As always, the new issue is full of technical tips for the cleaning and restoration industry, ways to improve your business and all the most pressing topics for our readers.

Our April cover feature is “ from Cleanfax Executive Editor Jeff Cross, which offers tips for truckmount maintenance that goes beyond the basic requirements. In it, Miller says:

If you are the conscientious owner of a single truckmount or an entire fleet, you no doubt go above and beyond manufacturer- recommended truckmount maintenance tasks.

to check out the Cross’s article and see how you can keep your truckmount running strong and smooth for years to come.

Also in the April issue is “” from restoration industry expert Brandon Burton. It aims to help readers understand the standard definition changes and how they impact the restoration process.

There’s tons more in the April issue, including from contributor David Hart, which provides a rundown of ozone creation, generator types and ozone uses.

Look for the April 2016 issue of Cleanfax or in your mailbox by mid-month.

Did you miss March issue and its cover story, from business advisor Tim Miller?

Subscribe to Cleanfax .

The post The April 2016 issue of Cleanfax is live appeared first on Cleanfax.

Ozone is generated in electrical storms by bolts of lightning — that’s why it smells so fresh during and after a heavy storm. It’s also used in the cleaning and restoration industry. But what exactly is ozone?

What is ozone?

Ozone, also known as “heavy oxygen” or “activated oxygen,” is simply a molecule of oxygen consisting of three oxygen atoms (O3) instead of two (O2).

“Normal” oxygen consists of two oxygen atoms bonded together. The bond that holds these two oxygen atoms together is relatively strong, resulting in a stable molecule.

However, this bond, although strong, is not unbreakable. When an O2 molecule comes into direct contact with a certain wavelength of ultraviolet (UV) light or an arc of high voltage electricity, its bond is “severed,” rendering the two atoms separate, each of which can be referred to as O1.

Single atoms of oxygen want to attach to receptive molecules with which they come into contact.

When an atom of oxygen bonds with another molecule, the process is called “oxidation.”

Formation of ozone
ttsz/iStock

Oxidation

Oxidation simply refers to the process of an atom of oxygen attaching itself to a receptive molecule, which changes its structure. Oxidation essentially turns something into something else; oftentimes the change is dramatic.

One example of oxidation is the transformation of water into hydrogen peroxide. There is one more oxygen atom in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) than in water (H2O).

Hydrogen peroxide is a good example for this article, as we are all familiar with its ability to sanitize and disinfect. Its  properties are so powerful, in fact, the hydrogen peroxide in bottles at the local pharmacy and grocery store has been diluted to three percent.

Even at three percent dilution, H202 is extraordinarily effective at killing bacteria, fungi, viruses and a wide spectrum of germs. By way of comparison, 90 percent hydrogen peroxide can be used as rocket fuel.

Ozone, on the other hand, is not combustible at any concentration, yet its sanitizing capabilities are unequaled. It oxidizes molecules, kills bacteria, fungi, viruses and germs, and changes the structure of odor molecules, so they quite literally no longer exist.

In short, when it comes to deodorizing, ozone removes the odor completely by removing (molecularly altering) its source — permanently.

One of the best aspects of ozone is it removes odors with no manual labor like scrubbing and wiping. It performs its sanitizing and odor removing while you’re off doing something else, and when finished, ozone automatically turns itself back into pure oxygen, leaving no residue.

Types of ozone generators

Ultraviolet generators produce ozone in the same way our sun creates and maintains the protective ozone layer between the troposphere and stratosphere.

Typically weaker, and usually less expensive, this type of generator has one or more ultraviolet bulbs mounted inside the unit that emit specific wavelengths of UV light, which separate the atoms of O2 molecules as ambient air is blown past the bulbs by an internal fan.

This type of machine normally offers a lower ozone output, and the bulbs weaken over time. They also are prone to breakage, so the bulbs need to be replaced regularly.

Corona discharge generators produce ozone with what’s called a “corona discharge tube” or “plate.” Generally offering a stronger and more reliable output than UV generators, corona discharge generators manufacture ozone in the same way lightning does — by ripping the O2 molecules apart with electricity.

