QuickNav, Delmhorst’s easy-to-use, 3-in-1 meter, offers pin mode, scan mode, and thermo-hygrometer in a single hand-held unit. The QuickNav will instantly calculate dew point, grains per pound (GPP), temperature, and vapor pressure for fast, accurate moisture measurement. If you are looking for the versatility of a 3-in-1 meter, the QuickNav is the answer!

• Correction scales for wood and drywall,
• Moisture range of 6 – 60% on wood and 0.1 – 6% on drywall,
• Scan range of 0 – 300 numerical reference scale,
• RH/T range of 0 – 100% RH,
• Temperature range of -40° – 255° Fahrenheit,
• Dewpoint range -40° – 176° Fahrenheit,
• 0.1 – 3,820 gpp (0.1 – 545 gpk).

For more information, visit .

[infobox title=’The Power to Dry Faster’][/infobox]

GMS Distribution manufactures and sells portable power distribution boxes and electrical cords for contractor use (residential, apartment, and hotel). Our primary goal is to save our customers (contractors) time and money by providing the industry with an easy source of electricity for their equipment. Designed by an electrician, GMS’s Portable Power Distribution Centers (“G-Unit”) are small, compact, lightweight, colorful, and easy to use. Every G-Unit is hand-assembled by GMS Distribution in the U.S.A. to provide you with a simple power solution that will exceed your expectations. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, GMS Distribution distributes and sells its products in the United States and Canada.

For more information, visit

[infobox title=’BotaniClean® Antimicrobial Cleaner Accelerates and Simplifies Cleanup’][/infobox]

Working at trauma scenes or other jobsites where blood or bodily fluids need to be cleaned? BotaniClean’s one-minute dwell time makes it quick and easy to clean and decontaminate hard surfaces exposed to potentially dangerous fluids, which may contain HIV. Just saturate with BotaniClean and let dwell for at least one minute. (Remember: PPE is required whenever bodily fluids are present.) BotaniClean’s clear formulation doesn’t separate and has a mild, pleasant fragrance. And at only $19.99 MSRP, BotaniClean costs up to 40 percent less than other EPA Category IV solutions.

For more information, visit .

[infobox title=’Get the Best in Moisture Monitoring Devices’][/infobox]

Restoration jobs are often about removing moisture. The right tools are required to reach and measure the moisture within the building envelope. Extension probes are necessary to reach behind the surface, and the simplest monitoring device can be used with a Lignomat handheld moisture meter to measure and monitor over time.

One of the most popular monitoring device choices is the BL2 plus MC Tracker, which records simultaneously:

• One probe for relative humidity, temperature, dew point, and GPP,
• Three moisture stations for wood and other materials.

We pride ourselves in offering one of the most reliable and accurate monitoring systems in the industry with over 12 years of experience.

For more information, visit

[infobox title=’Wall Cavity Drying in a Fraction of the Time’][/infobox]

The Aerator is an innovative tool used to improve and speed up the restoration process after a water-loss event. The Aerator is designed for wall cavity drying. It creates a precise 5/8-inch hole in wet drywall, leaving no debris to clean up. No longer back-breaking work, the process can be completed 15 times faster than the traditional drill and vacuum. What would normally take a technician an hour, they can now do in 5 minutes! In less than an hour of use, the Aerator has paid for itself! Use Xactimate code: WTR WALLH.

For more information, visit

[infobox title=’Environmental Odor Solutions Since 1979 ‘][/infobox]

Vaportek’s essential oil, dry-vapor technology has been eliminating organic odors since 1979 when we first patented the environmentally preferable technology. Ozone-free and hydroxyl-free dry vapors combine with malodors on a molecular level to neutralize problem odors. As a natural product, all our systems and liquids can be used in occupied spaces safely and effectively. Dry vapors treat atmosphere, structure, and contents simultaneously. Call us today to request a free sample to use on your next restoration job — we back our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

Xactimate codes: CLN DODRM, CLN DODRME, and CLN DODRMEM

For more information, visit

The post April 2019 Restoration Showcase appeared first on Cleanfax.

The flowers are blooming everywhere in Alabama where I live, telling us spring is here, and with it comes the busy season for many of our readers.

While in the last few years more cleaners noted a lack of slow down in the December to March months that have traditionally been slower for the industry, most still experience weak sales in months preceding the “spring pop.” Whether your company has seen a slow season, it’s a great time to make sure you’re ready for a busy one.

Analysis

Anticipating demand isn’t guesswork anymore. You have, at your fingertips, plenty of data to see what’s to come in the spring. Take time to look into data you’ve collected from the last three years to better prepare yourself for the busy season.

Do you need to take on temporary employees to handle the workload? Did you reach your marketing goals last year; if not, how can you adjust your marketing plans for this spring? Are your competitors handling their workload better; if so, how are they better accommodating that increased demand? Do any of your staff members need training before things get busy?

Revising your budget before the season gets going is also a good plan. Look at your sales and expenses in the last few busy seasons to see what you stocked too much of when you should have made a marketing push, etc.

Equipment

It’s also time to take stock of all your equipment, tools, and other cleaning products. Are you stocked up on your chemicals? Have any tools gone missing that need replacing?

Most importantly, have your truckmounts had their “spring cleanings”? You can review a thorough explanation of truckmount maintenance at www.cleanfax.com/spring-readiness, but here’s a quick checklist of some of the most essential maintenance steps:

• Change the engine oil and filters.
• Lubricate the vacuum blower and change the solution pump oil.
• Make sure your solution hoses haven’t been damaged from the cold or wear.
• Check the condition of your water pump seals.

Thinking of replacing or adding a new truckmount? Spring is a good time to consider it. Although new equipment may cost you, it will help with revenue generation. You know your financial situation — make a smart choice. If you plan things out well, new equipment can pay for itself quickly during the busy season.

