Cleaning

The contents valet don’t just use obvious resources such as Ebay to help them decide an item’s worth (as was indicated in the first article in this issue, the figures found there can be wildly inflated and inaccurate). In point of fact there are far too many avenues of research to list them all here. […]

Let’s take a look at some practical examples of a contents manager making things easier for an adjuster. It isn’t always monetary when an argument arises between an insurance representative and the insured. A year or two ago, we reported a case in which an elderly member of the insured’s family wanted his collection of […]

The CDC has a website where they research many types of disinfectants and sanitizers. They pointed out that alcohol, as an example, does pretty well with some bacteria, but, “… lack sporicidal action and they cannot penetrate protein-rich materials.” Bleach looks pretty good, but, “…can produce ocular irritation or oropharyngeal, esophageal, and gastric burns,” along […]

Do you recall the article about the contents pros who hired a cosplay batman to return some memorabilia to a little boy? Well, sometimes you don’t need a cape to be a hero. The structural restoration team had arrived before the contents pros were assigned the job. The contents manager quickly began a walkthrough of […]

Upholstered furniture and bed mattresses are very difficult to restore after they have become saturated with water. There are some techniques that can be used to decontaminate couch cushions, but the rest of the couch would have to be disassembled all the way down to the wood and springs to dry and decontaminate it properly […]

When water from the runoff held back by an ice dam, trickles down into a home and across the carpet or flooring, particle board or “pressed wood” furniture is especially vulnerable. Those types of wood pull water up into themselves, then swell, crack and even expand like a dry sponge that has come into contact […]

Many adjusters across North America are selecting restoration companies based on whether they can restore the insureds’ valued contents, not just the damaged structure of their home or office. An agent, who wants a policy renewal from an important client, may recommend a restoration company solely based on the fact that the insured has an […]

Winter water intrusions are often traced to two sources, ice dams and frozen pipes that expand, burst, and flood rooms or even entire homes. Ice dams form at the edge of a roof and keep melting snow from running off. The resultant liquid is held in place until it finds gaps or cracks, then it […]

From the moment the contents restoration professionals arrive at a client’s front door, they are on the job. They restore the home or office – not contribute to its further damage. That’s why, in the middle of winter, you will see them lay down as many as 18 feet of special mats to help them […]

 Article Written by Michelle Blevins Tens of thousands of documents. Months of work. Hundreds of workers displaced. Dozens of techs put to work. And working daily with local government. It was a restoration job that covers every angle of the industry: water and fire damage, asbestos, contents cleaning of electronics, documents, and furniture, and odor […]