How to Make your Rental a Vacation Destination

By Erin Reynolds, DIY Mama

Between the mountains, the parks, and the arts, there are so many reasons to visit Denver. It’s no wonder then that this metro area receives hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. If you’re not getting your fair share of these travelers and tourists at your rental, spend some time during the shoulder season making sure it’s summer-ready. Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin to revamp your rental property.

It’s About More Than Location

Renters choose their lodging on many different factors, and location is key among them — but it’s not everything. Many visitors will happily settle a few miles away from the main attractions to enjoy lower prices and more room to roam. With this in mind, make sure your rental has plenty of space and that is isn’t cluttered or full of personal belongings. Many rental owners choose to make the master bedroom inaccessible to guests, but this can backfire by reducing the number of people who can sleep in your home.

Instead of limiting the number of beds available, rent a small storage unit to stash your personal items. Denver has many great options, but one of the best priced and most accessible is StorQuest of Aurora/Peoria, which costs about per month. As such, you can rent a unit to accommodate your excess without burdening your budget.

Security Matters

More important than making your home attractive is ensuring that it is secure, especially when you’re away. Installing a home security system will give you peace of mind that your furniture and other items aren’t completely vulnerable when you’re away. You’ll feel better about putting nicer pieces in your rental, and will be better able to assist guest if a security issue arises during their stay. High SecurityHome.com explains that there are many factors that you should consider when choosing a security system. Hint: It’s not just price.

Decorate Denver-Style

Denver is known for many things, including access to the Rocky Mountains and a thriving art scene. Depending on where your rental is located, it pays to cater to what your visitors are there to see. Outfit your rental with either modern, artsy pieces or, if you own a mountain cabin, stick with a traditional, woodsy feel. A log cabin should have plenty of open space, lots of windows, and a fireplace. A quick look at Colorado.com’s list of area cabins will give you plenty of ideas. 

Fun and Functional

Vacationers rent a home, condo, or apartment to get away from reality. But they still have to cook and remain entertained in their downtime. Make sure your vacation home is both fun and functional. Stock the kitchen, for example, with plenty of appliances, dishes, and cutlery to ensure it’s fully equipped to cook a meal. A few board games and a small library of books and videos will keep your guests from getting bored. If you have the extra space, a pool table (,300), cabinet gaming system (,000), and/or foosball table () are features you can highlight that will grab the attention of those traveling with teens and tweens.

Above All

The most important things you can do to increase the return of your investment is to ensure that your rental stays clean and that you provide the best customer service experience possible. If you don’t live nearby, you can outsource both of these tasks. A property management agency can take care of all things small and large when you can’t be there to react.

With a few small changes and a commitment to customer service, your rental can easily be a retreat that stays booked year-round. However, don’t wait until summer — get it ready now, or you’ll have to wait until next season to increase your revenue.

Image via Pixabay

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February Newsletter 2019

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Tips for a Spotless Pet-Friendly Home

By Guest Writer Karoline Gore Around 84.6 million Americans households have a pet, with dogs and cats being our top two choices for a furry best friend. Pets are such an important part of our lives that they affect our home buying decisions, and often dictate where we stay when we go on holiday. For many pet owners, just about the one bad thing about pets is having to clean up after them. Pets can unwittingly bring home pests (including fleas) and dirt, so thorough cleaning is as important as grooming to ensure neatness in the home and optimal health for your pets and family. If you have dogs and/or cats and you’d like to ensure your home is tidy and hygienic, follow these tips and ensure you impress friends and family every time they visit. Denver Concierge’s Green Cleaning System Toxic home cleaning products may eliminate germs, but they also contribute to poor indoor air quality and can spur on allergies, respiratory problems, and more. Therefore, it is important to rely on pet-friendly cleaning products which are also environmentally friendly. If you are unsure about what green cleaning involves, give Denver Concierge a call. They are renowned green residential cleaners that can help you have a sparkling home in no time, while ensuring all surfaces are safe for children, pets, and adults in the household. Having your home professionally cleaned on a regular basis is key when it comes to really getting rid of fleas and other potential nasties on flooring, bedding, and soft furniture. Once your home is sparkling clean, it is easier to maintain in an optimal state afterwards. Vacuuming is Key Opt for a steam vacuum to reduce the need for cleaning products and to effectively kill germs. Some steam vacuum cleaners are specifically catered to pet-loving homes. That is, they have special handles capable of suctioning even the shortest of fur off difficult surfaces such as soft furnishings. These machines come with a host of other handles that can also be used to  make cleaning areas like the kitchen and bathroom a breeze. Finding the Right Place for Pet Items You need to really think where you place regular essentials for pets like cat litter, dog bowls, toys, etc. Homes can get pretty dirty if your dog plays with his chew toy on the sofa, or your cat’s litter bowl is in a spot in which people can trip over it or spill its contents. Ideally, the litterbox needs to be away from the living room and kitchen, and placed against a wall in the furthest area of the room it is located in. Ensure your cat always has access to rooms in which litter trays are placed, so it does end up doing its necessities in other areas of the home. You can use one side of a kitchen island for dog bowls, or have custom made kitchen storage furniture, with a space beneath the tabletop for dog bowls. Use non-slip mats beneath the bowls for easier cleaning after your dogs enjoy their meal. Good Grooming is a Must You might be surprised by the extent to which good grooming can affect the cleanliness of your home. By trimming your dog’s nails and fur and treating your pets regularly for fleas and ticks, you can ensure they don’t drag in dirt (or pests) or soil furniture and floors. Long fur in the paws can trap dirt, snow, and ice, but they are also favorite spots for pests to ‘hide’ in. In addition to applying a flea and tick treatment to your pets, you should also check their fur for ticks that may have attached after a long day out in the Great Outdoors. Remove any ticks you find with tweezers, ensuring your remove the entire tick in one go. Keeping your home sparkling clean when you have pets is a little more challenging, but definitely not impossible. Because dogs and cats shed so much and can unwittingly bring in pests that are sometimes hard to spot, a good, professional ‘green clean’ is important on a regular basis. Maintain the cleanliness of your home by steam vacuuming frequently, tidying up every day, and placing pet items in accessible areas of your home that are not conducive to spills.