A high-voltage electrical current is passed through a dielectric material (material that transmits electrical force without conduction) in the form of a tube or plate while ambient air is blown through the tube or over the plate by a fan mounted at the rear of the unit.

More powerful, and requiring less or no maintenance, corona discharge generators are typically the choice for restoration companies and those looking to do the job more effectively and in less time.

Ozone and safety

The fact is life as we know it on Earth would not exist if it weren’t for the protective layer of ozone high above us. And, although ozone can be temporarily and mildly irritating to lung tissue if breathed in high concentrations over an extended period of time, ozone is not “toxic.”

Experts agree that the danger in the use of ozone as a remediation tool has been inordinately overrated.

There is a common belief that users need to hold their breath and run after turning on an ozone generator, but this is simply not the case.

As a comparison, most think nothing of standing next to or leaning up against a car spewing carbon monoxide or sitting with the windows down on a busy freeway during bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Carbon monoxide, however, is toxic. In fact, there are at least 2,500 human deaths reported each year in the U.S. due to carbon monoxide exposure. (Trivia fact: If you oxidize carbon monoxide (CO), you get non-toxic CO2.)

This is not to say one should not vacate the building while an ozone generator is running; in fact, as adamant as I am about the exaggeration of ozone’s noxiousness, I’m just as insistent that safety protocol be followed when using it in the cleaning/restoration industry. An ozone generator, when used correctly, can be one of the safest tools in your cleaning arsenal.

Proper operation protocol

Proper procedure calls for the operator to be sure the area is evacuated of humans and animals, and if extremely high levels are to be generated over an extended period of time, it is wise to remove plants and cover aquariums.

Signs that read “Do not enter: Ozone treatment area,” marked with the time it is safe to enter, should be posted at all entrances.

Ozone degrades (turns back into “normal” oxygen) quickly — in about 30 minutes. For this reason, it has to be generated on site. (It cannot be kept in tanks.) The huge upside to this quick degradation process is that, despite its unparalleled oxidizing/deodorizing/sanitizing capabilities, it leaves absolutely zero residue.

Since the composition of ozone (O3) is merely a third oxygen atom attached to a normal oxygen molecule (O2), the process of reverting back to oxygen is merely a detachment of the third atom from the other two, more strongly bonded atoms.

These remaining single oxygen atoms, which don’t join with and alter the molecular composition of odor molecules, rejoin with other single detached oxygen atoms, creating normal O2.

Benefits to offering ozone treatment

If your business offers carpet cleaning, duct cleaning or virtually any cleaning service, ozone treatment can be the best value-added service you offer.

Cigarette, pet, musty, moldy and cooking odors all can be permanently removed quickly and easily with ozone. I’ve found that by simply mentioning the benefits of ozone to customers, a surprising number of people jump at the chance to have their homes, businesses, RVs, cars or other areas treated. It’s easy to get customers interested in ozone.

They’re already your clients who look to you for guidance in the realm of cleaning and sanitizing. In my company, Guarantee Cleaning Services Inc. in Bend, OR, for example, we offer carpet and duct cleaning, and we have an oriental rug cleaning plant.

Within days of mentioning to a few clients that we now offer ozone treatment services, we started getting calls. One call in particular was from a local real estate company who was unable to sell a beautiful, reasonably priced home because it smelled strongly of old, disgusting cigarette smoke.

The previous owners of the house had smoked indoors for 20 years, and the real estate company had tried everything — cleaning the carpet, washing the walls, ceiling and appliances — everything. They had even tried fogging the home with “odor neutralizers.”

Still the odor remained. Prospective buyers would take a few steps into the home, take a breath and immediately turn to leave. Nobody was interested in buying a home that smelled like an ashtray.

The real estate agent listing the home called me in desperation. “I hear you have something that can get rid of cigarette smoke smell,” she said.

I met her at the house, and, sure enough, it absolutely reeked of cigarettes. It was nauseating.