If you’ve been waiting the last few months for things to start up again in the spring, make sure the wait was worth it. Take the time to put in some work ahead of time to make sure your company is ready to succeed this spring.

The post The Busy Season appeared first on Cleanfax.

The owner of this restaurant was concerned that he might have to replace the carpet in the main dining room, which is located between the kitchen and the bar where traffic is quite heavy. I presprayed the restaurant carpet and let it dwell five minutes. I then extracted the carpet using a Rotovac 360 with a brush head, a two-vacuum portable, and a Little Giant heater. Needless to say, the owner was very pleased with the results.

[infobox title=’DID YOU KNOW’][/infobox]

Financing new equipment instead of saving to buy can be smart:

• New equipment often brings in more new revenue than its monthly payment.
• 100-percent financing is available, so no down payment is needed.
• Lease terms that allow for off seasons are available.

Just be sure to first assess how long it will take for the new equipment to generate revenue and offset the payments.

See “Getting Financed” online at www.Cleanfax.com for more information.

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Some cleaners feel that digital marketing has replaced the old fashioned, mailed newsletter. Consumers love digital media. But has digital marketing replaced mail? We’ll explore the ins and outs of client marketing and see ways to mix it with digital marketing.

Why contact your past clients?

Do your clients ask, “Who should I make this check out to?” If so, they’re telling you they do not remember your company name. When they need you again next year, they’ll look you up online. But if they don’t remember your name, they’ll call your competition. Sure, magnets, spot bottles, brochures, and cards are great, but they get lost or thrown away.

Keeping your name in front of clients is key to getting them to call you back, use you for different services, and refer you. Plus, repeat-client education boosts job tickets. Newsletters are perfect for this. Industry leaders like Lee Pemberton and Howard Partridge have always recommended client newsletters sent in the mail. Regular, frequent communication to your clients has been one of the most common ways to build a reliable cleaning business.

Communication paths

Most clients and prospects have no problem giving us their email address or cell number. But you need to know the pros and cons. Here are some positive points of digital client marketing:

• It’s the cheapest marketing you can do. Email newsletters can be sent to your entire client list for less than $30 per month; text messages can be sent for pennies; and voicemail blasts can be sent for pennies each.
• Some clients can be reached easier with digital marketing. For some clients, email is the best way to reach them. Additionally, text messages get read 90 percent of the time.
• Your company is seen as modern if you do digital marketing. This will surely impress some clients.

Here are some of the negative points of digital client marketing:

• Many clients don’t want emails from their cleaning company. Out of all the clients who are willing to give you their email address, only 10 to 15 percent will regularly open your emails. What’s worse is half of them will unsubscribe or give you an email address they never check. If you only use email marketing for client communication, 85 to 90 percent of your clients will never hear from you again.
• Voicemail blast marketing could get irritating. If you want to keep a good relationship with your clients, you can’t overuse this media. A few voicemails a year are the maximum I’d recommend.
• Text messages can get irritating, too. Yes, every text message you send will get read. But your clients won’t be happy receiving text messages unless they are sent on a limited basis and they have agreed to get them.
• Digital media is saturated. There’s a lot of spam since messages are cheap. You’ll be viewed as a spammer if you don’t use it tastefully.

Here are some positive points of regular mail:

• Your competition is not doing it. I’d estimate that 90 percent of your competitors never send their clients reminders, thank you notes, or anything in the mail. If you do it, you’ll be seen as a professional.
• Mail gets read. Sending mail is the only sure way to regularly reach your client. Someone at the house will see your mail and at least glance at your message.
• Clients aren’t annoyed with mail as much as digital marketing. There are exceptions, but generally mail isn’t as interruptive because people can check their mail on their time.
• You can casually remind customers about your services when each season, event, or holiday comes up.

Here are some negative points of regular mail:

• It costs money. This is the biggest reason most cleaners don’t use it. It may cost you 37 cents or more per client.
• Designing the mailer can be difficult. Many cleaners don’t have the experience in graphic design to put together a mailer.
• Mail gets thrown away. The message gets glanced at and then tossed in the garbage on most occasions.

Hit targets with every possible media

Most marketing experts will tell you to hit your prospect with more than one media. Some clients will only be receptive to online marketing, while others are only receptive to offline marketing, yet other clients may get reached by both media.

My own cleaning company enjoyed an 80 percent repeat client rate due to sending client mailers and emails nearly every month. I also talked with a few cleaners recently who doubled their repeat client ratio by sending a regular newsletter.

Ideas for client mailers and digital media

Send messages based on holidays and seasons.

For example, during the month of November, send fall or Thanksgiving messages. During the winter cold snap, send a message with education on what to do if pipes freeze. When kids go back to school after the summer, send messages about summer ending and kids going to school.

Client mailers should ideally be sent to everyone who has done business with you in the past two or three years. After that time, send your clients a reminder that they haven’t had cleaning done in the past two years and remove them from your mailing list if they don’t call.

With what frequency should you contact your clients? Mailers should ideally be sent every one or two months. Emails should be sent every week. Text messages should be limited to once every quarter. Voicemail blasts should be limited to a couple of times per year.

Include information that educates your clients about your services. Give spot-removal tips, maintenance tips, tips on how to select the best new flooring, and any information you can give to help them. Add a short segment about your referral program and include some type of special offer just for your past clients.

In summary, you should do both! Digital marketing is cheap, so do it. But if you’re only doing digital marketing, you’re leaving behind most of your client base. Direct mail is the only guaranteed way to reach your clientele. The most successful cleaning companies I know mail to their clients regularly.

Sample Client Newsletters

John Braun is the author of the #1 best-selling Amazon book Killer Advertising for Cleaning Businesses.  Through his company, Hitman Advertising, he regularly speaks at industry events and coaches cleaners to create better marketing strategies. Reach him and get a free marketing plan at
.