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January Newsletter 2019

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Keeping Fit: Hidden Germs In Your Gym

Typically people think of the bathroom as being the germiest, followed by the kitchen (surprise- it’s actually the other way around). When people think of an exercise space like a fitness center or gymnasium, the impression is “healthy”. After all, that’s what it’s used for. Yet research has found as many as 25 different types of bacteria in fitness centers. Setting up a home gym will cut that number back drastically, but not entirely; there are still some risky germs lurking around there. Working Up A Sweat Sure, having a home gym reduces the odds that you’ll get a cold, flu, or stomach bug- and that’s great, especially when combined with a healthy diet and supplementation. But all of the surfaces in your gym are a breeding ground for bacteria. Benches, the handle bars of stationary bikes or treadmills, the grips on free weights, and literally anything you sit or lay on while working up a sweat, can all harbor bacteria. The floor along with any exercise mats can also be a haven for bacteria, but that certainly doesn’t have to be the case - it’s easy to remedy. Easy To Wipe Down Surface areas like gym mats are easy to keep clean with a simple wipe-down. In fact, it’s recommended that you place mats down especially over carpeted areas especially for that reason. The bacteria that is likely building up in your gym is the contact-based variety (not airborne illness), the most common of which is staph or MRSA. While it’s the most common, it also poses the highest threat. Most of the time, you come into contact with this bacteria without even knowing, because it doesn’t often doesn’t cause any issue. In fact, many people have a form of staph bacteria present on the surface of their skin. Small cuts, scrapes, knicks, and any type of open wound allow the bacteria to get inside the skin, thus inside the body, and this is where things can become troublesome. Once it’s inside your body, it becomes an active infection. This usually presents with boils on the skin near the wound, but can also present with the usual symptoms of skin infections, like itchiness, redness, and swelling. Clean After Contact To eliminate contact bacteria in your home gym, wipe down any equipment, mats, and benches with sanitizing wipes (like Clorox wipes) or an all-purpose anti-bacterial spray and dry wash cloth. You should wipe down anything you’re about to use before you use it, and immediately after you’ve been in contact with it. Cleaning it right after use kills bacteria right away so it doesn’t have a chance to grow, and doing so right before use is an extra precaution - just in case you forgot, or some of the buggers got away the first time. Fungi is another little monster that might be hanging about. Fungi typically invade areas that are dark and wet, like gym bags, gym clothes left in a hamper, and inside sweaty shoes. This is what causes conditions like athlete’s foot. This is a pretty easy thing to avoid, though. Simply be sure to wash and dry your gym clothes, don’t re-wear dirty socks, and keep things dry. A home gym is a great way to save time, money, and stay in good shape. It’s convenient and economic, plus you’re in control of the environment so you can feel more comfortable and do as you please. Just because it’s your personal gym, though, doesn’t mean it doesn’t need a bit of maintenance. Keep your gym in good condition. After all, that’s what it does for you! By Karoline Gore, guest writer

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December Newsletter 2018

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Keep Your Kitchen Clean To Stave Off Disease

Did you know that cutting boards contain 200 times more coliform bacteria than a toilet seat, or that kitchen tap handles contain around a quarter million germs? Dirty kitchen islands, utensils, and crockery can also build up bacteria quickly, potentially resulting in illness for your family. When tackling the issue of cleaning your kitchen, it is important to be realistic. This is because in addition to cleaning surfaces and equipment every time you use them, you will also need to deep clean your kitchen with regularity, to ensure stored items are kept hygienically and to get rid of grease and food remains that can escape your daily cleaning. If you find that you don’t have time to clean as much as you like, rely on a trusted cleaning company to keep your home safe for your family; make sure the company is a certified green cleaner to value sustainability as much as you do cleanliness.

What diseases can kitchen bacteria cause?

Some of the many diseases that can be caused by viruses and bacteria in the kitchen include colds, flu, and foodborne illnesses. As noted by academics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, those who handle food can pass diseases such as Hepatitis A, noroviruses, or diseases caused by staphylococcus and streptococcus, to others. Bacteria in raw foods such as uncooked hamburger and other raw meat and seafood, meanwhile, can cause a deadly disease called uremic syndrome. Those who prep food can sometimes neglect to clean their kitchen as is required because "nothing has happened so far." But all it takes is one incident to drastically change your family’s health and wellbeing.

How often should you clean your kitchen space?

Those who are very busy may not like the answer to this question. Kitchens should be cleaned daily - that is, countertops and any other items that touch food should be cleaned immediately after use. Research shows that some of the dirtiest areas in the kitchen include the sink area because we tend to use contaminated sponges that contain food bacteria. Sponges should be kept for no longer than one week to reduce the chances of illness. Microwaves should be cleaned once weekly, while fridges should be disinfected once a week. Make sure to throw away old fruit and open packages and cans that can leak or drop onto your fridge trays. Ovens, meanwhile, should be cleaned every three to six months. If you clean your oven regularly, you can rely on steam or natural ingredients like vinegar and baking soda, rather than having to use grease removers with a high chemical content.

Keeping dishes and utensils clean

If you are worried about bacteria build-up on sponges, you might wish to opt for a dishwasher instead. You have two choices when it comes to dishwashers. You can either opt for a standard model (which doesn’t get so hot and sanitizes dishes using chemicals) or for a commercial dishwasher, which uses high temperatures to clean dishes and utensils. If you have a large family that goes through various dishes a day, a commercial type dishwasher may be more suitable. Look into certified green machines, which will enable you to save water and energy yet kill potentially harmful bacteria.