I explained I’d perform an ozone treatment in the home for $395 and would not charge her if it “didn’t work.” She jumped at the chance, of course — $400 to make a $500,000 home sellable! With the guarantee, how could she lose?

I set up the generator to run overnight, and the following morning I got a text from her. “The house smells great! It smells like… nothing!”

When I responded, letting her know I was happy to hear the good news, she replied, “Who’s this?”

Confused, I texted again to remind her I was the one who set up the ozone generator for her. When she replied, she explained the message was meant for her business partner.

The fact that she was so genuinely excited about the condition of the home after ozone treatment that she rushed to message her business partner was especially satisfying to me.

As it turned out, the home sold very soon after that, and nobody entering the home from that point forward mentioned anything about an unpleasant odor — because it was gone, for good.

So let’s recap the benefits of ozone:

• Ozone is unequalled in its ability to sanitize, disinfect and deodorize.
• When used correctly, ozone can be one of the safest services you offer.
• Ozone is completely non-residual, leaving behind only clean, pure oxygen.
• An ozone generator can generate revenue for you while you’re somewhere else being productive.

After the initial purchase cost of a quality ozone generator, you can immediately begin to reap the profits it generates, without spending another penny. Set the timer, press the button and let it go to work for you.

How many tools in your company can offer that kind of return on your investment?

David Hart, founder and CEO of RamAir International, is a 27-year veteran in the cleaning and restoration industry. He is the inventor of the OzoGen 10kV High-Output Ozone Generator and is authoring the standard on how ozone is used in forensics remediation for the Restoration Industry Association (RIA). To contact him, visit his websites and .

The post Exploring Ozone use in Odor Elimination appeared first on Cleanfax.

You might have chosen to clean carpet with a portable extractor, or perhaps you decided to try out an absorbent pad system. Maybe you were intrigued with encapsulation cleaning.

Or, like many, you decided to analyze the truckmount market, see what was available and hear what people had to say about the various machines. Should you go with a slide-in, direct-drive, kerosene- or propane-fired or heat exchange? Little machine, big machine, really big machine? There were lots of questions.

But you eventually decided on a brand and model and you made your purchase. You were given a crash course in proper truckmount maintenance and a manual to take with you, with repeated instructions from the mechanic about the importance of regular truckmount maintenance. The mechanic who trained you might have wagged his finger your way a few times when he felt you weren’t paying attention. You heard instructions so repeatedly that an unwanted chant was created in your head: “Change the oil, change the filter, lube what moves, top the fluids…”

If you are the conscientious owner of a single truckmount or an entire fleet, you no doubt go above and beyond manufacturer- recommended truckmount maintenance tasks.

Cleanfax asked veteran users what they do beyond typical truckmount maintenance (changing the oil, lubing moving parts) with their machines to maximize both life and performance.

Be prepared

There are not many situations worse than being in the middle of a cleaning job when something breaks and you have to explain to the customer the need to reschedule. The look you get from that customer isn’t something you wish to experience twice.

So be prepared for what may happen but you hope never will. Have on hand a small toolkit with the necessary tools to do repairs you can handle on the job and replacement parts for things that commonly fail. If you aren’t sure what those are, ask your truckmount mechanic for some advice and a list of items.

Feeding the machine

Just as a healthy diet can help keep us in better physical condition, what goes into your truckmount can make or break your machine — eventually.

“We filter the water, and it keeps a lot of stuff out of the pump, screens, check valves, heat exchanger, bypass valves, etc.,” says Scott Smith, owner of C&S Cleaning Services in Meadville, PA. “The filter we use is a whole house GE filter, and it filters down to five microns.” That way, Smith explains, it catches virtually everything that may be in the water you are using to clean with and helps keep particles from damaging anything in the flow system of your truckmount.

Besides filtering, Smith knows the value of water softeners, especially in areas with high mineral content. But, even if you do use a softener, Smith says, “Descale one or two times a year. [Softeners] don’t remove all the minerals but a lot of them. And as the resin ages, it becomes less effective, so change your resin every three to five years, depending upon usage.”

