Oven

Haven’t cleaned your oven in while? Are you afraid to open it and see the damages? You can deal with the persistent stains, by placing a bowl filled with half a cup of ammonia in the cold oven. Leave for the night and rinse it the next day. You will find it a lot easier.

The Carpet

Use iron to remove very deep stains like the wax spots from your carpet. Put a clean cloth over the stain and then go over with the appliances. Not all of the stains can be removed with the iron, especially the oil one. Fear not! In this case you can use a completely green, efficient and cheap ingredient – baking soda. Sprinkle it over the spill and wait for about 10 minutes. The baking soda will soak the oil. Remove it with a vacuum cleaner. Then make a solution of two tablespoons of vinegar, two cups of hot water and a tablespoon of liquid dishwasher. Apply the mixture over the stain and let it stay for a couple for minutes. Wipe it up with a damp cloth or sponge. You can basically use it on any type of fabric. Say goodbye to the carpet steam cleaning.

The Blinds

This is quite a difficult area for cleaning and requires a lot of patience. Get a sock and soak it in a solution of equal parts and vinegar and water. Use the sock as a glove and clean the space between the window blinds.

The Shower

If you are sick and tired of rubbing the hard water deposits from your shower heads, you can now breathe a sigh of relief. Fill a plastic bag with distilled vinegar and fix it on the shower head with a rubber band.

Bathtub

Clean the annoying bathtub rings with a grapefruit juice and salt. Apply the salt over a wet tub and to scrub the surface until it’s clean.

House cleaning is a reoccurring task on your agenda and weather you like it or not you need to take care of it. Al least you can now do it the easy way.

For more helpful tips click here

Upholstery Cleaning

Denver Concierge on February 12, 2015

Upholstery Cleaning is a Must!

Denver House Cleaning TipsNo matter how high quality your upholstery fabric is but at some point it will need to get some deep cleaning. In fact, there are some upholstery fabrics that even require more than frequently cleaning practice. The cleaning requirements for each of the upholstery fabrics are different from one another. It is important to take care of the cleaning needs of the upholstery otherwise there are chances that your upholstered furniture can get damaged. The cleaning routine and the condition of the upholstered furniture also depend on the use of your furniture. The more the furniture is used the more cleaning it will require. The appearance of the upholstery can tell you a lot about its condition. People do invest a lot in the furnishing of their home and the major investment is made in furniture. The majority of the people do make use of soft upholstered furniture. The proper upholstery cleaning products must be used in order to keep your upholstered furniture ever green. Also, it will enhance their look as well. If you are not regularly cleaning up your upholstery then dirt and dust will settle down in your furniture. Regular vacuuming can also contribute a lot in the cleaning of upholstery. If you are not paying attention over the regular cleaning of the upholstered furniture then it might create bacteria and germs which are really unhygienic. The dirty upholstered furniture can provide breeding ground to these bacteria and germs. As a result, you get different kinds of allergies from them.

House Cleaning Denver tipsClean it regularly

It is recommended by majority of the professional cleaners and furniture makers that if you are going to keep the upholstered furniture then deep cleaning is a must twice a year. The cleaning also depends largely over how the upholstery is made. In many cases, the surface upholstery fabric is then having padding underneath to provide the cushion effect. Any kind of spill and stain also gets absorbed into this padding as it is normally made up of some foamy material. The usual and home made cleaning normally do not provide the complete cleaning and the padding stays the same unhygienic and dirty. Also, there are many kind of stains that leave their bad odor and the odor stinks the upholstery. It is very important to not only clean the surface but also clean the underneath your furniture items. This is the only way through which you can also get rid of the bad odor and dirty padding. Obviously, you cannot do this at your home.

February News

Denver Concierge on February 10, 2015

Partners We Love

One of our favorite people in Denver is Edie Marks of Kentwood Real Estate. On top of being one of the best Realtors the planet has ever seen, Edie is passionate about the Cancer League of Colorado and donates her time, money and effort to the cause. She is a great friend of Denver Concierge and we admire her tenacity and dedication to the causes she believes in. We will be attending the Hope Ball on May 9th and will also be donating a free green housecleaning in support of this wonderful cause. You can learn more about Edie at her website and about the Cancer League of Colorado here.

Charity Events

We love being involved in the community by attending different charitable events.

February 21
Joseph’s Journey

We will be attending a silent auction for Joseph’s Journey, a non-profit that assists terminally ill children via wilderness experiences. We will be donating a free green housecleaning to this event as well. If you would like to join us, there are some fabulous items to bid on. The event goes all day and there are some great bands going into the evening hours. The event is at Twisted Pine Brewery in Boulder.