Kitchen floors count too

Be vigilant of floors; steam vacuum them frequently since food often spills onto the floor and those who walk into a kitchen can bring bacteria from the kitchen into other rooms. If you don’t use a steam vacuum machine, sweep the floor first to remove crumbs and potentially sharp pieces of food. Use warm water and a mop, adding a couple of drops of dish soap and a cup of vinegar into your mop bucket to remove stubborn stains. Use a microfiber mop to dry the areas you have cleaned. When cleaning your home, carpets, and floors may be most important for aesthetic purposes and to lend the home a tidy look when guests arrive. However, it is also important to pay special attention to the kitchen, since contaminated food can have serious health consequences for you and your family. Plan your cleaning routine, using your phone calendar to remind you when specific cleaning tasks are due. Clean countertops, crockery, and utensils immediately after using them, and pay as much attention to floors as you do cooking spaces. By Karoline Gore, guest writer

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November Newsletter 2018

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October Newsletter 2018

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August Newsletter 2018

Labor Day & Back to School  Summer is rapidly leaving us, and we are heading into fall, which means school is starting as well. As a reminder, we will be closed on Monday, September 3rd in celebration of the Labor Day holiday. We will be back open for business on Tuesday the 4th. Since it's time to get the kids ready for school as well, we wanted to provide a few handy tools to make sure you (and the kids) are ready. For those of you sending your young adults off to college this fall, congratulations. We have a number of clients that have mentioned this to us, so we thought it might be a good time to provide an "off to college" checklist, which can be found here. We also ran across a nice checklist from Good Housekeeping for normal back to school activity, and that can be found here. We hope you have all had a wonderful summer. Also, we would be remiss if we didn't remind you all that fall in Colorado is gorgeous and looks even better through clean windows. If you haven't tried our super green, really cool window washing yet, please give Angela a call and mention our fall special! Here's to a great fall and go Broncos! The End of PowerPoint? Long before we got into the housecleaning industry, some of us spent some time in corporate America. Not sure about you, but we saw our share of PowerPoint presentations. They weren't all great, and certainly were not all effective. Then we ran across an article where Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has outlawed PowerPoint presentations in favor of a more creative (and effective it seems) approach. Early results of this new "narrative" methodology are promising, and the science behind how we learn and assimilate information best seems to back it up. Visit Inc. here to learn more about this revolutionary approach to presentations. Colorado Etiquette Those of you that have been in Colorado for a while (including the few natives that are left) can relate to all the new faces in our state. We have discussed the burgeoning population here quite a few times, and the effect it has on our city. But beyond traffic and overall congestion, we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about Colorado "etiquette". The nice folks at 5280 Magazinepublished a fun list in this month's magazine about how to behave in our fine state. Everything from trail etiquette to little quirky Colorado things are covered, and the full article can be found here, and it's pretty entertaining. So, for newcomers and long-timers alike, let's all be kind to one another and enjoy this beautiful place we call home. What M Will Buy you in Denver  Short answer? Not as much as it used to. Some fun facts.....the median home price in the Denver metro area was 0k in July. Also, 2.65% of all homes in Denver are valued at million or more. That is good for 10th nationwide. Home inventory dropped again, pushing prices upward in what seems like a recurring theme here. So, if you are curious or have million burning a hole in your pocket, you came to the right place. The Denver Business Journal published a slide show with 46 examples of homes in the million range and it's impressive. To see those homes and what a million dollars can bring you, visit the DBJ for the full slide show. Regrets, I've Had a Few We hate regrets. In fact, most of us have likely spent most of our lives trying to not have too many. While we don't like to look backwards too often, there are some lessons in there for sure. One of the untapped resources in our civilization is the wisdom of our older citizens. They have seen more, done more and have much to share, if asked. The folks at Medium Daily Digest did an exhaustive set of interviews with folks in their 90's, posing the question, "what do you regret most". The answers might surprise you, but our favorite quote from the article:  “Do you wish you accomplished more?” He responded, “No, I wished I loved more.” The full article can be found here, interesting read for sure. Monthly Award Winners Please join me in congratulating our best performers for July 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Ana Solis, Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Jessica Rios and Juana Luna. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies! Queen Bee Corner by Angela I hate to see the old buildings torn down.  We should be so thankful for the hard work of the preservation societies that fight to guard our city's history. A recent example is the makeover of Union Station.  There really is nothing else like its ambiance in Denver, and the bustle is reminiscent of a much larger and more diverse city. It feels like a city within a city and the station itself is just stunning.   What an incredible salute to the glory days of our railroad town. Quite a few of our clients have historic homes, which I praise.  And much of the newer architecture is innovative and quite beautiful; a segue into the future of our city. Hopefully the changes will be gentle and not jarring.  Supporting whatever efforts are being made to balance past and future is a step toward the gentle, so let's get on the train! Bee