The post Do Client Newsletters Still Work? appeared first on Cleanfax.

When a home floods and professionals are called out to attempt to save the structure and its contents, it is rare that one of the team’s areas of expertise will be oriental and area rugs.

Wet, flooded rug

The wet rug in the family room may be worth a hundred dollars — or a hundred thousand dollars. The rug might be an easy-to-replace contemporary piece or a rare and antique piece of textile art. In the middle of the chaos, usually in the middle of the night, the rugs may be the last concern of those tackling the job of saving this home. However, when a rug is a memory from a past trip or an heirloom handed down through family generations, saving this rug may be the one bright spot in the middle of a very dark and damp disaster.

Here are some questions and simple guidelines to help the process of textile triage so that water-damaged rugs of value — monetary and sentimental — have a better chance of being saved.

Natural or synthetic?

In most cases, natural fiber rugs will have a higher value than synthetic fibers. Natural fibers will absorb water more readily than synthetic fibers, and these will be the fibers most prone to dye migration and mold. The longer these rugs stay wet, the more damage and contamination will result.

If the goal during triage is to focus first on the higher-value items to extract and dry, then focus first on the rugs that are wool, silk, and cotton. Leave the nylon, olefin/polypropylene, and polyester rugs for the second phase of extraction and dry out. (Many rugs will have a label on the back corner which shows fiber content if you are not skilled in fiber identification.)

Woven or tufted?

If the homeowner is not present to identify which rugs have a higher value than others, then your triage should sort the rugs based on whether they are woven or tufted.

Woven rugs may be woven by hand or woven by machine. With these rugs, you can clearly see the design and colors of the rug on the back side. If you can flip the back corner over and see the design clearly, focus on saving that rug.

Tufted rugs have a backing material. When you flip the back corner over, you will see a cloth covering on the rug, or you will see a glue or rubber backing.

Back corner of a woven rug (left). Back corner of a tufted rug (right).

If there are labels that indicate a tufted rug is from Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, or another similar or online stores, this rug is a commodity rug and often costs less to replace than to attempt to save.

Tufted rugs left wet too long tend to fall apart, and the adhesive and backing materials are extremely susceptible to mold growth, so these rugs often are considered a total loss when exposed to a flood. If you have limited time to focus on extracting and drying out rugs, focus on the rugs in which you can clearly see the design on the back instead of the rugs with material-covered backs.

As quickly as possible

Haphazard extraction of an art silk rug caused permanent pile damage.

If extracted and dried quickly, damage to natural fiber rugs will be halted until the rugs can be evaluated to determine whether a full wash and disinfectant soak can return them to pre-loss condition. The quicker the water-damaged rugs are dried out, the greater the chance to save them.

Do not hang wet rugs to drip dry. This can cause more dye migration throughout the rug and, depending on the weight of the rug, it also can cause structural damage that may be irreversible.

It is best to extract and dry rugs flat after a water loss. Extraction needs to be performed with the direction of the pile of the rug so pile damage does not occur. If extracting silk or artificial silk fibers, extracting through a nylon screen can help lessen wand damage to delicate fibers.

Interior cotton fibers swell when wet, which causes extreme buckling.

Extraction of the back of a woven rug also will remove moisture from the foundation fibers, which will speed up the drying process. Warm, dry air across both sides of the rug will speed up the evaporation and drying process as well.

If the rugs cannot be taken to a drying chamber for a proper quick dry out, and they are being laid outside in the sun, place the rugs face down on a clean surface so that any fading will not affect the front side of the rug.

Transport protection

The longer a rug is wet, the higher the chance of dye damage.

When transporting wet or damp natural fiber rugs, never stack them on top of one another without a barrier between. Also, never roll up wet rugs without a barrier to prevent dye bleed from the front to the back sides. Rugs can be rolled with plastic sheets as a barrier or, ideally, rolled in cotton sheets or towels after extraction to help absorb dyes that are released and prevent them from spreading into other areas of that rug.

In an ideal world, water-damaged rugs would be immediately washed and decontaminated and then thoroughly dried. If your restoration facility does not have a complete rug-washing system in place, then drying out the rugs as quickly as possible allows you to take these rugs to a rug wash facility with minimal damage and a much higher likelihood of saving them.

Decontamination wash

One of the primary concerns with rugs getting wet from floods is the risk of mold in the interior fibers. Many natural fiber rugs have cotton interior warps and wefts, which are prone to mold growth from a flood. All synthetic fiber rugs have interior jute and cotton fibers, which also are extremely prone to mold growth from flooding. Therefore, speedy dry out is the first step to halt decontamination risks and permanent damage.

After the wash process is performed, the proper disinfectant must be used, and the guidelines for effective decontamination based on the source of water and the category of the flood must be followed. All rugs exposed to flood water must be thoroughly washed and treated with the appropriate disinfectant or sanitizing solution to return them to pre-loss condition. For more insight into the guidelines of Category 3-affected wool rugs, see Dr. Daniel Bernazzani’s study, “The Effect of Disinfectants, Cleaning, and Drying Practices on Oriental Rugs Flooded with Contaminated River Water.”

Mold and dry rot damage on a Chinese rug affected by a flood (left). If mold roots are spread throughout the foundation of a woven rug, it may be impossible to make the rug safe enough to return to the home (right).

Sometimes the guidelines required may create additional risks to water-damaged rugs. For example, a 20-minute dwell time, or perhaps multiple cycles of disinfecting soaks, on a rug with dyes that are not colorfast may present a dye-bleed risk. Sometimes pre-existing conditions may magnify the risks of this salvage attempt. For example, a rug with heavy pet urine contamination that has already created a mold and dry rot problem within the foundation of the rug may create a contamination scenario in which the rug needs to be handled as Category 2 or 3 even though the flood may have been a clean-water pipe break.

