Who I Call When Something Needs Fixing

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Lindsay’s Desert Rolodex!

After well over a decade of living in the Coachella Valley, I’ve accumulated quite the list of tried-and-true local resources—the people and businesses I turn to when I need something cleaned, fixed, or otherwise taken care of.

In my first Desert Rolodex issue, I shared my go-tos for everything from shoe repair and alterations to dry cleaning and custom merch. This time around, we’re taking things closer to home—literally—with five of my favorite resources for home maintenance and repair.

These are all people I’ve personally used (and, in many cases, sent my family and friends to, as well), so consider this a little peek inside my own contacts list. Let’s get into it!

XO, Lindsay

RESORT CARPET & TILE CARE

Something was definitely in the air a few weeks back when several people—including my mom—reached out on the same day to ask if I knew of a good carpet and tile cleaner. And it just so happens that I do! Matt McLeroy (pictured on the right), owner of Resort Carpet & Tile Care, serves on the Leadership Coachella Valley board with me—and not only is he genuinely an all-around great guy (and a desert native!), but everyone I know who has used his company sings his praises. He went out to my mom’s house shortly thereafter to clean her area rugs and tackle her tile and grout, which had gotten pretty dirty over the years and was driving her a bit mad. The results? I am still getting texts from her (weeks later!) saying how amazing her floors look (photos included!)—along with repeated warnings that I most certainly am not allowed to wear shoes inside her house ever again!

AVILA’S GARAGE DOORS

I originally found Jesse the way so many emergency home-repair relationships begin: frantically searching Yelp after the spring on our garage door snapped, rendering it inoperable. His reviews were fantastic, so I gave him a call—and he was at our house and had the spring replaced in no time. While there, he also gave our garage door some much-needed maintenance and taught me something I hadn’t known: here in the desert, garage doors should be serviced about twice a year, including regularly lubricating the moving parts. Apparently, ours had been crying out for a little TLC—we just weren’t listening. And while I know my mom will absolutely killme for sharing this (sorry, mom!), earlier this summer, she backed out of her garage . . . before the door had fully opened, denting it pretty badly and locking her car inside. Completely out of sorts, she called me and I told her to contact Jesse. He came right out, got everything back in working order, and even made her feel slightly less embarrassed about the unfortunate mishap.

JUNIORS VIP CLEANING

Speaking of Yelp finds, Juniors VIP Cleaning is another business I discovered thanks to a slew of stellar reviews. They’re now my go-to window cleaners, but that’s actually not what I originally hired them for. A few years after moving into our current house, I found myself in desperate need of a last-minute professional cleaning. Juniors VIP came to the rescue, sending a team out the very same day I called—and my home looked stunning! While poking around online, I noticed they also offered window cleaning, so I asked about getting that done, as well. They came back the very next day and tackled every window—screens and all!—and I honestly couldn’t believe the difference. We’ve been using them for our windows ever since and have recommended them to several neighbors who love their work, too.

COLDESTMAN A/C REPAIR

Our washing machine suddenly decided to go kaput a few years back. Desperate to find an appliance repair person—a surprisingly difficult task in the Valley—I reached out to the Realtor who sold us our house, hoping for a recommendation. Thankfully, he had one: Hector, owner of Coldestman, who came out the very same day. During the visit, he mentioned that his specialty is actually A/C maintenance and repair, so we made sure to keep his card on file. Soon after, our unit went out during a 110+-degree day, and Hector was there within the hour! There was no waiting on a part, no shipping delays, no “I’ll be back next week.” By the time he left, our A/C was mercifully back to full working order. My mom has since become a Hector convert, too. When her A/C suddenly called it quits on a particularly hot day, he was right there to fix it—and when her fridge went on the fritz this summer, guess who she called? Between A/C emergencies and misbehaving appliances, Hector has become someone we’re so very lucky to have on speed dial.

 ADRIAN’S HC POOLS

This one came as a recommendation from our neighbor when our pool was in desperate need of a deep clean due to some serious hard-water staining. She had used Adrian to acid wash her pool and said he was the best. And she wasn’t lying! He came out the same day we called, gave us a very reasonable estimate, and then proceeded to spend two full days cleaning our pool. Acid washing is a painstaking endeavor, and Adrian executed it with incredible precision and attention to detail, literally cleaning every grout line individually (as evidenced in the photo). The results were absolutely striking—and looking at my pool now, I realize we need to have it done again, pronto! Adrian doesn’t have much of an online presence and relies almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals, but you can reach him directly at (760) 409-3914.

Thanks for Reading

I hope a few of my tried-and-true favorites find their way into your own Rolodex—and make your next home emergency a little less stressful! And if there’s something you need that I didn’t cover here, you know who to call. My Desert Rolodex runs deep.