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July Newsletter 2018

Green Cleaning and You Every now and then we feel compelled to remind you that we were the first Green Clean Institute certified cleaning company in Colorado, making us a charter member in our fine state. Since we started this movement across the Front Range, many have followed. Most companies just do it for marketing because it makes clients "feel good" about using them. That isn't why we do it. Since we just renewed our certification with the Institute, we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone why this is important and just why we do it. Here are five good reasons for cleaning your home with green, eco-friendly products. 1. Environment-This is the obvious one. Using green products ensures you won't be putting harmful, non-biodegradable substances into our environment. Many cleaning products found in stores have harmful ingredients that should be avoided. 2. Health-Feel better with green cleaning products – literally. Unlike conventional cleaning products, you’ll know that what you’re using won’t harm you, your family, or your pets. Considering many of the hazardous chemicals in conventional products are often carcinogens, neurotoxins, mutagens, teratogens, or endocrine disrupters, it is worth ditching them in favor of natural green cleaning products. 3. Air Quality-Did you know that the use of conventional cleaning products can contribute to higher pollution indoors than outdoors? Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which have been associated with a host of health problems like damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, are released when products are used and stored and can also linger in the air long after use. 4. Safety- Flammable/Toxic! With labels like these on some conventional cleaning products, you get a pretty good idea that they aren’t really that safe. Many chemicals (e.g., chlorine and ammonia), when mixed together, can be downright dangerous. Small children and pets are especially vulnerable due to higher exposure levels because of their size. Plus, household cleaning supplies are one of the top five substance classes accounting for calls to the National Poison Control Center. 5. Know What's in Your Products-Shockingly, manufacturers of cleaning products aren’t required by the U.S. government to divulge ingredients; however, many green cleaning manufacturers make it their policy to be fully transparent, whereas some conventional manufacturers don't and may only list a portion of their ingredients. Rest assured that every product we bring into your home is fully vetted and green certified. We use lots of natural things as well, such as plain old vinegar and water to ensure that things are naturally clean. Thanks for your support of Denver Concierge and our efforts to make your homes clean and safe for your family and pets. Just How Expensive is Colorado? Last week, someone told us that Denverwas the 3rd most expensive city in the U.S. to live in. Being naturally skeptical, we decided to research that for ourselves. The folks at Expatistan did the work for us, with the most and least expensive places to live. They also provide a nifty calculator in case you want to compare two cities and what it costs to live there, anywhere in the world. Anyway, it turns out that it's expensive here, but not quite yet on the scale of many California cities or New York, for example. Boulder checks in at 15th most expensive, followed by Denver at number 24. Colorado Springs is 55th. So, it isn't as bad as we think (yet). But, when it specifically comes to housing, things are a little worse. We found this piece by the DBJ that shows just how many square feet 0,000 will buy you across the country. For example, in Cleveland that number gets you a 3,700 square foot home and in Denver that gets you 661 square feet, 10th most expensive in the U.S. Most expensive? Still Manhattan at 126 square feet, take solace folks. The full slideshow can be found here, fascinating stuff. Summer Cleaning Tips Summer brings with it another set of challenges for keeping your home clean. Kids are out of school and the warm weather opens our homes for lots of potential messes that we don't see in the colder months. Between visits from Denver Concierge, we know you all like to keep things tidy and we wanted to share some tips for making that easier for you. We found a few resources that might help! DIY network published a great list of quick summer cleaning tips that we thought we would share here. We also like this list by the Huffington Post, which contains some cool tricks like cleaning your microwave with a lemon! Finally, there is a list of cleaning tips by Clean and Organized Family Home that we thought was creative as well. That list can be found here. Meanwhile, you can rest assured that we are on the job and will do our best to keep dirt and grime out of your homes this summer! Don't forget that our ladies also do things like sweeping off your patio or deck for those outdoor parties. If you have special requests this summer, don't hesitate to let us know! State Health Insurance Increases Dropping No, health insurance costs aren't dropping, but the amount of increases in Colorado could be significantly smaller in 2019 than we have seen. In 2019, small group policies will go up by an average of 7%. The good news is that individual policies look like they will rise about 6% in 2019. This doesn't sound like good news until you realize that those increases were 34% in 2018 and 20% in 2017. Interestingly, for the first time, less than half of Coloradans will have a plan through their employers. In short, it seems like the health care market in Colorado is stabilizing a bit. The full article from the folks at the DBJ can be found here. You Are who Your Friends Are? Businessman and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". This caught our eye. We found a great piece by Medium that illuminates this idea. From the article, "According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, the people you habitually associate with determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life." Building a group of competent, smart people to surround yourself with seems to be a pretty good strategy for improvement in life. Lastly, we also found that common wisdom (and science, from the British Journal of Medicine) says smarter people have fewer friends. This caught our eye as well, and the details of why this is can be found in this article. Interesting stuff for sure! Monthly Award Winners Please join me in congratulating our best performers for June 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Brenda Garcia, Maria Zapata and Josefina Puga. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Maria Varela and Socorro Ibarra. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies! Queen Bee Corner by Angela Clients have asked me how our ladies manage to get the shine on stainless steel appliances.  Stainless steel is beautiful but easily shows water spots, drips and streaks, ruining the effect in no time.  A quick fix between Denver Concierge visits would be helpful, and I happen to have one! Nothing is quicker or more effective than a simple clean microfiber cloth and a solution of water and green dish washing liquid.  Be sure to immediately dry with another clean microfiber cloth.  This works on brushed stainless steel, stainless steel sinks, and faucets too. It's amazing how the complete kitchen will look cleaner simply by taking care of the stainless steel!  And then we'll be there to take care of the rest! One product.  One solution. Bee

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March Newsletter

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February Newsletter 2018

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Home Design Color Trends for 2018– Moving Away from Neutrals

Home Design Color Trends for 2018– Moving Away from Neutrals Both fashion and home design color trends are largely driven by what is happening in the world. The year 2017 climate has been chaotic with environmental wraths and death and devastation. For this reason it is understandable that that Pantone, the world authority in color trends since the year 2000, has selected uplifting shades and feel-good tones for 2018. Pantone’s 2018 COLOR OF THE YEAR "breaks free from typical thinking." Pantone’s research has shown that consumers no longer want to feel limited by traditional color guidelines. They want to experiment with color, to blend, mic and create unexpected combinations. They also want a release from the fears of the world and want bright, fun and playful colors. Benjamin Moore’s 2018 COLOR OF THE YEAR " is total confidence." Benjamin Moore had already broken away from neutrals, shocking many, with their 2017 Color of the Year — Shadow. Now the firm has selected another surprising hue for its 2018 Color of the Year: Caliente AF-290. Caliente AF-290 is certain to add happiness into any room. "Strong, radiant and full of energy, Caliente AF-290 is total confidence. It is pleasing, passionate and makes people feel special, like 'red carpet treatment,'" said Ellen O'Neill, Benjamin Moore Director of Strategic Design Intelligence. "Whether used as one note or on four walls, the spirited personality of red turns heads signaling surprise and adventure. The eye can't help but follow its bold strokes." SHERWIN-WILLIAMS'S 2018 COLOR OF THE YEAR "evokes optimism." Sherwin-Williams  also moved away from neutrals with their color pick for 2018. The firm says they wanted to capture the society’s desire for color that's "both accessible and elusive." The outcome is a profound shade called Oceanside. "People today have a growing sense of adventure, and it is making its way into even the coziest corners of our homes. We are craving things that remind us of bright folklore, like mermaids and expeditions across continents," says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. "Oceanside is the color of wanderlust right in our own homes."   Interested in a professional color palette for your home? Using color to create a home that welcomes and embraces its owners is our specialty. We understand color and how it affects you emotionally and physically. Transitioning colors from room to room is hard for most people but is super easy for us. Learn More          

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  MEET Marina - The Design Matchmaker Designer Premier's complimentary matching service will connect you with the right design professionals to remodel or build and design your dream home. Video: Learn More about this Complimentary Service Arrange a no Obligation, Complimentary Consultation Call Marina 303.916.9515 /designerpremier.com