Unless you are a certified appraiser of rugs, it is not your role to determine which water-damaged rugs are worth saving and which ones are not. Your role as the professional restorer is to identify which rugs can be saved and take the steps necessary to minimize the damage during the pack out process to allow for the rugs to be properly decontaminated by a professional rug washer.

Using a restoration triage process of focusing dry out efforts firstly on woven and natural fiber rugs will increase the chances of saving the most valuable rugs in a flooded home even if you do not know anything about investment rugs.

Lisa Wagner is a second-generation rug care expert, NIRC Certified Rug Specialist, and owner of K. Blatchford’s San Diego Rug Cleaning Company. For online rug course and training event details, visit .

The post Rugs and Floods: Textile Triage During a Water Loss appeared first on Cleanfax.

My increasingly graying hair may play a part in me being invited to give motivating or inspiring talks to audiences from time to time. While I’m always flattered by these requests, I’ll admit to being a bit perplexed by them since I’ve never considered myself a particularly inspiring person.

Most of the groups I’m invited to address are full of inspiring people themselves — independent-thinking, hard-working leaders of small businesses, the backbone of the global economy, the folks who find ways to create more new jobs than any other business sector and who generously fund many other sectors of society. Talk about inspiring!

I would also venture to guess that those reading this may not need much additional inspiration. You’re probably already inspired by your dreams and the goals you’ve set, the opportunities that lay ahead of you, and personal motivating forces in your lives. So, let me instead offer a few suggestions to help you in staying inspired.

Have some idea of where you’re headed

Have at least a general idea where you’re going, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a good reason for going there. If your journey is worthwhile, you can count on encountering resistance along the way — either from outside forces or, more likely, internal ones. You’ll also get tired or bored. If your journey requires a lot of change on your part, you’ll start to question your own abilities or your own worthiness. Having a solid reason for your journey helps to quiet these voices.

Have some idea where you’ll land

Before you leap, you don’t need to have every “T” crossed and “I” dotted, but doing some research ahead of time can help to avoid a lot of bodily injury. NASA would never have been the first to put a man on the moon if they had waited for someone else to report back from the Sea of Tranquility (site of the first Lunar landing). But, despite having to make last minute, manual adjustments, the research they did in advance ensured they landed in a relatively safe place.

Be inspired by your own dreams

We’re constantly bombarded by the business press and social media about people who have achieved superhuman feats seemingly overnight. It’s easy to fall into the destructive trap of comparing ourselves to them, but don’t let this happen. Be the person you were meant to be, not someone else. The person you were meant to be is the one we’ve been waiting for.

Don’t get lost in daily tasks

Don’t let yourself get so caught up in the day-to-day running of your business that you overlook the inspiring things around you. Here are some things we may have found inspiring when we were younger but have grown used to: Sunrises, sunsets, dew on the morning grass, a smile, a thank you, or the carefree laughter of children.

Guard against becoming uninspired

We all become discouraged or disappointed at times. And while this is a part of life, it’s never a good reason for staying discouraged or disappointed. That’s how people get old… even when they’re still young.

Events will conspire against us. People will disappoint us. We can’t always control these things, but we can control how we view them. If we don’t have challenges, hurdles, disappointments, and even failures along our journey, can we really, fully enjoy the richness of our successes?

Chuck Violand is the founder and principal of Violand Management Associates (VMA), a highly-respected consulting company in the restoration and cleaning industries. Through VMA, he works with business owners and companies to develop their people and their profits. Violand is the past president of the RIA. To reach him, visit  or call 800-360-3513.

The post Staying Inspired appeared first on Cleanfax.

Like most cleaning or restoration contractors, you probably want to get off the truck. (Who can blame you?) After all, personally doing the daily work in your company is very likely not your highest and best use.

Once you are off the truck, your new focus on sales and management will mean more business. So, you’ll likely buy more vans and equipment. Great! Building a business that could run without me was one of the huge joys of my life. Now your growing business will hum along nicely while cranking out happy, delighted cheerleader customers along with hardworking, loyal employees and tons of net profits for you.

Unfortunately, it isn’t (and won’t be) that easy.

Your challenges

Once you’re no longer on the truck, you inevitably lose some control of what’s happening on your truck(s). Your most urgent focus? Controlling the essential relationship between your techs and your customers when you’re not there. (Check out my Residential Moment of Truth Checklist in the July 2018 issue of Cleanfax.)

However, production logistics matter, too, and in a rapidly expanding company that’s painfully growing into a critical mass business, it is easy for the little things to fall apart. For example, stuff breaks out there in the field. True, many of your surprise repairs can be avoided with a routine Daily Maintenance Checklist (in the October 2018 Cleanfax) performed back at the shop, but stuff still happens. To finish the job and stay on schedule, your tech must make an emergency repair.

The tech heads to the truck’s toolbox, and disaster strikes! Too often, I received panicked calls like these from my techs, “Steve, the wrench to clean out my wand’s spray tip is missing!” or “I can’t cut the carpet’s seams to pull the soaked pad since the carpet knife isn’t in the van toolbox!”

My missing tool problem was seriously impacting production, angering customers, and damaging employee morale. Even worse, the lost tools created incessant bickering, as in, “Two days ago, I was on this van, and it had a carpet knife then. Charlie must have lost it yesterday!” Plus, constantly replacing lost tools was costing me a fortune.

Steve’s solution

Like many cleaning and restoration contractors, my techs often changed trucks depending on workloads and emergency call outs, so each truck would possibly have a different crew every day.

