January 2012

Start the New Year off enjoying simplicity. By scheduling a few of those "dreaded" tasks, you'll get them out of the way, leaving mental and emotional "space" for the things you enjoy.

 

Winter 2011

Years ago, a prospective client informed us that she would NEVER hire a cleaning company that provided cars for their teams.  Perhaps she thought that company-provided cars increased the cost of her services, or had assumed that companies could have paid that money to their employee’s instead.

With our own company starting out on less than $100, we’ve grown organically over the years- which means for a long time we didn’t have the capital to purchase a fleet anyway!  This worked out well though because instead we would reimburse our drivers to use their personal vehicles on the job.  Most of our drivers have really liked this arrangement as the reimbursement usually stretches far enough to cover not only their company use, but their personal ownership as well. 

However in recent years, even though our reimbursement covers the on-the-job use, we’ve found that fewer and fewer of our new applicants have the upfront funds to first acquire a reliable automobile.   We have drivers apply… but no cars to get to our clients’ homes!  Though in 2009 we were able to purchase two Toyota Matrix vehicles for our consultations and inspections, we knew it would not be sustainable to spend that much up front for each team.

The reality is however, that there will always be a cost for us to transport the crews to our clients’ job sites- whether we pay it as a reimbursement to our employees, or provide other means.  The “big companies” provide reliable vehicle fleets, however how does a local company reach that scale to do that economically?

Well, true to our name and company culture, Carpe Diem knows how to “seize the opportunity”: this past fall, we acquired six “retired” Crown Victoria Police Interceptors!  These cars have been well-maintained, and with the help of our local mechanic, we took care of a few repairs and got them in tip-top shape.

By “recycling” a resource from within our community, we are now able to expand our teams!

We still don’t know the real reason that prospective client shunned companies with their own fleet, but we’re delighted to be able to use these resources from within our own community to continue to serve our clients excellently and provide a stable career opportunity for our crews!

October 2011

We believe that no woman should have to fight cancer AND clean their own home. Carpe Diem Cleaning partners with Cleaning for a Reason to provide free housecleaning services to women receiving treatment for cancer.

We provide 4 cleanings (once every 4 weeks) complete free to the client!

If you are or know of a woman undergoing cancer treatment, contact us and let us know you would like to get on the Cleaning for a Reason queue!

Check out Carpe Diem Cleaning's office location and sister organization, the John O'Daniel Exchange!

Wendy Clark, owner of Carpe Diem Cleaning, started the company in 1994 to fulfill her dreams of creating wealth and opportunity for others. Shot on location at the Carpe Diem Cleaning headquarters at the John O'Daniel Exchange business center, also owned, renovated and managed by Wendy, she shares how leveraging the resources around you- including using a cleaning company!- can help you fulfill your own goals and dreams in life.

by Jessica Clark
August 25, 2011

We've got two games left this season of Carpe Diem at the Bulls!:

tonight, August 25th

Sunday, August 28th

 

Catch "The Newlywed Game" sponsored by Carpe Diem at the bottom of the 1st inning during the game. On Saturday only, as you head out to the concourse for some goodies, be sure to stop by our table and prize wheel to say hello (and maybe win a motorized, light-up fan!).

 

 

 

Triangle-based Carpe Diem Cleaning just opened their second of many-to-come local branches. Wendy Clark introduces new managers Tiera Parker and Odalis Bautista. By growing with smaller, accessible offices, Carpe Diem's housecleaning clients receive the careful attention needed for excellent service.

by Jessica Clark
May 5, 2011

For the second year in a row, Carpe Diem Cleaning has achieved Finalist status for the Independent Weekly's "Best of Housecleaning" award!

Top winners will be announced in the June 8th issue.

We'll be at the Indy's "Best of" party on Saturday, June 11th at Durham Central Market from 4PM-10PM, with our prize wheel and free give-aways.

 

by Jessica Clark
Apr 29, 2011

Throughout this baseball season, Carpe Diem Cleaning is sponsoring The Newlywed Game at the Durham Bulls.

The lucky contenstant couple will be asked three questions separately- one on finances, one on romance, and one on cleaning. When they are reunited, they will win a free housecleaning from Carpe Diem if they get 2 out of the 3 questions right.

Already one couple lost on the question of "When was the last time your husband cooked you dinner?" He said "Last night", and she said "Never"!