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July Newsletter

Make them Green with Envy 

Each year, we invest time and money into making sure that our products and our processes are 100% environmentally friendly. This requires a constant review of everything we do to make sure that we not only clean your home the way you want it, but also that we don't harm the planet as we do it. We also don't want to use anything in your homes that might be harmful to your family or your pets. We get a lot of requests to use things like bleach (because that stuff really works) that we just cannot accept. Our commitment to the environment extends beyond the traditional sense and things like bleach can harm our employees as well. Recently, our Green Clean certification was renewed for 2017 with the Green Clean Institute . We are very proud of this achievement as it requires a great deal of diligence to maintain. If you are curious about our certification, you can see all the details here . We are still one of a handful of companies to invest in official certification, and we were the first in Colorado. While most companies claim to be green, we think certification is important and that it provides you peace of mind when we are in your home. So please trust that we are using only the best products in your home for both cleaning and safety. Should you have the desire to use products of your own (we use Bona on hardwood floors when requested, for example), please check with Angela first to make sure we are in compliance. As always, thanks for your continued loyalty and your trust.

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June Newsletter

Summer Vacations and Dad

Summer is finally arriving! Our favorite day, the Summer solstice, is on June 20th. That is the longest day of the year, which makes us happy. We also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you all to let us know if you are going on vacation or if you are planning to be gone for an extended period this summer. As we have mentioned in past newsletters, the labor market in Denver is incredibly tight and consequently, we are very booked and are running an extremely tight schedule these days. Therefore, lockouts and cancellations become more painful for us, so please let us know your plans as soon as possible. Meanwhile, enjoy summer and all that it has to offer. We have thrown some events your way (see below) to get things kicked off!!! Finally, Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. If you forgot it's Father's Day on Sunday the 18th, we have a last minute gift guide here .

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May Newsletter

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is our unofficial gateway to summer. We have had a wonderfully mild winter, and our spring has been quite pleasant as well. Along with the coming of summer, Memorial Day is also a time for cookouts and hanging out with family. It's also the first real three-day weekend of the year! With all of that wonderful stuff in mind, it is also a time to say THANK YOU. To those of you that have lost someone serving our nation, we thank you. We here at Denver Concierge value the freedoms that we have across our great country and we realize that it could not be possible without the selfless giving that people in our military offer. We hope that you and your families get some time together and that you all stop to appreciate the sacrifices that have been made so we can enjoy our holidays freely and without restrictions. This respectful holiday has a long history, dating back to 1868, with Logan's General Order Number 11 . To learn more about the history of this remembrance, you can click here . Thanks again to all of you that have served and to the families of those that have been lost serving our wonderful nation.

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April Newsletter

How May We Help You?

Did you know that Denver Concierge has been in business for nearly 20 years? The company started back in 1998 as a full-service concierge business. We were walking dogs, buying groceries and running errands. It was a lot of work! Back in the early 2000's we became exclusively a housecleaning company, and our current owner, John Kitts, bought the company in 2006. Since then, we have spent all of our time on being the best housecleaning company around and based on your feedback we feel like we are doing a good job, although we always strive for perfection. While we love making your homes shine, many of you have requested that we offer other services. Some examples include carpet cleaning, window washing, handyman services and the like. Our question for you today is simple. What other services could we offer inside your home that would make your life easier? We would love to hear from you. Just click on the services that make the most sense to you, then hit submit. It's super fast and easy, just one page! The button below shall set you free. Thanks for your feedback! Take me to the fast and easy survey!

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Cleaning as a Workout - How to make the most of it!

Home cleaning is one of the most time-consuming chores that you have to take care of. It is undeniable that it requires a great deal of effort and hours just to finish the most urgent tasks. This is normal, because if you want to be effective at it, you need to devote time and effort. Often times it feels like cleaning is a task that does not have a finish line. Once you are done with one room, you immediately have to move on to the next one. This should not be a problem if you enjoy a good exercise, and there is no reason to hate it really. It is through physical activity that you can feel less stressed and energetic. The problem is that when you are too busy cleaning your home, you won’t have as much time for a workout. The alternative would be to transform your cleaning service in such a way that it will resemble a workout. It really is not that difficult as you may think, considering that cleaning is a physical activity which requires a lot of movement. Here is what you should consider to make the idea a reality:

• Put on fast music in the background - music has the potential to make you feel way more energetic and alive. Consider the fact that all gyms have music in the background; this is no coincidence, because it can really help a person with their physical exercise. This is why you should definitely implement music in your household cleaning routine. You have to make sure you play not just any type of music though, but rather some dynamic tunes that will really make you want to move and clean around. You will notice that time passes faster and it is easier for you to concentrate on the task at hand. Additionally music will keep you entertained and energised throughout the work so that you feel less tired, even as you do more.
• Pick up the pace - cleaning as a workout will obviously not be that effective if you are too calm, slow and steady about it. If you truly wish your cleaning service to matter and to burn some calories, you have to pick up your pace. Don’t just stroll around your home with a duster and a vacuum cleaner; instead move around like you are in a hurry and try to finish a task quicker than you normally would. At the same time you should try not to sacrifice the quality of the work, or else you will be stuck doing the very same home cleaning chores all over again very soon.
• Work against a timer - set a time for your home cleaning chores and try to beat the time. Here is where you will need to challenge yourself in order to be truly effective about the work and for it to really matter. You can consider giving yourself a few minutes for window cleaning, or 10 minutes to perform proper carpet cleaning. That ought to make your home cleaning a lot more difficult but at the same more rewarding in terms of physical exercise and calories burned.
• Include weights in your cleaning - it is true that cleaning is already a difficult task, but you can make it way more challenging by adding some wrist and ankle weights. This should be executed with caution, as it can be truly challenging. The extra weight will make movement more difficult, pretty much the same way you exercise with weights in the gym. The only difference is you will be busy with dusting and vacuum cleaning and not lifting weights alone. See to it that you are comfortable and stop for a rest if you feel too tired.
• Take regular breaks - remember that any workout activity requires frequent breaks. When you finish a certain cleaning task, or part of it, you should take a break so that your body can rest and prepare for the next set of cleaning.

Follow these tips and you can truly transform your cleaning into a workout session. Be careful with it and you will be able to enjoy an activity that is both good for your home and for your body as well.

