It’s one thing to ramble on about supporting the men and women wearing or who have worn the uniform of one of the United States’ military outfits, a law enforcement agency or a firefighting unit. It’s another thing to take actions that show support for those who have served their country.

Enter Rohnert Park’s Diem Tran, whose cleaning service, Simply Maid Home, has partnered with Cleaning for Heroes to help those injured soldiers, police officers or firefighters meet the demands of everyday life such as cleaning and maintaining a healthy home.

Thousands of soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning to civilian life with moderate to severe physical injuries. Head trauma, loss of limbs or debilitating injuries to arms and legs make it difficult for these men and women to keep their living environments sanitary. Cleaning for Heroes is the only non-profit dedicated to providing no-cost house cleaning services to disabled and elderly veterans.

An idea is hatched
“We got this idea two months ago,” said the 26-year-old Tran, who also is the sole proprietor. “Cleaning For Heroes has taken the house cleaning industry by storm. In our area, nobody had partnered with them before. From networking and being aware of what’s happening, I heard of Cleaning For Heroes. We reached out, and we’re enlisted with them. We’re hoping to get word out so residents are aware this is an option for them.”

Simply Maid Home, the brainchild of Tran, opened for business on June 20, 2011. Tran, who earned a business degree with an emphasis on human resources from Sonoma State, started laying the groundwork for her business in February of 2011. She has extensive experience in the cleaning industry.

“I worked for the largest house-cleaning company in the nation, and I was at Target, working 12 to 16-hour days,” Diem said. “That’s fine, because I love hard work, but I figured if I was working that hard, I may as well do it for myself.”

Since starting her business, Diem has been able to hire a team of five workers who will travel to just about all corners of Sonoma County to work. The only two places exempt from their service area are Cloverdale and Bodega Bay.

In order to qualify for this service, former members of the military, police or firefighting agencies must have a condition or situation that doesn’t allow them to properly clean and sanitize their homes.

Cleaning makes a difference
For some elderly veterans, having household help could be the difference between whether they get to stay in their own home or be forced into a retirement home.

For other veterans, it could mean the difference between staying at home after surgery, or returning to the hospital because they were unable to maintain a sanitary environment in which to heal.

“It is our mission to clean with a purpose,” Tran said. “We want to not only clean nice, fancy homes in the hills of Sonoma County, but we also want to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and within the community. My grandfather is a veteran who now lives in Minnesota; he would very much benefit from a service like this.”

Because this program is so new to Sonoma County, Tran and her crew have not done a free housecleaning yet, but she’s itching to do so.

Tran has had a steady boyfriend of five years, hopes to be married soon, and she’s hoping she’ll have children by the time she’s 30.

For more information, go to www.simplymaidhome.com or call 509-8725.