My first impulse? Have each truck’s crew go through the tools (and everything else on the truck), checking each item off on a detailed list… every single morning. You know how many individual tools/ chemicals and pieces of equipment there are on a typical cleaning or restoration van. It quickly became obvious that my detailed daily checklist procedure was impractical at best.

Then inspiration struck — I realized the root cause of my missing tool challenge was no one was being held accountable. The problem was each truck had its own toolbox, and the tools belonged to the truck, not an individual employee.

I bit the bullet and bought each individual tech his or her own set of tools. I gave all field employees their own mechanics tools (screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, socket sets, etc.) as well as carpet repair tools (carpet awl and knife, hammer, molding lifter, staple hammer, etc.). The tools were in a heavy plastic, rustproof, 24-inch toolbox that stayed with the assigned tech during a work day.

Some heavier/more expensive tools were still assigned to each truck, such as a carpet knee kicker and seaming iron. Power stretchers stayed in our warehouse unless specified on the tech’s Production Day Sheet (January-February 2018 Cleanfax).

My secret sauce after giving each tech their very own toolbox? They also signed a Technician Personal Tool Inventory List. This contract listed out each personal tool assigned to the tech along with two essential phrases:

• “I, [name here], acknowledge receipt of the tools and equipment listed above.”
• “I recognize that any loss or damage will be deducted from my employee efficiency bonus.”
• Note that it is illegal virtually everywhere to deduct any loss or damage caused by an employee from his or her base paycheck — no matter how stupid or careless your worker’s actions may have been. However, most states allow money to be deducted from a bonus.

By assigning each tech their own personal tools and getting a signed Technician Personal Tool Inventory List — along with doing a formal inventory of each tech’s tools once a month — I finally was holding my employees personally accountable.

After all, as the business owner, I was accountable 24/7. All I wanted to do was have some shared accountability in my company. Remember, my goal was a business that would run smoothly without me.

The result

The personal accountability that the Technician Personal Tool Inventory List introduced literally transformed my company:

• My techs started taking care of (and not losing) their own tools.
• Our efficiency went up due to having the right tool with the right person at the right time.
• Our net profits dramatically increased so we could pay our workers more with a much higher employee efficiency bonus, and morale soared.

Adding this list cut my high blood pressure by 40 points because I wasn’t screaming at my employees and/or fuming about their careless attitude and general stupidity. My business was enjoyable again.

Implement this Technician Personal Tool Inventory List into your business infrastructure, and you’ll have happier, more motivated employees; your customers will be impressed; and your daily life will be fun again as you grow your company into a highly profitable business.

Steve Toburen started and ran a world-class cleaning and restoration firm for over 20 years. He is now the director of training for Jon-Don’s Strategies for Success program, which includes a complete, turnkey business infrastructure for cleaning and restoration companies. Toburen also founded , a resource portal with training programs for contractors working in customer’s homes. Reach him at stoburen@homefrontsuccess.com.

The post The Technician Personal Tool Inventory List appeared first on Cleanfax.

As and related materials evolve, the design, build, maintenance, and related industries face a major conundrum. Slip, trip, fall, and hard surface floorcovering claims have now soared into billions of dollars. Is a floor-failure epidemic inevitable?

After years in various roles in the floorcovering industry, including as an inspector, consultant, and trainer, I’ve seen various changes, conditions, and challenges in the industry and have developed hopeful solutions.

Root-cause analysis

Problems arise when standards, or lack of standards, conflict with specification and product performance. A paradox can occur when over-expectation and misspecification outweigh material performance capacity and the fight to save the planet’s resources.

Inspection and consulting work are needed due to over-expectation of product, lower-quality workmanship, and misconception of product performance characteristics. With recent advancements in technology, we have entered an exciting, yet challenging and sometimes frustrating, time. Because of new technologies and sustainability, materials are becoming stronger, more chemically resistant, biodegradable, and recyclable. But these positive changes come with unintended consequences and conditions that are created from complacency with the status quo, naiveté, and unfortunately, subject-matter ignorance.

What I have learned most during the past 35 years in this industry is that, with the rapid advancements in technology and global influence, the materials of 35 years ago are no longer produced. Floorcovering and associated materials continue to evolve.

Despite ongoing efforts to educate, certify, and revise or develop standards, as these advances are made, the cost of claims rises. This became even more apparent when one of my colleagues saw his claim value climb into the tens of millions. Big numbers. Big challenges.

Over the last generation, there was a surge in construction demand. While this had a positive effect on our economy, it had a downside that included substandard products sometimes being used; material shortages; sloppy or too broad specifications; “devalued” engineering to accommodate cheap, fast-track construction; sloppy workmanship — such as concrete being placed and covered too quickly with floorcovering; and ineffective job staging.

Add to this the complicating factors that more severe weather conditions bring, and you have a prescription for product failure and moisture intrusion that can result in and indoor air quality problems.

For floors, the bottom line is this: A one-size-fits-all construction specification for below-grade, on-grade, and above-grade floorcovering installation does not work.

Floor system failure: Who done it?

By the time a floor failure hits my desk, I often have to spend more time undoing the damage from those more interested in proving it wasn’t their fault than working with a forensic team to solve the problem. Being the last one in requires time, testing, and expense in order to “get to the bottom of it.”

A repeating pattern in this type of analysis is often referred to as the “domino effect.” During our investigation process, one answer usually leads to another question and the individual components of the failure weigh one on another like a set of falling dominos.

Foundation and soil

Usually I start literally from the ground up. The term “soil” can be defined many ways. A geologist defines “soil” as an altered rock. A soil engineer will say it’s the material that supports or loads a structure at its base. Others might define it as a combination of boulders, gravel, sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. Soil provides support for the structure, shapes, and forms the final grade, and in some instances, provides disposal for household sewage.