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March Newsletter

We're Number One!!! Yes, we love our home city. Evidently lots of people agree, as Denver was named the NUMBER ONE place to live by U.S. News and World Report . We pulled a 7.8 out of 10 overall, but 9.9 on desirability! Colorado Springs sneaked in at number five, giving Colorado two spots in the top ten. They also did a wonderful job of creating a spot where cities can be viewed, evaluated and sorted. You can find out average commute sorted by zip code, the job market, housing market and pretty much anything else you wanted to know about our fine city (and others, but just so we can gloat)! Full details can be found here .

Spring Break It is that time of year again and many of you will be taking a break either with your kids, or for your kids this spring. Either way, we know that our kids will be off from school for some portion of time and often, that messes up your cleaning schedule. If possible, please let us know immediately if you are going to change your scheduled clean in any way. We are doing everything we can to control our costs, and we still haven't figured out a way to solve our lockout problem (yes some people just aren't home when we arrive, or don't call to cancel...you would be amazed). So if there are changes to your schedule this spring, please let us know so we can manage our schedule and keep that efficiency up. In the meantime, enjoy the end of our winter and the beginning of a wonderful spring! Denver's Changing Skyline Man, things are changing fast in Denver. On top of being named the number one city to live we are growing and expanding downtown like crazy. We see all of the construction and we wonder what it might look like in a few years. An enterprising young man used Google Earth to project what our city will look like with existing and soon to be approved projects going forward. The bottom line? Our skyline will look radically different pretty soon. The link takes a while to load, but is worth the view. Data was pulled from denverinfill.com, which is another good resource to find out what is happening with development in Denver. The skyline link can be found here.

American Express Users It has come to our attention that our American Express billing label is incorrect. This is not an issue on our end, but one that we are attempting to resolve directly with them. Evidently AMEX charges for your cleaning services are sometimes labeled “Concert Concepts” rather than Denver Concierge. We don’t know who “Concert Concepts” is, but we are receiving the money in our account. So, there is no action required on your part, but we wanted you to know that we are aware of the issue and hope to have it resolved in the next week or so. Thanks for your patience and thanks to those of you that pointed this issue out to us! The Power of Words Yes, we love words. We write lots of them each month, and we sure say a lot of them. The folks at Buffer have written an exceptional piece on what words (and phrases) motivate us the most. They also list some of the ones that don’t. We found this to be a pretty impactful piece and gathered some ideas we are going to begin using immediately. We hope you agree, the link to the article is here.

Queen Bee Corner by Angela I will be out of the office part of this week for a medical procedure. Jenny will be answering your calls in my absence (she is a sweetie).  If you have any schedule changes that you usually email to me, please call the office and run them by her. Any other non-urgent correspondence please go ahead and leave on my email.  I will be back on email within a couple of days. Until this occurrence I have been self- sufficient and unaware of all the wonderful home help that is out there in Denver.  Our concierge partner at As You Wish, Allison Farrar, found a great dog sitter who will come three times a day and take care of the beasts.   King Soopers delivers groceries within a two-hour window and I even found a company that cleans up the yard after the dogs.  And of course I have a super house cleaning company! Bee Our Fleet We wanted to share a photo of our fleet, getting ready to come make your homes shine! Our ladies are sure happy to be in our new fleet of Kia Sorentos. We hope you like the new look when you see us roll up to your home. Special thanks again to our friends at Erlich I-25 Kia and the best GM anyone could ask for in Ron Volk. If you are in the market for a new vehicle and have been considering a Kia, please reach out to Ron and he will take excellent care of you. Mention Denver Concierge for a special offer! You can email Ron directly here.

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Another year has passed and this is our 3rd year sending out our sometimes informative newsletter! We want to say thanks for reading and want to wish you the best for a fabulous 2016. Lots of stuff going on at Denver Concierge, including our new vehicles, roll out of health care for our employees and other changes to try and become more efficient. In short we are doing everything we can to keep our costs down without raising prices. One of our big cost issues is lockouts and access, if you want to learn more see below. We sure appreciate your business and hope that 2016 is your best year ever!

Top Secret Referral Program January is always a good time to mention referrals. One of the things that we have learned in our 16 years in business is that we clean very differently from most companies. We sometimes have a hard time communicating how deeply we clean (and why we cost more) to prospective clients. It usually hits them once they see our fabulous team at work in their homes, but sometimes we never get that far as it's hard to explain what we do without seeing it first hand. Of course we know that you realize and appreciate how we clean, and that is why your referrals are the best way for us to grow. We have a very lucrative referral program going on right now....too good to put in the newsletter. Please speak with Angela if you have someone that you think would appreciate what we do, and she will give you the lowdown. Thanks for all you do and for those wonderful clients many of you sent us in 2015! Lockouts One of our toughest dilemmas is what to do when we get locked out. Many of our competitors charge a fee for this, we do not. Not yet anyway. Most of you offer us access to your home without restriction, and we appreciate that. We carry lots of insurance and documentation so you should always feel comfortable with us in your home, even if you can't be there. The worst thing is when we arrive at your home and cannot get in for some reason. We pay our teams from the moment they leave our office and it's quite expensive to have them driving places with no home to clean. Worse, the next client often isn't ready for us, so it creates a bunch of problems. We would be incredibly grateful if you would alert early us when you need to cancel your clean or if there will be some problem with access. We understand emergencies and will always accommodate you when we can. We appreciate your help in improving our efficiency and keeping our costs down!