Using water softeners offers big protection for truckmounts, and it helps your detergents work better as well. Joseph Rogers with Quest Floor Care in Christiansburg, VA, uses a water softener system and values the protection it provides. Yet, some currently are taking or are planning to take their water treatment issues a step further. Rogers is considering a reverse osmosis and deionized water system setup.

Why?

“I’d really like to have some control over the quality of water I use to clean, and you can’t get that hooking up to customer’s water,” Rogers explains. In Blacksburg and Christiansburg, VA, two of the areas he covers, he says the water is “decent,” but the farther away from those cities he works, the worse the water quality gets.

So he has done his homework. He adds, “Having an RO/DI setup will allow me to clean with water that has had pretty much all the contaminants associated with hard water removed. And having control over water quality like that will be another way to differentiate myself.”

Keep it clean

This may seem simplistic, but not keeping a truckmount clean is something that can sneak up on you. At the end of the day, you are tired, or your techs want to get home, and you figure you will clean things up at the end of the next day. The cycle happens again… pretty soon, you are getting used to seeing a dirty machine.

Ades Gros with Carpet Magic in Wilson, NC, says this is one of his priorities when it comes to keeping his truckmount in good shape. “Keeping it clean” is extremely important, he adds, including “keeping the fan on air-cooled motors clean.” Dirty fans obviously hinder air flow, something Gros knows can reduce engine life.

Larry McQueen of Carpet Care Plus in O’Fallon, IL, is a true believer in clean machines. “I am a fanatic about pulling everything — hoses, wands and all removable items — from the truck on a monthly basis. We then clean everything because half the battle in maintenance deals with cleanliness,” he says. “Don’t get me started on the waste tank! Every day we flush it and spray disinfectant into the tank.”

Jim Martin with Beyond Clean in Tucson, AZ, believes in setting aside one day each month to take the time to service and work on your equipment, keeping it clean and in good condition.

“I always wipe everything down and make sure there is nothing in my trucks that will obstruct any type of airflow that is needed to keep it running as cool as possible,” Martin stresses.

And don’t forget the truck itself, Martin adds. “Make sure that all the regular truckmount maintenance is completed on it as well. I have a machine that is coming up on 3,200 hours, which may not seem like a lot, but if you actually keep track of how many hours your machine runs during a normal day of cleaning, that is a lot of cleanings, and that 3,200 hours has pretty much paid for that machine many times over.”

Make it a practice to end your busy workday with just a few more minutes of cleanup time. You will find the start of the next day to be more enjoyable, and if your truckmount could talk, it might just say, “Thanks!”

The forgotten details

James Tole with Harold William Company in Windsor, ON, believes it is important to pay attention to the speed of your machine.

“The most overlooked, in my opinion, is the rpm of the drive system and the max point of the vacuum.” Tole says. He feels truckmount operators see reduced efficiency for recovery if the rpm is low as well as the vacuum relief opening too early.

Lastly, Tole adds some truckmount operators don’t pay enough attention to a failing seal on the waste tank lid, which results in a loss of vacuum performance.

An additional “forgotten detail” many suffer from is what they rarely (if ever) see… the inside of the waste tank. Al – though your machine may seem to be working fine, buildup of dirt, hair, grease and other familiar “nasties” on the walls of your waste tank will take its toll on the performance of your machine. Take some time regularly to scrape off and clean up all surfaces inside your waste tanks. And don’t forget those filters can plug up fast, even on just one job.

Your truckmount will give you years of high performance… if you take good care of it.

Jeff Cross is the executive editor of Cleanfax and is an industry trainer and consultant. He can be reached via email at JCross@Cleanfax.com.

The post Above and Beyond Basic Truckmount Maintenance appeared first on Cleanfax.

The owner was experiencing difficulty with his business partner. He spent a great deal of time telling me about all his partner’s shortcomings: How he wasn’t interested in embracing new technology, didn’t shoulder his share of the financial risk of the company and didn’t actively participate in managing the employees. Instead, he only did the work he had been doing for years and was comfortable with.