For several of the games, come by our table in the concessions area. We have a prize wheel with free gifts (including jar openers and light up fans!) and would love to meet you!

Upcoming dates:

Sunday, May 8th (Newlywed Game)

Monday, May 9th (Newlywed Game)

Wednesday, May 18th (Newlywed Game plus Prize Wheel in concourse)

Thursday, May 19th (Newlywed Game plus Prize Wheel in concourse)

Thursday, June 2nd (Newlywed Game)

Friday, June 3rd (Newlywed Game plus Prize Wheel in concourse)

Sunday, June 12th (Newlywed Game)

Monday, June 13th (Newlywed Game)

Thursday, June 23rd (Newlywed Game)

Friday, June 24th (Newlywed Game)

 

by Cary Farrell
March 31, 2011

What is Clutter? The answer is different for everyone, however clutter becomes clearly defined once you first decide on the desired function of each space.  For example, ask yourself, "What is the purpose of the family room?"  If it is watching TV, playing games, relaxing, and entertaining, determine which items are needed in the family room to accomplish these specific activities... Read more

by Jessica Clark
January 28, 2011

This month, Carpe Diem Cleaning has become a part of Cleaning for a Reason, a national organization based in Dallas. Cleaning for a Reason partners with local cleaning companies to provide free housecleanings to women undergoing treatment for cancer. Fighting cancer takes a huge physical and emotional toll, and providing a clean house is just one small way that we can help these brave women of our community!

To become a part of Cleaning for a Reason, companies must be bonded and insured and do background checks on their employees. Each company commits to provide 4 free monthly cleanings to 2 women at a time, for a minimum total of 6 women served and 24 cleanings per year.

Cleaning for a Reason informed us that they have more patients in our area than they have service providers, meaning there are women in our community who could really use the free housecleanings, but there are not enough companies able to meet this need. Carpe Diem Cleaning wants to help out as much as we can, so we have decided provide FOUR cleanings per month instead of our minimum requirement of TWO. We hope to provide 12 women with a total of 48 cleanings this year!

Ways to help women fighting cancer

1) "Like" the Hoover fanpage on Facebook. For every new fan, up to 25,000 people, Hoover is donating $1 to Cleaning for a Reason. Currently there are fewer than 7000 fans.

2) By having your own house cleaned by a company that partners with Cleaning For a Reason, your dollars are supporting free cleanings for more women undergoing cancer treatment. The minimum number of women a company must agree to serve is two per month- currently Carpe Diem Cleaning can serve FOUR women per month!

3) Tell a qualifying potential Cleaning for a Reason client (a woman over 19 years of age with a physician's letter verifying their cancer treatment) about Carpe Diem Cleaning and Cleaning for a Reason- while Cleaning for a Reason is limited with how many applications they can process daily (currently 50), those that first contact Carpe Diem directly will be put at higher prioity to be processed sooner. We will be able to help navigate the process to get cleanings started!

by Jessica Clark
January 28, 2011

Last weekend, Cleaning for a Reason held a "Best Practices" business conference specifically tailored for maid service companies. Owner and operators, Wendy and Jessica Clark attended with Quality Supervisor, Hannah Benfield. The conference was the perfect way for the Carpe Diem managers to get to know the Cleaning For A Reason founder, Debbie Sardone, and the organization staff- we quickly saw the integrity of the organization and the practical help that we would give by providing free cleanings for women with cancer. We signed up by the end of the weekend and all of our company's managers and crew are delighted to be a part of this.

The conference featured industry experts who taught in-depth sessions on maid and housecleaning service solutions. Each session provided a wealth of information, as well as the opportunity to meet and discuss the industry with other housecleaning companies from around the nation (we were the only company present from North Carolina!).

We left with great confidence that we are on the right track (and in many ways "ahead of the game") in our systems and procedures to provice thoroughly cleanings with superior customer service and trust. We also left with many notes and ideas to continue to strenthen our level of service as we grow!

by Jessica Clark
Jan 14, 2011

During a normal workweek, Carpe Diem Cleaning follows the local public school systems to determine our hours of operations in the event of dangerous weather conditions. Our office and operations, being based out of Durham, follow the Durham County schools for closings or delays. Our route schedules into specific cities will follow the local schools for the respective counties (Wake, Orange and Chatham).

If Carpe Diem is delayed for the day, your cleaning team will likely arrive in a different time window than normal. Please contact us that morning if this is a problem. In the event of a closing or delay, our office will quickly respond to all email and phone communication as soon as we are able.

