Last year was a year of excitement—both for the larger industry and us at Cleanfax. The restoration industry banded together to form the Restoration Industry Association’s Advocacy and Government Affairs committee, which is working diligently to get restorers the respect they deserve, from working with those who set pricing to ensure fair pay to lobbying for the industry in Washington. The carpet cleaning industry saw big gains in profits from a booming economy, with many working to expand their companies. And Cleanfax produced some of its most in-depth industry articles.

I’m so proud of the work we did this year—the range of topics, technical nature, and lessons. I hope each of you found something that you could implement or explore (or pin to your wall as many tell us they do) to help you create greater success in 2019 and beyond. As we look ahead to the new year and the excitement and change it, no doubt, will also bring, I’d like to take a moment to look back at the top articles of 2019 in case you missed something you might need for your 2020 plans.

Of the top 10 articles of 2019, 80% were technical articles, addressing everything from mold remediation to dust mites to absorbent compound cleaning. It shows something I’ve always known: This is an industry of industrious workers who constantly look for ways to grow and change. This is not an industry for the stagnant.

The most read article of 2019 was Scott Warrington’s “The Brave New World of Carpet Cleaning,” in which he reiterates the importance of fiber ID tests as the popularity of fibers continues to evolve. The article looks at the best processes and chemistries as polyester dominates more and more of the market.

Some of my own articles appear in the most-read article list (Thanks for reading!), like number eight, “Restorative Drying in the Modern Age.” In that article, I spoke with industry instructors and thought leaders on the effects of connectivity, technology, and equipment advancements on the restoration industry. It offers a look at faster dehumidification and drying times with modern equipment, connected devices that allow offsite monitoring and adjustments, the overuse of heat, and a lot more.

If eight of the most-read articles of 2019 were technical articles, what were the other two, you might wonder? Coming in at number four on our list was Jeff Carrier’s “2019 SEO Ranking Guide,” an online-only exclusive article that delves into Google’s algorithm updates and offers techniques for ranking high despite the constant algorithm changes. This 2019 guide is still applicable in 2020, so give it a read before reading the 2020 SEO Ranking Guide, online now as well. Steve Toburen’s “Residential Set-up List,” which offers a systems approach to job set up, allowing owners to create a process that streamlines technicians’ time onsite, came in at number nine on our list.

The top articles of last year are a testament to our industry’s propensity for self-improvement, which I’m sure will continue in this new year. As for Cleanfax, we have another year of exciting articles planned for you. In 2020, look for articles on drones’ future uses in the restoration industry, details on up-and-coming specialty services, whether to buy or lease equipment, and a whole lot more. Seek us out at shows all year long to stop and say hello or to offer your own ideas on topics we need to cover this year (or shoot me an email at amandah@issa.com anytime). I love hearing from you.

Find the complete list of the top 19 articles of 2019 online now.

And Happy New Year to you all!

The post What Mattered in 2019 appeared first on Cleanfax.

Factory-direct communication with our customers is especially appreciated by those who operate their businesses in remote locations or where dependable local service is not available.

10-Year Warranty*

Every new Butler System is warrantied for 10 years at no additional cost. There are no limitations on machine hours, and the warranty may be transferred at no charge for up to one year.

Warranty coverage includes all major components: The Shaft Drive System, High Pressure Pump, Detergent Injection System, Vacuum/Blower, Heat Exchanger, Fresh Water Holding Tank, Recovery Tank, Vacuum Hose Reel, Pressure-Hose Reel, Holders, Racks, Trays and Shelving, etc.

Buy-Back Guarantee

The Butler Corporation’s Buy-Back Guarantee is an exclusive program that provides customers the opportunity to trade-in or cash-in their 15-year-old or newer Butler System/van at any time during ownership, including while financed or leased. Customers can choose this easy, convenient alternative to purchasing a new or pre-owned Butler System or to receive the buy-back value in cash.

The trade-in/cash-in value for a used Butler System/van could be as much as 75% (or more) of the original purchase price.

Vehicle Selection and Convenience

Convenience, availability, competitive pricing, and ease of financing are why most customers choose from our extensive vehicle selection.

We have available as many as 100 or more new and pre-owned vehicles at any one time, including regular and extended-length vans, cube vans, and trucks with a variety of optional equipment. Select vehicles are under warranty by the manufacturer for up to five years/100,000 miles. Pre-owned vehicles are provided with the remaining balance of the vehicle manufacturers’ warranty or The Butler Corporation’s exclusive pre-owned vehicle warranty.

View our brochure online, and request your free copy today!

The Butler Corporation is pleased to present, in full color, our NEW 96-page Butler System brochure, which showcases the machine preferred by thousands in the cleaning and restoration industry.

*Warranty information available upon request. Exclusions, limitations, and disclaimers apply. Made in the USA

Contact: 800-535-2025���� |����

View all the companies featured in the Cleaning Industry Leader Profiles.