As the conversation progressed, I offered suggestions on how he might resolve some of the issues. But it seemed that with every suggestion I made, he had a ready argument about why it wouldn’t work in his situation. After a while, I came to the conclusion that arguing with this owner was like mud wrestling with a pig. He wasn’t looking for answers; he was more interested in wallowing in his misery.

Denial

We’ve all seen similar scenarios play out in our businesses and in our personal lives. Complaining about our situations rather than acting to change them can allow us to avoid the tough decisions we really don’t want to make in spite of all our complaints.

With rare exception, anyone who’s ever had a business partner has felt a sense of inequity at some point, and this owner was no different. Was the real issue what he said it was, or did it have more to do with the two of them no longer sharing a common vision for the future of the company — or maybe not even wanting to be partners anymore?

Our personal values, business values or the things we want to achieve with our businesses can change. Or sometimes partners grow professionally at different rates. Addressing these issues head on can be extremely difficult, emotionally-charged conversations, ones we usually work hard to avoid. Often it’s just easier to kick these conversations down the road until they’re unavoidable, or we bury them under a pile of minor irritations and a corresponding list of complaints.

It’s even easier to fall into this trap of avoidance when we have family members involved in our businesses — whether or not they’re partners. The boundaries between loving someone and holding them accountable on the job can easily become blurred and emotional when personal feelings are involved. Or as Dr. Morris Shechtman writes in Working without a Net, we confuse caring for someone with taking care of them. Rather than caring enough to discuss how we’re feeling or to set job expectations and hold them accountable, we avoid the conversation, continue paying them and then let our frustrations cloud the relationship.

Situations like these have to do with the “soft side” of business we hear so much about. But, as we all learn at some point, there’s nothing soft about them. Give me numbers or technical issues any day! They’re unemotional.

Bargaining

As with solving any problem in business, the first step is to identify it and get to its root cause. This process usually involves more than one person and can become very emotional. But, just as the cost of avoiding it can be huge, so can the payoff for acknowledging it.

Trying to hide our own shortcomings by complaining about business partners or family members is easy. When someone asks us to do something we’re uncomfortable doing, we can just shift the blame to them.

But hiding behind our complaints isn’t limited to business partners and family members. It also extends to our complaints about poor-performing frontline employees.

When we find ourselves complaining about employees, we should ask ourselves who made the decision to hire them in the first place? What role did we play in that? And if we discover they’re poor performers after we hire them, who’s making the decision to keep them? Perhaps there’s an underlying reason.

Could we subconsciously tolerate, maybe even want, poor performing employees so we don’t have to develop ourselves as business owners or hold ourselves accountable to do the things we know we’re supposed to be doing? Does surrounding ourselves with marginal performers secretly allow us to continue being the smartest person in the room? Or perhaps it just gives us abundant reasons to continue complaining.

Our people generally rise to the level of performance we set for them. If they’re not meeting our expectations, maybe we should look a little closer at our real intentions rather than complaining about their shortcomings.

We sometimes do the same thing with customers. We tolerate unprofitable or slow-paying customers for a reason. Could it be because we’re living out the beliefs about money we learned growing up and blaming them for it? Or maybe we’re holding onto these customers because we’re afraid we won’t be able to replace them.

So we complain. But is complaining really just our way of avoiding having to do something we’re uncomfortable doing, like finding profitable customers who pay their bills on time?

As ridiculous as it might sound on the surface, and as unlikely as it might be for us to admit, it’s not uncommon to hide behind the poor financial performance of our companies. This supports Dr. Shechtman’s philosophy that businesses don’t have financial problems. Business owners have financial issues they work out through their businesses — both good and bad.

So, by extension, does continuing to live with marginal profitability, lousy cash flow or unhealthy debt loads, in spite of all our complaints, really let us live out our underlying beliefs about money?