If you have any questions regarding how we handle scheduling during inclement weather, please feel free to contact us at anytime. While safety concerns can necessitate schedule changes in dangerous weather conditions, we will work very hard to accommodate each client's scheduling priorities for once we are back in operation!

by Jessica Clark
June 21, 2010

After being notified that we were a finalist for the annual Independent Weekly's "Best of the Triangle" Green Housecleaning Award, we were invited to the the well-hosted and well-attended "Best of the Triangle" Party at Goldenbelt in Durham. Combined with Durham's Third Friday event at Goldenbelt, the evening was full of good food (from the "Best of" restaurants that were there), music, and art that we shared with a wonderful crowd from the community.

The Carpe Diem booth was staffed by our managers and we got to give out Carpe Diem jar openers (always a hit) and meet with prospective clients (one of our favorite things to do). We saw several friendly faces that we already knew and met many new friends that same evening.

by Jessica Clark
July 3, 2010

Free Porch Cleaning with any housecleaning service if you contact us with the day, time and location of the sighting!!

Open to both existing AND new clients! Contest runs from now until September 30, 2010.

by Jessica Clark
Apr 13, 2010

What's the best way to stay in touch with Carpe Diem?

Good communication is what sets us apart from other cleaning companies. Not only do we capture our clients needs, but we also provide helpful information for the cleaning experience beyond our actual visit to your home.

We recently joined Twitter and Facebook to bring relevant information- like specials and schedule updates- to our clients. We even had a contest last month- Julie Gatrell won a Free Spring Cleaning- including a deep housecleaning PLUS a free carpet cleaning. Jasmine Castor took the second prize of a free kitchen and bathrooms cleaning!

Our "Clean Day Operations" section explains some of the ways Carpe Diem makes communication easy.

To receive more specials and contest information, become a Facebook "fan" or find us on Twitter @seizeacleanday!

Also this month is peak housing market season. Carpe Diem specializes in move-in/move-out cleanings as well as special deep cleanings for homes going to market. To set up a cleaning or make changes to your existing schedule if your home is on the market (we can do special "in-between cleanings"), please contact our office- (919)-68-CLEAN or (919)-682-5326.

 

When it comes to natural cleaners, none tops the effectiveness and utility of Borax. Safe for sensitive cleaning needs like children's bedding or baby diapers all the way to fine china and silver pieces. Wendy Clark and Jessica Clark of Carpe Diem Cleaning share some tips on how to make good use of this inexpensive, natural cleaner.

Easy clean up tips for when the party is over!

 

November 18, 2011

The holidays can be fun, relaxing times together with family and friends, that is if you control them by doing a little pre-organizing.  Juggling your normal work and school schedule can get tricky when you add holiday activities. One of our favorite organizers, Cary Farrell, lists 7 tips to keep you Thankful for Thanksgiving and Merry that it’s Christmas time!

Read more...

A well-planned party makes your guests feel honored, and leaves you feeling good about your space.  We’ve got three hosting tips to help your next event go smoothly with less stress for you!

Read more...

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of the days on the prairie when housework was neatly planned and kept up throughout the week. About a century and a half later, our desire to keep a tidy, organized home hasn't changed, but our schedules sure have! Wendy Clark and Jessica Clark of Carpe Diem Cleaning have adapted Ma Ingall's housekeeping poem ("Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Church on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday") to the modern schedule to help keep a green, clean home in this century!

Fall Cleaning

Spring Cleaning gets all the attention, but by taking care of a few key items in the fall, your home will be set and ready for fun and “decking of the halls” by the time the holidays roll around!  Read More...

 

There are many local options of housecleaning providers, but how do you know who to trust? Wendy Clark and Jessica Clark of Carpe Diem Cleaning give some insider's secrets on things to look for before hiring a cleaning service to help find the best cleaning solution for your home- including why "bonding" is overrated, and how to tell if the company will be able to do what they say they're going to do.

 

Wendy Clark shares ways to prepare your home and schedule to get the most out of your cleaning service.  We share the secrets about the best days of the week to schedule a cleaning, what to do about pets and fragile items, and arranging secure access to your home.

A little preparation can create a "Clean Day" routine that helps your home AND your schedule!

Our goal to help you to "Seize Your Clean Day" is for you to be able to enjoy a clean house and still have time to do the things you enjoy.

