Diamond Certified Blog

We’re thrilled about the publication of our 2016 Diamond Certified Directory. (If you haven’t received your FREE copy in the mail yet, click here.) The 10 county-specific versions have been arriving in Bay Area mailboxes throughout April and we’re already seeing significant usage. We spend a lot of time getting the Diamond Certified Directory just right, so we love hearing from consumers who use it.

Barbara S. writes, “My husband and I keep the directory in a handy place because it’s our ‘go to’ resource when we need to find a service provider for our home and/or health.” Read more

Mold is a common household problem during the winter, when the moist, rainy weather creates ideal conditions for fungi to flourish. While the arrival of summer tends to reverse these conditions, in some residences, mold is nonetheless a year-round problem. For example, if your home is poorly ventilated or situated in a humid or heavily shaded location (i.e. coastal or dense forest), the warm summer climate may do little to mitigate mold, which means you’ll need to take proactive measures to combat it. Read more

As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I’ve been busy having three bedrooms and a bathroom painted, which forced me to clean out my closets. The project was time-consuming, but I’m happy to say I didn’t spend a lot of money. It made our home more aesthetically pleasing and I’m looking forward to having houseguests again.

That got me thinking about other little things my husband and I could do to spruce things up that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Read more

Guest post by Jennifer Filzen, Marketing Representative at Acme Sunshades Enterprise Inc, a Diamond Certified company.

Let’s say you own a restaurant and want to create an outdoor dining space for your customers. You can have any type of pergola, sunshade or awning built for you, but there are several things to consider before making a final decision.

Is your outdoor area surrounded by lots of trees? Too many trees could blow a heavy pile of leaves on top of your sunshade and cause it to collapse. If you want an outdoor area with a sunshade, you should consider a retractable shade that you can move out of the way in the event of rain or wind. Read more

While children anxiously await the coming of summer, there are others who are less enthusiastic about it—and no, we’re not just talking about their parents. Motorists, for example, know all too well the “pain at the pump” that sets in as gas prices make their seasonal ascent. Likewise, if you’re a swimming pool owner, you experience a similar summertime phenomenon—only, instead of the fuel pump, your pool pump is the source of pain.

Let’s face it: swimming pools are enjoyable, but they aren’t cheap to maintain. In fact, it’s been estimated that homes with swimming pools use almost 50 percent more electricity than those without. Fortunately, there’s good news: with a few proactive measures, Read more

The massive distribution of the 2016 Diamond Certified Directory has begun, with more than 800,000 copies reaching homes and businesses throughout the Greater Bay Area. Your FREE copy should be arriving very soon (if it hasn’t already), so keep your eyes on your mailbox!

If you’re new to the Diamond Certified Directory and would like to receive a free copy for your local area, simply visit www.diamondcertified.info/directory and fill out the required information. Read more

Considering the stakes involved, it’s no surprise that a large-scale remodeling project can be a bit unnerving. After all, you’re entrusting thousands of dollars to a contractor’s promise to deliver a product that currently only exists on paper. That’s why, prior to hiring a contracting firm, it’s critical to confirm it’s worthy of your trust. To gain further insight, we’ve asked five Diamond Certified Expert Contributors to weigh in on what to look for when hiring a remodeling contractor. Read more

People scrambling to find apartments and rental houses often pay for rental listings. Sadly, some of them find that the lists they buy are worthless. One man paid more than $200 for a list of homes to rent, and when he visited three of the addresses, he discovered they were occupied. Applying for a refund was equally frustrating. The agency said the agreement he signed allowed them to take up to 90 days to issue a refund. Three months later, their phone was disconnected and the company disappeared with his money.

Another common scam is to require people who respond to a phony rental ad to pay for a credit report. The con artists collect a commission or simply keep the fee. Read more

Do you know how to tell if your car’s tires have adequate tread wear? Watch this video for some helpful information. Read more

You’re likely aware of the importance of dental health, but you probably didn’t start out that way. After all, knowledge of proper oral hygiene isn’t innate; rather, it’s something that’s instilled in us over time, beginning from a young age. So, in order to set the stage for long-term dental health, parents of young children need to be proactive about teaching healthy habits early. Here’s a brief overview of how to care for your child’s dental health throughout the seminal phases of childhood:

Infancy
Dental care begins at birth. Even before teeth begin to come in, dentists recommend cleaning an infant’s gums with a wet washcloth or gauze pad following each feeding. Read more