No more complaints

We might have to scratch below the surface to recognize that not solving a nagging issue with profitability or cash flow is actually how we’re living out those beliefs that were learned years ago. But complaining about them is more comfortable than changing our beliefs and then acting on them to change the business outcome. We need to admit the real problem and make changes or at least stop our complaining.

As I’ve written many times in the past, owning a business is not a required course in life. It’s an elective. If we own our own businesses, we’re the ones who chose that course, and it reflects what we believe about ourselves, sometimes in spite of all our complaining. At the end of the day, we’re the ones who can change…or continue to complain. I guess that choice is ours as well.

Chuck Violand is the founder and principal of Violand Management Associates (VMA), the largest consulting company in the restoration and cleaning industries. Violand is a recognized industry leader for advising entrepreneurs on the unique challenges they face both personally and professionally. Through VMA, he works with business owners and companies to develop their people and their profits. Violand also serves on the board of directors for the Restoration Industry Association (RIA). To reach him, visit violand.com or call (800)360-3513.

The post In Spite of Our Complaints appeared first on Cleanfax.

As a result, several important definitions have changed, and others are entirely new. These changes have a direct impact on restoration project planning, workflow and other critical elements of the process. This article will address the most impactful of these changes.

��500��definition change overview

There are 61 terms defined in the standard section of the S500-2015. Of those, 25 are new terms that were not included in the “definitions” section of the previous edition, and another 15 were significantly rewritten. That accounts for nearly 70 percent of these important terms that are either new or revised. In this article, we will present a full list (see Table 1 on the next page) of the terms that have significantly changed or have been added and then explore specific changes with the most critical.

Although space permits me to discuss just a handful of the changed terms here, there are many more that are very important to review and understand. The summary we provide here is a great start to learning what has changed, but is not a replacement for reading the full context of each definition.

‘Categories of water’

One of the most important areas of change in definition relates to how the S500-2015 describes water categories and the related sub-terms: Categories 1, 2 and 3 and “regulated, hazardous materials and mold” (previously “special situations”).

First, the core definition of “category” received a short, but significant, addition of this phrase: “Time and temperature can affect or retard the amplification of contaminants, thereby affecting its category.” There are no time references to when a category will or can change, and even the graphical model (black, grey, etc.) of category used in earlier editions of the document was removed.

In general, the revised definition of category (and all of the references to it throughout the standard) puts an emphasis on how and when microbes are likely to amplify, using this for determining a change in category. It is a further departure from the old 48-hour reference of the second edition S500-1999.

Further movement in this direction can be found in the individual definitions for the sub-terms (category 1, etc.). Here, the terms remain exactly the same in reference to their general definition and source examples. However, the discussion regarding when and how the category changes is very different.

The examples of what constitutes a change in category have been removed and replaced with a more functional statement: “Once microorganisms become wet from the water intrusion, depending upon the length of time that they remain wet and the temperature, they can begin to grow in numbers and can change the category of the water.”

Probably one of the most significant changes in the category definitions, however, can be found in category 3. Here, you will find the words “ground surface water” omitted and the added phrase: “Category 3 water can carry trace levels of regulated or hazardous materials.” This is an important distinction from the previous edition. In short, this can be interpreted to allow ground water that migrates from sources other than rising rivers, streams, seawater, etc. (a.k.a. “flooding”), to be considered category 2.

For example, in all previous editions, rain water pooling locally in a yard adjacent to a home before entering a daylight basement could easily be considered category 3, citing the phrase “ground surface water” in the definition. In the S500-2015, however, the omission of “ground surface water” as an example allows potential for the determination to be a category 2.

Lastly, the final sub-term, “special situations,” has received a new name: “Regulated, hazardous materials and mold.” The general intent remains the same as the old “special situations” with an exception. A clear statement that “restorers shall comply with applicable… laws” has
been added.

‘Evaporation load’

Though not as critical as the category definition changes, the addition of this term is actually quite significant. The term is used 29 times overall in the S500– 2015, mostly in the context of “class of water” (more on classes in a moment). It is used to refer to the “anticipated amount of water vapor added to the drying environment by means of evaporation from wet materials.” The term “anticipated” is key in this statement — it’s not the amount of water vapor when the restorer arrives. It’s the amount or rate that will be added once drying begins.

