Duarte Cleaning and Home Services

In 1911, 15-year-old Elroy L. Payne dropped out of his Lincoln, Nebraska high school and journeyed to Los Angeles. A year later, he persuaded his parents and seven siblings to join him, and by 1933, the Paynes were the largest manufacturer of gas furnaces in the western United States. That was also the year Elroy painted the company trucks to match the state flower: vivid orange like the california poppy. Throughout the decades, the home-air experts' focus shifted. Today, they repair air conditioners, perform regular maintenance, improve air quality with filters and UV treatments, and sell AC systems.

Payne trucks are still bright orange today, but now they're also fuel-efficient Scions, which the company estimates has prevented 384,000 pounds of carbon from leaking into the air. Likewise, eco-friendly refrigerant, instead of snowman tears, flows through every device technicians install, and the team designs custom energy-efficient "zoning" systems for homes whenever possible.

With the exception of apprentices, all on-staff installers and service technicians have between 10 and 28 years of experience in perfecting air quality and go through a rigorous in-house training program on top of that. Payne specialists are so confident in their AC-whispering abilities that they insure their repairs with a one-year guarantee. Specialists adhere to a strict set of policies on the job, promising to be punctual, tidy, and respectful of clients' homes, first burning symbolic offerings in crankier furnaces. Though the company offers products by York, Lennox, and Carrier, technicians do not work on commission, and pride themselves on eschewing pushy sales tactics.

With festive specimens starting at 2 feet and stretching skyward to more than 10 feet, the Christmas tree lot at A1 Christmas Trees, Lights & Installations holds an array of evergreen offerings destined to liven up home interiors. Holiday hunters can peruse and pick from the rows of Douglas Firs, admired for their dense, bushy shape; Grand Firs, dark green and soft to the touch; and ever-popular Noble Firs, soft blue-green and grown only in the Pacific Northwest. When not showing visitors around their tree farm, the professional merry-makers also adorn homes with holiday lighting installations, removing the hassle and danger of climbing up on the roof and lassoing fluorescent reindeer.

Pure Air services, Inc.’s licensed, bonded, and insured technicians purify domestic air ducts to cut down on the dust and allergens drifting through their clients’ homes. During duct-cleaning services, technicians carefully purge dirt, pet hair, and eavesdropping spies while keeping the environment closed so as not to recontaminate the home and stir up allergies. The crew of multitalented handymen can also help around the house, maintaining energy-efficient insulation, getting rid of attic pests, and removing dangerous asbestos.

Maids Beverly Hills’ teams of licensed, bonded, and insured maids cleanse homes with practiced procedures and pet-friendly products. Residences are made spotless as maids disinfect kitchen and bathroom surfaces, dust furniture, vacuum floors, and tend to special requests. With a goal of quality, each cleaning team includes a leader to oversee the work, communicate directly with clients, and referee postcleaning soccer matches. All maids go through a thorough interview, background check, and specialized training before taking the first sweeps of a broom in a client’s home.

Home is where the heart is, but it's also a network of complex systems that keep your heart from being too hot or cold. The licensed, insured, certified, and bonded technicians from A-1 Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Services work to keep those systems in working order. Detailed estimates precede all services so that customers are aware of how long the work may take, the total cost they can expect, and what parts may be required to turn a home into a giant ice-cream maker.

As moms of single-parent families, the two sisters behind Mystic Maids have worked hard to provide for their kids. Over the years, they've built an army of equally hardworking and reliable technicians who receive hands-on training and periodic testing to keep them up to speed on safe and effective cleaning techniques. The cleaners perform one-time, weekly, and monthly cleaning services, using a thorough checklist as their guide as opposed to a mischievous spirit animal. Should customers discover an error or oversight within 24 hours, Mystic Maids' techs will return the next day to set it right.