The post Cleaning Industry Leader Profile: The Butler Corporation appeared first on Cleanfax.

Legend Brands’ NEW Truckmount Selector Tool ��makes it easier for you to choose which truckmount is best for your business – visit to try it out. Just check off your cleaning setting, type of cleaning, budget, and more, and you’ll see which truckmounts are most recommended for your needs.

Here’s how Legend Brands truckmounts benefit your business

• Nanotech Cerakote® coating lowers exhaust components’ heat levels by 30% or more. This results in lower internal van temperatures and helps to ensure longer life for your truckmount.
• Exclusive, patented, heat-exchange designs for fast warm-up and consistent heat
• Industry-leading limited warranties: 2–5 years for slide-in truckmounts; 10 years for the new Summit PTS!

Truckmount Line-up

NEW! Summit PTS Direct Drive: Superior heat, 10-year limited warranty. Proven components include stainless-steel, finned-tube coil heat exchangers to pull heat from the blower, a flat-plate engine coolant heat exchanger, Gardner Denver blower, and General pump. The Summit is easy to operate and delivers reliable heat and exceptional durability.

Rage: Value-priced business builder. This carpet, upholstery, and tile and grout cleaning machine boasts an 18-hp V-Twin Kohler Commander engine.

Legend GT: Legendary reliability, compact and economical. Powered by the highly rated, 23-hp Kohler Command air-cooled engine, the Legend GT has the horsepower and torque to power through challenging jobs. Produces high vacuum and dirt-busting solution temps of up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit!

370SS: Cleaners’ #1 favorite. Thousands of cleaners have proven that the 370 is the best all-around fit for residential and light commercial cleaning and extraction. Its space-saving footprint and the perfect balance of power and low operating costs make it the right truckmount choice for most cleaning and restoration companies.

Peak 500: Value-priced, liquid-cooled reliability. Economical powerhouse with quick warm up and plenty of heat, even for a 6-flow wand. The 31-hp, liquid-cooled Kawasaki engine is CARB-compliant in all 50 states and sips fuel at only 1 gal. per hour.

Apex 570: High heat, long life, fast dry times. In addition to its highly reliable, liquid-cooled Kubota cast iron engine, the Apex 570 employs the Gardner Denver HF408 blower—its tri-lobe helical design is quieter and produces less vibration while it maximizes extraction rates and accelerates drying time.

Everest 870HP: Serious power for serious pros. The perfect combination of industrial-grade components, proven engineering, and unrivaled performance. The heart of this is beast is a Kubota 4-cylinder, 57-hp, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, cast iron block engine paired with a Eurus blower, delivering unbeatable durability and vacuum.

Contact: 800-932-3030���� |���� ���� |����

View all the companies featured in the Cleaning Industry Leader Profiles.

The post Cleaning Industry Leader Profile: Legend Brands appeared first on Cleanfax.

I received a text really early in the morning from a client who had a pet-spot emergency. When she sent me a picture (of what I could only assume was a murder scene!), she quickly explained her dog had surgery on its tail and then chewed open the wound. We had cleaned the carpet about a month prior and Scotchgarded everything, so I knew we had a chance. We used Bio Pro 10K with PureO2 and an acidic rinse, and we used a HydraMaster Titan and extracted with an Evolution wand. The process took nearly an hour. When it was finished, all of us stood back in disbelief.

��For an opportunity to win a gift card worth $250, send your images and a brief 100-word description on how you obtained your results to Amanda Hosey, managing editor, at amandah@issa.com, or submit via Facebook Messenger at . Contest rules available by request.

��

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

When extracting rugs after a water loss, it’s important to know what kinds of rugs you’re dealing with for better handling. For instance, silk rugs are less damaged by extraction through a nylon screen. Other fiber types have particulars, too.

Learn more about water-damaged rugs at www.cleanfax.com/rugs-and-floods.

The post An Unexpected Pet-Spot Problem [Photo Contest] appeared first on Cleanfax.

As restorative drying professionals, we are aware that humidity, airflow, and temperature (HAT) are necessary for evaporation. We often consider each component of HAT as equal in creating the ideal conditions for evaporation; however, they are never equal, but rather, balanced in importance based on the drying cycle. Let’s take a look at each of these components and see how they interact to influence the rate of evaporation.

Humidity

Low relative humidity (RH) is necessary for drying as moisture in materials and air seeks equilibrium. The lower the RH of the air, the quicker the wet materials will give up moisture to become equal with the moisture in the air. Equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) is the air equal to equilibrium moisture content (EMC) moisture in materials. Lower RHs are more important than low humidity ratios (grains per pound [GPP]), as moisture seeks equilibrium based on RH, not GPP.

On the first day of the drying cycle, we need buckets for dehumidification due to massive amounts of water that will be evaporated from wet materials. The dehumidifier formulas recommended in the Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration, using the simple calculation, get us to the goal of 40% RH on the second day of drying1. However, I see tremendous value in getting RHs in the low 30% or below within 24 hours and keeping it there. Very low RHs can reduce drying times by a day or more. So, add more dehumidification.