According to the PCA Soil Primer, a booklet published by the Portland Cement Association, “The moisture or water content of a soil is normally a percentage of the oven dry-weight of the soil, as tested by ASM D2216 or AASHTO T265.” Soil moisture is of three different types: Gravitational water, capillary water, and hygroscopic water.

Soil type, size, compaction, moisture content, chemistry, drainage, or even testing can play a role as one of the “culprits” in floor failure. For instance, if a soil is not compacted well or varies in soil chemistries throughout the site, concrete floor flatness (FF) or floor levelness (FL) will be affected, causing undulations, which can affect some or all of the components of the entire floor system.

Image 1: Schematic representation of the components in a slab on ground floor system. Image courtesy of Portland Cement Association and National Ready Mix Concrete Association.

Soil and transmission of moisture in soil can seriously affect concrete and flooring by eliminating or degenerating the vapor retarder and using a vapor retarder with a lower permanence rate. According to Howard M. Kanare, in the book Concrete Floors and Moisture, “Vapor retarders must have a permanence rating less than 0.3 perms, according to ASTM E1745. There is no standard specification for vapor barrier compared to vapor retarder. However, ACI 302.1R states, ‘True vapor barriers and products have a permanence (water-vapor transmission) rating of 0.00 perms when tested in accordance with ASTM E96’.” It is generally accepted in the construction industry that a material having a permanence rating less than 0.01 perms is considered a vapor barrier.

In our investigations relating to concrete slab on ground (grade), even if a vapor retarder is present, it sometimes doesn’t meet the criteria of what is stated previously in the ASTM E1745 regarding vapor retarders. In many instances, mil thickness is mistaken for permanence.

I also have been on investigations in which, if a vapor retarder is used with no barrier because of expense, it sometimes does not conform to the adaptation of installation requirements made to ACI 302.1R. Image 2 is a flow chart adapted from ACI 302.1R-04 in Concrete Floors and Moisture. The chart description says, “It permits omitting vapor retarder for floors without floor coverings where humidity will not be controlled, such as unconditioned warehouse space.” However, it further states that “adaptive reuse and installation of flooring in such spaces often leads to flooring problems due to subslab moisture. Therefore, vapor retarders should be considered for use under all floor slabs.”

I have seen many floor failures in which the assumption was a vapor retarder was directly underneath the slab, only to face thousands of dollars in floor-failure expenses because one was nonexistent, degenerated, improperly specified, only located in a portion of the retrofitted warehouse, or specified to go under the dry granular material.

Surprisingly, some specifiers continue to support the use of vapor retarders under the dry granular fill instead of directly under the slab. This was changed in ACI 302.1R in 2004 after the concrete industry recognized that, if the vapor retarder is placed under this dry granular fill but gets wet in construction, it can unintentionally provide a moisture reservoir through a “bathtub affect.”

Now let’s examine the other components of the system that can be affected by vapor transmission from the soil or emission from the concrete slab.

Concrete-floor slab

Recently a flooring contractor called with a “floor emergency.”
The moisture suppression membrane manufacturer would not allow him to install thousands of square feet of floorcovering in a high-profile commercial building until he proved the moisture levels, concrete surface pH, and porosity criteria complied with their installation guidelines and industry standards.

Allegedly incorporated into the concrete mix design and specification was a “hard” steel trowel, concrete finish, and a dissipating curing compound. However, this type of finish and the use of this curing compound was in direct conflict with the specifications of the adhesive and moisture suppression membrane manufacturers’ specifications.

In this instance, the adhesive and moisture suppression membrane manufacturer were the same. The technical data sheet specifications on the sealer stated, “Substrate preparation, moisture, and alkalinity testing must comply with ASTM International, Designation: F710-11 Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring.”

However, under Section 4.2, General Guidelines of the F710-11, it says, “The surface of concrete floors to receive resilient flooring shall be free of dust; solvent; paint; wax; oil; grease; residual adhesive; adhesive removers; film-forming curing compounds; silicate-penetrating curing compounds; sealing, hardening, or parting compounds; alkaline salts; excessive carbonation or laitance; , mildew, and other foreign materials that might affect the rate of moisture dissipation from the concrete, the adhesion of resilient flooring to the concrete or cause a discoloration of the flooring from below.” This is in direct conflict with the use of dissipating curing compounds in the concrete mix design and specification.

Image 2: This flowchart was adapted from ACI 302.1R-04. Image courtesy of the American Concrete Institute.

To make matters worse, the curing compound manufacturer claims their product will break down and deteriorate upon exposure to traffic and UV light. The manufacturer further states, “Dissipation begins approximately four to six weeks after application.” In addition, it states that a simple cleaning will completely remove the curing compound and is all that is needed to receive application of coverings, coatings, or sealers. Yet, in this particular instance, because of time and assurance of complete curing compound removal, the curing compound manufacturer’s proposed solution was to use a concrete floor stripper. This removal method is also in direct conflict with ASTM F710-11 as it requires non-chemical methods, such as abrasive cleaning or bead blasting, including methods described in Practice D4259, to remove harmful residues.

Worse still, with chemical abatement for asbestos and the various adhesive removers introduced over the years, if certain chemicals, especially strippers, are not completely removed from the concrete, any sealers, underlayments, or adhesives are in jeopardy of breaking down.

The problem here was that the installation contractor was being asked to prove the slab complied with the adhesive and sealer installation guidelines, which include pH, porosity, and moisture testing, before the manufacturer warrantied their products. This can be difficult to prove through petrographic and chemical lab analysis. Had the involved parties been better educated on the products specified and their compatibility limitations, this very reactive situation could have been avoided or reduced.