The entire basis of “class of water,” and thus initial dehumidifier sizing, hinges on the understanding of this term — so it’s pretty important. In short, it’s a best guess as to how much water will be evaporating at the onset of drying, and thus how much humidity control is needed to prevent damage.

Restorers are asked to estimate this “evaporation load” as a key element in determining the “class of water intrusion.” It requires looking at the amount of moisture present in the affected area, how readily that moisture will evaporate and the overall percentage of wet, porous surfaces affected. Though not an entirely new concept, it is definitely an attempt to make initial project setup more objective.

‘Class of water intrusion’

The description of “class of water” and the related sub-terms (class 1, class 2, etc.) has undergone significant change. A strong emphasis has been retained, however, on the fact that classes refer only to the “initial” conditions in a project. This is critically important because no dehumidification or humidity control estimate or formula can account for the myriad of variables at the start of any given project. However, once drying equipment is installed, careful monitoring of the environment can easily indicate changes are needed.

A significant modification to the definition of classes relates to the focus on two main criteria: (1) wet surface area and (2) permeance and porosity of wet materials. The previous (2006) edition made general reference to porosity and the size of an area. The S500-2015 takes a much more specific stance. Classes of water contain a quantification in the form of the percentage of wet surface area, along with a description of the amount of water in either porous materials or “low evaporation materials and assemblies.”

Although not complex, this new method for determining class of water is significantly different from the previous editions of the S500 and will require retraining for any individual responsible for considering or assigning class of water to a project. No migration pattern is a perfectly straight line, so some estimating and approximation will always be required. Knowing how to do this quickly and accurately will become an important and regularly used skill for any estimator.

Summary and conclusions

A good number of the terms that saw significant change are not covered in depth here. Only a full read will allow industry professionals to understand the S500-2015.

As noted in this article, however, critical changes to categories of water and classes of water will directly impact project scopes. Since these terms relate directly to how a project is initiated and trickle down to so many of the steps and procedures that follow, it is critical that they are understood.

In general, the S500-2015 provides greater depth and clarity to the tools and concepts that have historically been vaguer. This is particularly true for classes of water. Although it comes with more terminology (e.g., “low evaporation assemblies,” “evaporation load,” etc.), the newest edition is a step in the right direction.

We’ll continue to explore changes to the S500-2015 in this series of articles. And, in each, we will leave you with the suggestion that it’s probably time to pick up your copy of the S500 Standard and Reference Guide!

Brandon Burton is the technical director for Legend Brands and an instructor with the Restoration Sciences Academy (RSA). He teaches IICRC-approved classes in the categories of Applied Structural Drying (ASD) and Water Damage Restoration (WRT). Burton has served the restoration community for more than 20 years, including 15 as an IICRC-approved instructor, ANSI/IICRC S500 chapter chair, RIA restoration council member and in many other industry roles. You can contact him at BrandonB@RSA-HQ.com.

The post Practical Application: S500-2015 Key Terms appeared first on Cleanfax.

But to say that it is, in any way, dishonest to optimize your business for multiple cities you legitimately wish to serve? That’s dirty, unfair and wrong. So if you’re a restoration firm located in Naperville, IL, you can’t optimize for nearby Chicago where most of the business is? You shouldn’t target all the smaller towns and cities around a metro area without being a black-hat practitioner, breaking the eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not create gateway pages?

Look, a so-called gateway page is a good thing. It shows that you are so dedicated to serving your customers in that certain area that you created a webpage just for them. Sure you might wish to make your content more targeted to that community, but why re-create an honest description of your services over and over again just to protect yourself from the duplicate content boogeyman?

You have every right to market your services online in any city you wish to serve. Search engine marketing isn’t like other advertising opportunities.