Snow Days Ahh, winter.....we love you. Actually not so much. It's great for skiing and snowboarding, but it really cramps our style (and yours) when we get a big storm. We know how frustrating this is, as it is incredibly hard to reschedule. Think about it like an airline. We have days full of flights and when snow wipes some out, unless we have cancellations going forward there isn't any place to put folks. It frustrates us as much as you....so what can you do to help? Please be patient with us when it snows. If you want real time updates on whether or not we are working, you can follow us on Twitter at @bestmaidsdenver. We typically send out a tweet when we are going to be closed. We have been known to work Saturdays in special circumstances so that is sometimes a possibility as well. A good rule is that if schools are closed we are as well. The safety of our employees is the most important thing, and even though the main streets may be plowed, side streets in Denver don't get plowed until we get a foot of snow! Thanks, and here is to a snow free (in Denver) winter! 88 Truths about Life Our first newsletter of 2016 wouldn't be complete without some tidbits of self-improvement that we found interesting. The new year usually brings about reflection and planning about how we have done things, and how we might do things better. We ran across a great piece from raptitude.com on "truths" in life. We felt better after reading them and we hope you do as well!  To learn more take a look here. Queen Bee Corner by Angela For the past two weeks I've joined the ranks (albeit temporarily; nothing serious, pulled muscle) of those who work from home, as do many of our clients. It has certainly given me a good understanding of the pluses (no drive time) and the minuses (my dogs barking).  I didn't have a visit from Denver Concierge, but I imagine that three ladies cleaning can be fairly disruptive.  I will remind the teams in the next employee meeting to please keep the working client in mind as you move about the house. Be very very quiet every chance you get. So..I will be back in the office on Monday due in large part to the expert advice given me by a client.  Thank you Caylene!  It worked! Queen Bee

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The most important things to do when kitchen cleaning

The most important things to do when kitchen cleaning

Kitchen cleaning is quite an overwhelming task, especially if you do it more occasionally like once a month or even more rarely. Deep cleaning the most soiled objects and appliances is not enough, because the dirt often spreads everywhere, yet it comes to the kitchen - the most frequently used room in the house, which sees the heaviest dirt from kitchen grease and other persistent types of spots. Next is a short To-Do list or a set of tips and tricks to deep clean the most important things in the kitchen.

1) The counter top and the sink. The kitchen sink disposal should be first. Run a couple of ice cubes through the disposal to sharpen the blades, whiles if you worry about the elimination of bacteria - add the juice of one lemon to the water for the ice, and then put the mixture in the freezer to form ice cubes. The lemon juice acts as an antibacterial agent. Then, remove the objects from the counter-top and rinse thoroughly with clean hot water. Rub with a grooming brush to get rid of the dirt between the grout lines. The wooden counter-tops should be soaked a bit longer if you want to get rid of the dirt easily. Clean the sink with a commercial detergent for metal objects, while for the chrome parts is required a special detergent. It will prevent the chrome parts from scratching, while cleaning and polishing them in the meantime.

2) Defrost the fridge and the freezer, and remove all the inner compartments, shelves and doors. If you do it once a year, for example during the big spring cleaning - a great tip is to begin right from this step and to save time by doing other things while waiting for the fridge to defrost completely. Soak the detached parts in the sink and make a homemade detergent of hot water, dish detergent, baking soda and alcohol. It will sanitize and help dissolve the hardest stains from dry grease, which is a common issue on the grilled or on the glass shelves. Don't forget to clean the cooling coils on the back of the fridge. A brush with electrostatic charged fibers is perfect to wipe off dust, spider webs and other dirt.

3) Oven cleaning is the next challenge, which should begin with the removal of the shelves and the racks. Soak them in the solution in the sink and brush to get rid of the stains. Clean the interior of the oven with towels and pay more attention to the lights and to the ventilation system. Ensure a flawless transparency of the door of the oven by rubbing with a clean soft cloth and with a solution of hot water and white vinegar. Attach the already clean and dry shelves and run the oven at its highest temperature for a while to eliminate all the unwanted odors.

4) The flooring in the kitchen are especially important, especially if your kitchen is a part of the dining room and the dining table is in a close proximity. The area around the table and around the kitchen triangle is the area, which sees the heaviest foot traffic, as well as heaviest dirt from food, such as crumbs, spills, drops, etc. The tiled or the hardwood flooring are easier for deep cleaning, but if you have textile floor coverings like carpets or rugs - a better idea is to use the professional services for carpeting. The carpeting experts have the perfect machines and detergents to sanitize and deodorize even the most soiled carpet, without the risk for damaging the fibers or causing discoloration.

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Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

We want to wish all of our clients, friends and partners the happiest of holiday seasons in 2015. We have had a wonderful year and want to thank all of you that helped make us successful. We hope you have a safe, warm and connected holiday, with lots of family, friends and good cheer. We look forward to serving you again in 2016, and to another wonderful year. Thanks again for being part of the Denver Concierge "family" and for supporting our local business.

Partners We Love

Recently we had a shower door "explode" on us. Evidently, over time tempered glass combined with pressure can come apart in a surprising fashion. Thankfully, no one was injured, but it gave us a chance to call our friends at Buonsante Glass to come out and take a look. Not only was the shower door repaired perfectly, but they were fast, efficient and reasonably priced. We know Andy Buonsante the owner, very well and wanted to give him a shout out in case any of you need any glass work done in your homes. You can learn more about Andy and his great locally owned business here. You can also call Andy at 303-886-2876 or email him here. Tell him you heard about him in our newsletter and receive a special offer!

Buying more Stuff

In our over commercialized holiday season, we sometimes feel overwhelmed. Between all the ads on TV, gifts to buy, etc., we find ourselves trying to sort out what really matters. We ran across a great piece on why we might want to buy less "stuff" and work more on creating memories that will last. We thought it made a lot of sense so we are posting it here. It seems that the payoff for buying more stuff is pretty short, and the article helps explain why that is.

The Skinny on New Year's Resolutions

Yes, we have fallen into the failed resolution trap well. We fully understand that gym memberships are the highest in January, as all of us want to get the new year off to a great start, and try to stick with our plans. Making significant changes in our lives is hard, especially when it comes to breaking bad habits. We found some great stuff on this whole idea and we thought we would share it. For a list of the most common resolutions and success rates, click here. For the reasons behind why we usually fail at our resolutions (and some tips on how not to), check out this article. We wish you all the best in making positive changes in 2016!

Successful Habits

Since we are kind of on the new year's resolution and self-improvement theme, we found a couple of articles that sort of got us going. First, what are 12 things that enormously successful people refuse to do? Well you can find out here. We also ran across this piece on 30 challenges for 30 days. Some of these really made us stop and think. We hope it does the same for you. The article, courtesy of Marc and Angel can be found here.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela What a hectic time!  With all the schedule changes, and special holiday requests, I have spoken to more clients in the past month than I have all year.  As always it is my pleasure and though work related (but not always), it's fun to touch base.  I have known many of you since the very beginning of the company! I would like to wish you and yours a continuing safe and enjoyable season and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Cheers!