As evolving resources and materials have demanded more of the building industry, we have seen advancements in several areas. For example, concrete technology has grown over the years to include an increased selection of admixtures such as high-range water reducers commonly called super plasticizers, pozzolans, accelerators, and retarders. These chemicals can alter the time it takes for the concrete to set (shortening or lengthening the time, depending on the need). In addition, concrete can be made stronger and with less water required to hydrate the mixture. Rapid-drying concrete has hit the market, claiming it cuts the construction schedule by 30 percent.

At a recent concrete industry Strategic Development Council (SDC) Forum with various discussions of concrete-related failures and LEED, green, and sustainability initiatives, the alternative cementious materials Initiative stood out as particularly important. The initiative’s mission is to identify green cement as an Industry Critical Technology. The Accelerated Technology Implementation website is designed to house and coordinate all efforts of SDC in support of the green cement technology in the concrete industry.

In the same vein, proper concrete mix design and performance is of the utmost importance, yet there remains some confusion about testing standards. For instance, the way concrete is tested for moisture has come under scrutiny — including three ASTM standards for testing the relative humidity in and on concrete versus the use of calcium chloride to obtain the moisture vapor emission rate. Many articles have been written on this subject. A good place to learn more about concrete moisture testing certification is through the International Concrete Repair Institute.

Underlayments, adhesives, and floorcoverings

While concrete technology has been moving forward by leaps and bounds, so has the technology of floorcoverings. For example, with resilient products, less permeability has led to improved cut and surface quality, and edge-tile formats enjoy a broader selection of sizes and shapes. We also have seen the advent of more heterogeneous types of products, which combine core materials used in other products, and even the combination of dissimilar hard surface and textile products. For example, the textile industry incorporates resilient flooring by attaching PVC backings to carpet tile.

Versatility and diversity are also prevalent in the types of raw materials that are frequently used in the construction industry. Designers and technicians alike have access to a plethora of choices today including unique and exotic species of wood from around the world and a variety of flooring mediums (including a multitude of textures from specialty ceramics and glass to stone and stained concrete). In addition, the science of wood identification is advancing through molecular, chemical, and DNA methods.

However, in the discussion of all these new advancements, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that some of the advancements are accompanied by new challenges. One often encounters restrictions or necessary accommodations when incorporating the new materials. Although aesthetically pleasing, one must not forget that exotic raw materials can bring with them idiosyncratic sensitivities to species and origin identification, moisture, alkali, or dimensional growth
factors. If untrained labor sets these materials in an unclimatized environment with moisture and alkaline-related conditions, a significant and costly failure can occur.

In addition, certain environmental restrictions, such as the elimination of asbestos and chlorinated solvents, have caused adjustments in the way products are manufactured, installed, maintained, and disposed of. The subject of lead and silica, regarding floorcovering, is also under government scrutiny and regulation, thus adding to the long list of necessary adjustments to be made in manufacturing, recycling, waste management, specification, handling, installation, and maintenance.

One example of environmental restrictions is the stringent and on emissions and the release of kiln gases into the atmosphere. This has led to changes in the composition of cement, affecting the properties of concrete and control of alkali.

Maintenance

Technological advancements in maintenance products and procedures have resulted in more durable floor finishes and sealer formulations being developed. Evolving technologies and techniques, such as dry buff, Nano, and UV-cured site-applied finishes, have also made it to the forefront. The green-cleaning movement has introduced alternative approaches to cleaning such as enzyme cleaning.

For both practical and commercial reasons, biotechnology is already widely used in North America and Europe. Numerous contract cleaners and building managers now use enzymes and bacterial solutions for general cleaning, sanitizing, and even viral control. Enzyme-based cleaning solutions are used in a large range of industrial and commercial processes. For example, in order to remove fats, grease, starch, proteins, lubricating fuel, oils, paints, and even tire marks, biological products are used.

Enzymes are proteins, composed of hundreds of amino acids, which are produced by living organisms. They are responsible for several reactions and biological activities in plants, animals, human beings, and microorganisms. They are present in the human digestive system where they break down carbohydrates (sugars), fats, and proteins present in food.

There are hundreds of thousands of enzymes, each with its own characteristics. For example, an enzyme that is the catalyst for the breakdown of protein will not react with fats and oils. Therefore, to be an effective enzyme cleaner, a formulation must contain a variety of compatible enzymes. Enzyme cleaners speed up the natural process of biodegradation.

Because of this natural characteristic, enzyme floor cleaning products fit nicely into the “cleaning green” category and are used to clean all types of floorcovering materials including epoxy grout.

Claudia Lezell owned and operated a retail flooring company for 12 years and has owned Inspections Too Inc., a flooring inspection, consulting, and expert witness service for more than 23 years. She has spearheaded hard surface certification Inspector Program since 1996, has participated in numerous floorcovering, specification, and construction technical committees, and is the past vice chair of the outreach committee and hard surface standards. Lezell is co-founder of the Flooring Technology Institute.

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In the old days, there was a product called Erusticator. No one would have considered using anything else on rust stains.

With Erusticator, if one cavalierly went without proper personal protection equipment, his fingers or hands could turn black. A little later, his sense of pain would be completely anesthetized. This would be followed by a softening of the bones. At this point, one would be wise to skedaddle to the nearest emergency room before their body parts started to fall off.

Rust-removal products

Erusticator was based on a strong concentration of hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid is so powerful it can etch glass, so it was removed from the shelves in 2002. In its place came other strong acids, such as phosphoric and oxalic.

This next generation of rust removers did not etch glass or anesthetize nerves, but they did cause a lot of pain if they got under your fingernails. Therefore, safety data sheets required users to wear gloves and goggles — for good reasons. Afterwards, it was important to neutralize the treated stain with an alkaline and rinse because you couldn’t risk a crawling child getting a corrosive acid like this on its skin.

Thus, some in our industry started calling all rust removers “specialty formulated acids.” However, many manufacturers are making rust removers lately that are not comprised of corrosive acids, meaning there is only a need to rinse since the acidity is of little consequence.