You can’t just switch to a different newspaper or radio station. Google so dominates this avenue that, in effect, they are all the local newspapers and radios in the entire country! If you can’t get fair treatment there, without being dishonest, you’re not the one being dishonest.

I’m not talking about creating fake locations and addresses. But I am talking about creating pages targeting your geographic audiences. But from my experiences, Google has not, up until now, done this.

I have clients coming up in dozens of cities with essentially the same content on every page. And why shouldn’t they? They serve them. And if Google ever does punish an actual, real service provider just for similar content targeting more than one city, they certainly do not apply this rule to any of those first-page-monopolizing directories they love so much.

Take a look for yourself. I did a search for “carpet cleaning Chicago, IL” and found Angie’s List on the first page (see Exhibit A). Notice the “local articles in Chicago.”

Then I searched for “carpet cleaning Los Angeles, CA,” and who came up once again on the first page for me? Angie’s List (see Exhibit B). Notice the “local articles in Los Angeles.” See any differences?

The stupid, duplicate content scare tactic hasn’t scared Angie. Nor has it hurt her. The directories, franchises and big boys do it. It’s not dishonest or black hat to optimize your website for multiple cities. For now, at least, it’s just smart.

— Gary Arndts, Richmond, IN

The post April 2016 Letter to the Editor: RE: Honest Internet Marketing appeared first on Cleanfax.

If you aren’t familiar with the term “trumped,” it generally means to be beaten by someone because they did something better than you. It could be because of their superior skills. Or, it could be they simply had an advantage over you, and there wasn’t much you could do about it. Things might have simply fallen their way, but trumped you were, indeed.

In business, “getting trumped” hurts a whole lot more than when playing cards. It really stings. Getting trumped in business means losing market share, losing customers, losing jobs, seeing profits decline… all those negatives no business owner wants to see occur.

You know you have lost customers and jobs because someone else came along and did or said something that, at least in the mind of the customer, trumped you. What can you do to get your own trump cards? To get the competitive advantage?

First, keep up on your marketing and what’s going on in the digital world. If you can’t do it yourself, hire a quality firm based on references to do it for you. Website , SEO, social media and other online strategies. But don’t forget traditional marketing such as obtaining referrals and direct mail, networking, etc.

Second, don’t just own a business, but rather, become an educator — a consultant to your customers. Explain what you are going to do for them, all 100 percent guaranteed. Some might be interested in a description of your cleaning system and procedures; others couldn’t care less. Address their concerns. Believe me, this isn’t done by as many of your competitors as you may think.

Third, make the entire process of doing business with your company easier. Answer your phone; don’t rely on voicemail. Online scheduling is something you should investigate.

There are other ways to get your business in better shape, but start with these three, and start trumping… before you get trumped yourself.

The post April 2016 Foreword: Trumped! appeared first on Cleanfax.

Photo of the Month Contest

The photo contest winner this month is Annette Ellisor with Accuclean in Lexington, SC. Her company will receive a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros worth $500.

Annette describes this particular job: “We received a call from one of our customers who was in a complete panic after spilling a half gallon of green paint on his one-year-old carpet while painting a custom, elevated train track. I let the customer know to place wet towels on the paint, and we would be there in a few hours. After prespraying, we agitated the soiled areas and removed quite a bit of the paint. For what remained, we used Avenge Pro.”

For an opportunity to win a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros (worth $500), send your images and a brief 100-word de­scription of how you obtained your results to Jeff Cross, executive edi­tor, atjcross@cleanfax.com or 193 Purple Finch Loop, Pataskala, OH, 43062. Contest rules available by request.

Cleanfax Online Poll

Which of the following best describes your marketing plan?

 I stay busy, so I never/rarely have to market my company ……………… 23%

 My marketing plan is set several months in advance ………………………. 23%

 Even though I want more work, I have no specific marketing plan …… 22%

 I’ve finalize my marketing plan for the entire year …………………………… 17%

 I market my company only when my work is slow …………………………… 15%

Facebook Focus

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The post The Last Word April 2016: Photo challenge, Facebook update and more appeared first on Cleanfax.