February 27
High Rollers for Health
Hope for Project C.U.R.E.

If you aren’t familiar with Project C.U.R.E., it is an amazing organization. They provide medical supplies and equipment around the world for folks that cannot afford it and their founder, Doug Jackson is a great friend of Denver Concierge as well. Visit here for event information.
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Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I hope you enjoy February with all its special holidays. Speaking of special, I have heard from a few of you that you sometimes ask the ladies to do something special in the house and it doesn’t always get done. Perhaps they don’t completely understand. Please feel at ease calling me or emailing me with any requests. I am here early every morning for just that purpose; to act as liaison between client and team leader, and pass along any instructions or concerns you may have. Let me make it easier for you! Really!
Contact the Queen Bee

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Denver is Growing Fast

Forbes Magazine published the fastest growing cities in the U.S., and Denver came in 6th! The article can be found here. We are proud to be a member of such a dynamic and fast growing city!

How to be a Jedi

We love finding stuff that makes your lives easier. Read these two articles from Pansy Panda and Lifehack for ideas on stuck zippers, how long a dollar bill is (6 1/8″) and other useful tips and ideas!

Big Announcement Contest

Ok, so if it were really a big announcement right now it would be at the top of the page! That said, we have some big news and changes coming up at Denver Concierge that we believe will improve our service to you going forward.

Stay tuned in the months ahead for our exciting announcement!

Any of you that would like to GUESS at what might be coming can earn a free refrigerator clean if you are correct. Just give Angela or Alicia your best guess and we will tell you if you are right! The good news is even if you are wrong, we will let you in on our surprise!

What’s needed for a perfect rug and carpet cleaning

Denver Concierge on January 22, 2015

House Cleaning Denver: Tips and Tricks

Perfect house cleaningAt the end of the tenancy, it may be a time for a little bit of end of tenancy cleaning. The tenants should keep everything clean, but often that’s a mirage. The flawless services of a cleaning company are therefore all that you’re looking for, because they have all the professional equipment and outfit to make your rugs like new. On the other hand, if you have your own lovely hand-made rugs and carpets in your house – you should take good care of them on a monthly basis or so. It’s not enough only to clean everything at the end of the season, but it’s not recommended to treat the carpets and the rugs quite frequently, especially the hand-made ones. Their colors and freshness requires special attention, while the big carpet that covers the entire floor of the room definitely requires more time to enhance it into the picture perfect carpet. In all cases – next are few ideas and items that one may need for the perfect cleaning of the coziest thing for the wintertime.

  1. A vacuum cleaning system is as important as the carpet itself. Whether it comes to big carpets for the winter or rugs with complex irregular shapes – vacuuming is the first most important thing to do for removal of dirt, sand, grit or other greater particles. Vacuuming is the most common method for domestic cleaning and the easiest one too. It would be better if you can move or rotate the carpet so it becomes evenly exposed and all the corners are easy accessible. Find out the most unpleasing spots visually. They are usually the spots around the legs of big furniture objects like the kitchen table, the sofa, the wardrobes, as well as the spots with the heaviest foot traffic. If needed – make sure to repeat the vacuuming process or shake the small rugs through the balcony if possible.
  1. House cleaning tips for DenverBegin with a deep cleaning method. There is a myriad of opts to deep clean your rugs and carpets, and the services of the professional cleaners can help you with this yet overwhelming task. A rental wet-cleaning system is a typical choice to begin with, but first make sure to know the exact condition of your carpets and rugs. There are colors, materials and mostly Oriental rugs, which are not recommended for cleaning with detergents and solutions. Other carpets and colors can be deep cleaned only with a special detergent, while steam-cleaning machines are definitely not recommended for long fibrous carpets.

 

  1. For small rugs – a machine or a hand wash is the perfect choice. Just read the label of the carpet to make sure that it’s suitable for washing. This can take place outdoors in the summertime or in a hot spring day, when the direct sunlight, the hot air and the big open space facilitate the natural evaporation of the water. For this, you may need a tub according to the size of the rugs, a drying rack or so, shampoo or your favorite cleaning detergents.
  1. How to get stains our of a rugFor carpets with stains and dirt at only a few small spots – a stiff brush will do the perfect job. Treat the spot with a dis-solvent solution, then – leave a few minutes according the manual to dissolve completely the stains and the dirt, and rub in circles until it becomes a real mess. There is no need to struggle – wipe it off with a cloth or spatula, then treat again with a dry compound or directly vacuum the humid spot until it becomes even brighter than the rest of the carpet.