Modern rust review

It would serve us well to look at the real chemistry of rust. First, it is a chemical stain. But aren’t all stains made of chemicals? Yes, but a “chemical stain” is one that has made a new substance. We, therefore, need to address the definition of a substance.

In the technical sense, a substance is one kind of atom or molecule. Chemical reactions only occur when new substances are formed. Rust is normally iron oxide (iron plus oxygen). Iron is a substance; oxygen is still another. If they chemically react, we are left with iron oxide. Iron oxide is an insoluble substance that normally forms a strong physical bond with a fiber.

Nearly all rust removers are designed to react with the iron oxide to make a water-soluble substance. Thus, in a sense, rust removers are “chemically reactive solvents.”

Chemical reactions

What are chemical reactions? There are two that are commonly taught in cleaning. There is ionization, which we associate with acids and alkalis. Then there is redox which we associate with reduction and oxidation. Rust is made from oxidation and is an alkaline.

The chemical reactions that remove rust are partially acidic and could be described as reduction. Most of the newer rust removers have pH values of only 5 or 5.5. That is close enough to neutral that they do not need additional alkalinity to make them acceptable. Therefore, most chemists would prefer to look at rust removers as nothing special in terms of acidity or reduction. Instead, the emphasis should be placed on the fact that the oxide part of the substance has been replaced with something that makes it water soluble.

The good news for us and the end user is that the newer products are much safer. Therefore, we need to understand the real science of rust. Then one needs to emphasize that newer chemistry has led to safer products. Rinsing alone will satisfy the requirements of these newer products.

However, I kind of miss the comradery we once had passing each other in the emergency room.

James “Jim” B. Smith is an IICRC-approved instructor and a senior practicing inspector and part of the voting consensus of the IICRC S100 cleaning stan­dard. His educational studies come from Texas A&M University and the University of Houston. He has been in the cleaning industry since 1975. For more information, visit his website at , call 972-334-0533, or email jsmith@carpetinspector.com.

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Increase the persuasive power of your website by adding a branded video. If the old saying rings true and “a picture is worth a thousand words,” just think how much more powerful a good video showing your technicians performing services would be.

Consumers choose their service providers based on the persuasive power of the company websites they view. Having a good video on the homepage of your website can give you a huge advantage over your competitors.

In my March 2019 Cleanfax article, I discussed how easy it is to perform your own video shoot. In this article, I will explain how to assemble those video clips into an effective story of your company and upload it to YouTube so that you can use it on your website and social media channels.

Select best video clips

There are numerous video-editing apps available to assist you in assembling the video clips you created from your shoot. A simple online search for “free movie making programs” should lead you to easy-to-use software for producing your video. If you have never done this before, just ask around to find a knowledgeable friend who can help you create your video.

Review all the video you recorded during the shoot and select the best clip from each scene. Assemble these into a storyline flowing from your arrival, greeting the customer, and performing your services. Conclude the story with you getting paid by a satisfied customer.

The final video time length will be determined primarily by the length of the audio story that plays during the video. Shorten your video clip story to match that audio.

Voiceover

The audio portion of the video is your opportunity to highlight the details of what makes your company special. This is where you can clarify your target market, which services you offer, the level of service you provide, and any other specific benefits that give you an advantage over the competition. Some benefits to consider mentioning are your status as owner-operator (if applicable), years in business, industry certifications, warranties, and relevant associations or groups you belong to.

Your voiceover script does not have to correspond directly to the video story playing. The ideal time length for the video is around 90 seconds. I believe it is most effective to have the owner as the spokesperson, and in that case, you should introduce yourself at the beginning of the video.

I suggest you write a script from which to read your voiceover. There are free apps available for your phone to record this audio. Obviously, you will want to record the presentation in an area with a quiet background. Since it is short, I recommend recording it multiple times so that you can choose the best one. Try emphasizing different words and changing the pace at which you read during the various recordings.

If you have audio editing capability, you might try recording one sentence at a time and compiling the best for the final audio.

Determine effects

Adding effects to your video can help you convey your message thoroughly. You may want to include a title slide and closing slide, which includes a phone number and web address. You can also flash graphics that emphasize associations, certifications, and guarantees as they are mentioned during the voiceover.

To assist in producing your video, I have provided a sample voiceover script and examples of several completed videos at .

Upload video to YouTube

I recommend posting your video on YouTube. If you have never published a YouTube video before, it should not be hard to find someone who is familiar with YouTube who can help guide you through the process. Be sure to provide YouTube with the key words and description of your video. Include the list of cities you service, the services you provide, and your web address. It also helps to make sure the transcription of the audio is correct.

By providing YouTube with good information about the video and who you service, Google may choose to use the video published on YouTube as an actual search result for people looking for a cleaner.

Link to website

Once the video is posted on YouTube, your webmaster can add the link to the homepage of your website. I suggest placing it toward the top of the page. Be sure to ask your webmaster to turn off the option of showing YouTube’s recommended videos when the video has finished playing.

Worth the effort

I can’t think of a better use of your time and effort than creating a good video to promote your services. I’m sure parts of this process could make you uncomfortable. (Most people are uneasy watching and hearing themselves on video.) I can assure you that most of your competitors will not make that investment. This is where you gain the advantage.

Consumers want to know a lot of information before they decide which service company they will call. Videos are one of the most effective ways to grab their attention and provide the relevant details they need.

Steve Marsh is a 40-year veteran of the carpet cleaning industry, an instructor, and a Senior Carpet Inspector. He helps home-service companies quickly establish profitable clienteles and then progress to serving higher-quality customers. To help companies achieve these goals, Marsh created the step-by-step programs Single Truck Success and Be Competition Free. For more information, visit .

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