Using the proper technique and letting products do the hard work, Jessica Clark shares the secrets of the "Quick and Clean Bathroom Routine" so you can have sparkling bathrooms without spending a large chunk of your day on the cleaning.

Of couse, you can always just contact Carpe Diem and we'll do it for you!

Last minute guests on their way?  Make one phone call to order a take-out meal, then focus in on the 60 minute "clean sweep" that will leave you feeling confident about opening up your home!

Wendy and Jessica use "emergency touch-up" items found in most women's purses to help remember the 5 easy steps.

 

Jessica Clark discusses the importance of upright vacuum qualities and maintenance. A bit of care in picking out the right vacuum for your home- then a special "bumper" accessory- will help in the care of your carpets to make them last a long time.

 

How do you know what kind of Canister Vac to pick out?  Wendy Clark with Jody Witt from the Vacuum Cleaner Hospital discuss what do look for in a canister vacuum, including types of accessories that will make the job easier!

Clean floors are one of the most important aspects of a clean house- if the floors sparkle, the the house looks clean!

Using a tool that makes the job go by quickly and effectively, sisters Wendy Clark and Jessica Clark show how to make use of the Sh-Mop. 

A regular cleaning schedule will minimize dust on your home’s surfaces, however getting those dust particles out of your air will reduce the overall level of dust circulating inside of your home.

Depending on the model, most air filters require replacement after 1-3 months. Regularly inspect to ensure the filter is not clogged with dust and debris. A clean air filter not only makes your home’s air more breathable (and your heating and air system more efficient), but will minimize dust build-up between cleanings, making your home stay cleaner for longer!

While our services should take care of the “lion’s share” of your home’s vacuuming, there will probably be some occasional maintenance vacuuming needs in between our visits (most carpet manufacturers recommend weekly vacuuming to extend the life of the fibers). Keeping your vacuum in top maintenance condition will make this task much easier:

1. Cords- make sure your vacuum cords are free from any snags or tears. If you find that your vacuum cord is too short for your preference- meaning you have to stop and plug it in each time you move rooms- you can have it easily replaced with a longer cord at most repair shops, such as The Vacuum Cleaner Hospital.

2. Belts- follow your manufacturer’s recommendations to replace any necessary belts. These are usually minimally priced and keep the motor running efficiently. Preventative replacement helps avoid potential damage to the vacuum or carpet if the belt were to wear out and break.

3. Bags- any odor picked up in the vacuum will reside in the bag and “redistribute” anytime the vacuum is turned on. Change the bags when needed to prevent any unpleasant odors (also to maximize efficiency and filtration). Conversely, if you would like the vacuum to dispense a pleasant smell throughout the home while you vacuum, place a cotton ball with a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the bag itself.

4. Filters- check with your manufacturer’s instructions to make sure your filters are inspected and changed at the proper intervals. A dirty filter not only minimizes the effect of the vacuum’s particle removal from the air, but can do long term damage to the motor because it allows dust to enter in.

5. Gaskets- If you see dust gathering anywhere on the base of your vacuum, there might be a gasket problem. It’s best to have this checked out.

6. Fans- if you hear clanging sounds, chances are something got stuck in the fan. This should be looked at professionally as well. A well maintained vacuum should last for many years and take some of the “chore” out of the vacuuming task!

Noticing that your glasses and silverware are getting duller and duller
with each dishwasher cycle? Unfortunately even the best dish detergent will
build up upon itself with each washing. Instead of returning to
hand-washing, a simple “pre-wash” during normal clean-up about once a
month or as- needed will keep the glassware and silverware shiny and
looking clean.
Add one cup of white vinegar to a sink full of hot water. Place the
glasses and cutlery in the wash to soak for a few minutes then use a soft
washcloth to wipe away any residue. Place the items directly in the
dishwasher and run a wash and dry cycle without soap. Afterward run a
normal wash and dry cycle as usual (other plates and items can be added to
this washing).
Enjoy sparkling glasses once again!

 

First scrape away as much excess wax as possible (this works best after applying an ice cube to make the wax brittle). 

Next place a plain paper bag underneath and on top of the remaining wax and apply a warm iron (use the hottest temperature that the fabric can withstand).  As the wax melts and transfers to the paper, repeat using new paper until no more wax transfers.  If a stain remains, apply detergent directly to the stain then launder as normal.  Do not put in dry cycle until stain is removed.