Vehicle Project Complete

Hopefully you have seen our new rides out on the road and in front of your homes. Our fleet has been completely replaced (we kept a couple of our old blue vans for nostalgia's sake) and we couldn't be happier. We hope you like the new look...our ladies are much safer and much happier traveling to your homes!

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The key for reducing the volatile chemical compounds when cleaning

The key for reducing the volatile chemical compounds when cleaning

The best way to reduce the volatile chemical compounds when cleaning is to avoid cleaning with chemical compounds. This means no detergents that you can usually find in the store, nor detergents that are added to the water tank of the cleaning machine. The result may not be that satisfying as when cleaning with a powerful detergent during the big house cleaning, but let's face it - there will be no need to leave the windows open for a long time, neither to worry about your kids or pets. Some hand-knotted carpets, rugs and other natural upholstery are also very sensitive to chemical compounds. Not to mention the effect of the chemicals onto the wooden texture of the furnishings or onto chrome parts if you pick up the wrong detergent.

The key for reducing the volatile chemical compounds is to avoid or at least to reduce the periods for deep cleaning at home, which means a more frequent cleaning so you can't let the objects to get heavily soiled. For instance, let's take the textile floor coverings. A great idea is to rotate rugs and carpets on a monthly basis. This yet simple trick ensures an even wear of all the areas of the carpets, which is especially important for the carpets in the living room or in the bedroom. These are the most frequently used rooms and so the foot traffic is not an exception. By rotating carpets and rugs, you expose different areas to the foot traffic and so the need for deep cleaning with professional cleaning services reduces as well. Another great idea is to flip the carpets and the rugs if they have beautiful backings. By doing so, you basically expose a whole new side of the carpet to the foot traffic and everything else like dirt, dust, indentations from heavy objects, etc. One, the textile floor coverings become longer lasting and two - you reduce the period for deep cleaning with powerful chemical compounds.

Another common way to avoid breathing volatile chemical compounds is to leave the doors and the windows in the house open so there is always a constant airflow. This is simple, but it is applicable only for the warm seasons. That's why the end or the beginning of the summer are the best moments for deep cleaning at home even if you plan to call the professional cleaners who use big powerful machines with a myriad of cleaning solutions.

Use the vacuum cleaning machine everywhere! Whether it comes to just freshening the fluffiness of the carpets and the sofa or a weekly cleaning of all flooring - the vacuum cleaner is the fastest and yet easiest way for cleaning at home. It removes dust, food crumbs and other loose particles without the need for a treatment with chemical compounds.

Another common way is to beat gently the cushions and the carpets through the windows in order to get rid of the dust and the loose particles. Take a pick of a warm sunny and windy day for cleaning. The wind will help blow away the dirt and the dust, while the effect of wiping off dust should be the same even without using a vacuum cleaning machine.

Yet if you have to deep clean with some commercial detergents – make sure that they're pet-friendly detergents. A simple hygiene spray should play a great role for cleaning spills of margarine and other common spots from kitchen grease. Always read the labels on the compounds and try to avoid the powerful detergents that are recommended for cleaning machines.

Find more helpful cleaning tips on carpet cleaning please click here.

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November Newsletter

Happy Thanksgiving What a great opportunity to express how thankful we are to have you all as clients, partners and friends. We couldn't ask for a better group of people to associate with and we remain flattered that you allow us into your homes on a daily basis. So let us take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for being part of the Denver Concierge family and for supporting our local business. We will continue to strive for perfection and to ensure you are thrilled with what we do. We hope you and your family enjoy a safe and wonderful holiday. We have included some of our best tips for surviving the holidays a little further down the page. Enjoy!
Movember What the heck is Movember? Well, just as October was breast cancer awareness month, November is one for men's health awareness, and is also known as "no-shave November". We think that ladies in general seem to do a better job of focusing on health then their male counterparts. The men we know typically wait until "something breaks" before visiting a doctor, whereas our female counterparts take a more preventative approach. Taking a page from that book, please support the men in your life by putting up with excess facial hair this month! To learn more about this movement (and why the man in your life might not be shaving), visit the Movember Foundation here. Here's to wellness, early detection and keeping the men in our lives healthy!	Vehicle & Company Update Hopefully you are noticing lots of new Denver Concierge vehicles out on the road and in front of your homes. We have now nearly replaced our entire fleet and are more fuel efficient, safer and we look better running about town! We are also making our plans for 2016 and have lots of great ideas about how to make our company better. Look for more details in upcoming newsletters. In the meantime if you have suggestions about how we can improve in any way, please submit them here. Thanks!
Queen Bee Corner by Angela Orange.  It's the color of fall and pumpkins, turning leaves.... and our Team Leaders' uniform shirts! We chose a different color for our Team Leaders uniforms thanks to a client asking which woman was the Team Leader at her house that day. It also helps me in the morning as I found that I can quickly find a Team Leader when I need to give out instructions during our hectic morning dispatches. I can now spot the orange among the sea of blue shirts, so keep those ideas coming! I have also been asked if the orange is a tribute to the Broncos. I'm not sure because we left the color decision up to the Team Leaders themselves. But it could very well be as they are enthusiastic fans of our home team.  Go Broncos!	Holiday Survival Guide It is that time again...a fall and winter with holidays. With that comes entertaining, lots of eating and drinking, and hopefully for Denver Concierge, some before and after cleaning!! In that spirit, we wanted to provide some survival tips for the holidays. We found some pretty cool resources. First, the folks at the Cleaning Institute have some great information on managing the holidays in a clean home. Click here for more details. Also, we ran across some great cooking tips as well, which can be found here. Finally, to help beat holiday stress, the folks over at Sparkpeople provide some great information here. All great stuff....Happy Holidays!
Veterans Day Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11, and last but certainly not least we would like to thank our veterans for their service to our great nation. The courage that it takes to be willing to sacrifice one's life for the benefit of others, our freedom and way of life is the highest imaginable. I am sure we all know someone who has served and many of you have personally served. From each and every one of our 70 employees, we wish to say thank you. You have our utmost appreciation and respect.

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