Article by Ella Andrews on behalf of this website

Happy New Year!

Denver Concierge on January 10, 2015

Post-Holiday Blues?

Happy New Year to all of you and here is to a wonderful 2015! We thank you for being part of the Denver Concierge family. Now that the holidays are over, many of you may be asking “what the heck happened to my home!?” Holiday parties and guests can take a toll on your home. Of course, a deep cleaning by Denver Concierge is the easiest way to relieve some of that, but for the things that we can’t fix, we found a pretty nifty resource for you. From red wine stains to wax on tablecloths, we found this very interesting.

Partner Special – Business Head Shot


Anyone out there besides us with outdated photos? If yours was taken with the camera on the left it’s time to update! We get so busy we forget just how long it has been. One of our partners, Misha Photography in Broomfield is holding a special event where you can get a brand new business head shot for only $30! The regular price is $125 so this is quite the deal! The deal is one day only on January 15th at the Misha Photography Studio, so RSVP soon! She’s the best in the business and you will also get a chance to network a bit if you so desire (oh and free martinis!). Mention Denver Concierge when you register and you will receive a bonus surprise gift!

Our Best and Brightest

We love to celebrate our successes and each year we name our best Team Leaders and Cleaning Associates. This year we are proud to announce Josefina Quinonez as our Cleaning Associate of the Year! Runner up was Aurora Dominguez. Our Team Leader of the Year is Natalia Olivas who ran away with the award. Runner up was Nancy Ramirez. We love to celebrate our best people and for 2014 these were the best of the best! Thanks to you our clients for letting them shine! Keep your comments and compliments coming as you are the basis for these awards!

Happy Holidays & Schedule Notes

Denver Concierge on December 11, 2014

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays to all of you…Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to the best clients any company could ask for!

Also, please be aware that we will be closed on December 25th and New Year’s Day. Those days both fall on Thursday this year, so more importantly we ARE working on Friday of both weeks. We will be contacting you to reschedule if you fall on one of our closed days, but if you are scheduled for Friday either week, we will be coming as usual. We hope you have all had an amazing year and we look forward to an even better 2015 with all of you!

Energy Tips & Saving Money

Energy Tips & Saving Money
We ran across this great piece on saving energy in our homes. We are always looking for tips we can pass along and we found this piece by Popular Mechanics to be very useful. If you are like us, we are always looking for ways to be more efficient and maybe save a buck in the process! We hope you feel the same, the details are here.

Weather Reminder

So far we have been really lucky this winter in regard to snowfall. Just a reminder that we will do everything in our power to stay open and get to your homes when the white stuff hits. Please understand that it gets pretty chaotic when we get ‘dumped on’ but we will do our best to let you know what is going on. Generally speaking if schools are closing we are as well, but if you want real time updates, you can follow us on Twitter at @bestmaidsdenver.

Tipping

We get lots of questions about whether or not our ladies accept tips around the holidays. We like to think we take great care of our people, but like anyone in the service industry they always appreciate tips. The easiest way to make sure that everything is handled fairly is to work with Angela in our office directly. She can work with you on any details and make things easy for you. Of course, if you want to provide to the girls directly, we would recommend giving that to the Team Leader in your home. From our ladies to you, THANK YOU for your kindness, hospitality and generosity. We see this all year long…not just at the holidays and it is appreciated more than words can express!

New Year’s Resolutions & Productivity

We love finding stuff that makes us more productive. Like you, we have been known to make resolutions as well. In 2015, our resolution is to be more productive and we found these tips at Revolution Australia here that might help. Here’s to sticking with all of our resolutions in 2015!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Denver Concierge on November 7, 2014

We would like to wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving this month. In this time of gratitude we would like to say thanks to you for trusting Denver Concierge in your home. We are grateful for each and every one of you and from our 70 employees…THANK YOU for being a part of the Denver Concierge ‘family’.

Also, please be aware that we will be closed on Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week so our employees can spend time with their families and recharge. We will be reaching out to those of you that have cleans scheduled for those days so we can get you rescheduled.
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We Have a New Look!

Denver Concierge on October 8, 2014

We have updated our website! We think it better reflects the type of company we are and the incredible clients we serve. We will always maintain our “old school” approach to cleaning and in that regard we are rather “retro”. That said, we wanted to update our look, so we encourage you to take a peek! As always we can be found at www.denverconcierge.com. You will see links to our Facebook page (feel free to like us!) Twitter, and all of the other modern accoutrements, including live chat and easy to use buttons for a quick review (always appreciated!) If you have any feedback please let us know!

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