The argument I see in the field from third-party administrators or others (franchise and insurance auditors) is “we will only pay for the minimum recommendation for dehumidifiers” (e.g. large versus extra-large or only one dehumidifier instead of two). As long as materials are drying and you maintain low RHs (40% or below—better yet in the low 30% range), you are doing your job and saving your client and our insurance partners money by reducing drying times.

During declining rates of evaporation, when materials don’t look wet (day two and beyond), low vapor pressures provided by LGR or desiccant dehumidifiers are necessary for efficient drying.

Air flow

Air movement is the workhorse of drying by displacing high RH at the surface of wet materials with lower RH. Circulation airflow moves wet air to our dehumidification systems (either mechanical or ventilation), allowing us to manage RH and water vapor in the air. Sounds simple, but not so, as airflow alone will not dry anything and needs to be balanced with heat (energy) and humidity control. The velocity of airflow, measured in feet per minute (fpm), during the initial stages of drying, known as constant rates of evaporation, ideally should be above 600 fpm2.

It is essential during this stage of the drying cycle that all wet materials are exposed to high-velocity airflow (speed, not CFM is most important). The air mover calculation in the S500 is spot on and should forever end the argument that the restoration contractor put too many airmovers on the job3. During constant rates of evaporation, when materials look wet (liquid water in material), capillary action brings water to the surface of materials, and there is a significant difference between the vapor pressure of the air and wet materials. Physics is working in our favor.

All of that good stuff changes somewhere around the second day of the drying cycle. During declining rates of evaporation, high-velocity laminar airflow becomes a deterrent to drying as heat becomes more important. As is pointed out in Chapter 7 of the S500, “The velocity of airflow has a diminishing return as the water available for evaporation at the surface reduces”4.

Reducing airflow to under 150 fpm allows water in the material to gain energy (heat), increasing the vapor pressure of the water in the material. At this point, energy brings the big stick to the fight. It seems counter intuitive to remove or reduce air movement when materials are not dry, but reducing air movement will actually speed up the drying cycle at this time. Going to a circulation model instead of directed airflow reduces the cooling effect of direct air flow, allowing water in the material to gain energy more efficiently.

Temperature

We often get stuck on the idea that high temperatures are needed for evaporation (e.g. water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit). But energy is what we need, measured as enthalpy or BTUs. Heat is necessary to break the chemical bonds that hold individual water molecules that form liquid water together. For evaporation to occur, energy must be added to the water. That energy (heat) comes from the surface of the wet materials. Evaporation’s net effect to the surface temperature is cooling as energy from the material is added to the water. Cooler surface temperatures on the first day of drying is good since temperatures can be near or below the ideal temperature for mesophilic mold and bacteria growth5.

So, what is the ideal drying temperature? That depends on the timeline of the drying cycle. On day one, 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit is best for a number of reasons. This temperature range is comfortable; it is the optimum performance range for refrigerant dehumidifiers; and there is very little risk of overheating liquid water in materials and causing damage.

As the job progresses and moves into declining rates of evaporation, heat has a greater influence on evaporation than airflow. Our equipment is throwing off BTUs and increasing temperatures at just the right time. By adding energy to the water in the material, we can increase the vapor pressure of the water in the material, thereby increasing the vapor pressure differential between the materials and the air. The greater the difference, the faster the drying cycle.

Maximizing equipment efficiencies

As an industry, we are often criticized for putting too much equipment on the job. Here is the deal: A lot of equipment reduces drying times, period. The client can take his or her pick: a lot of equipment and short drying times or a little equipment and long drying times. Pick one. You don’t get short drying times with limited amounts of equipment. Unfortunately, by doubling up on equipment, you don’t reduce drying time by 50%. If it were that simple, it would be an easy sell.

Keep this in mind: High-velocity air movement is necessary on all wet materials on day one. Reduce air flow (slower fan speeds and/or pull airmovers) during declining rates of evaporation and add heat. Towards the end of the job and after you have pulled some airmovers, consider turning off one of your dehumidifiers for an hour. If the RH goes up, document and turn the dehumidifier back on.

Remember: Low RH is more important than grain depression (water removal). Towards the end of the job, I commonly have only one airmover in each room (where the drying goal has not been met) and all of my dehumidifiers running.

By maximizing our efforts, we can bring value to our clients and insurance partners by reducing the time to dry wet contents and materials. Better value to our clients ensures more jobs and more profitable jobs.

References:

• ANSI/IICRC S500, 4th Addition, Chapter 13, Structural Restoration.”
• ANSI/IICRC S500, 4th Addition, Chapter 7, “Psychrometry and Drying Technology,”
• ANSI/IICRC S500, 4th Addition, 13.5.6.1, “Controlling Airflow.”
• ANSI/IICRC S500, 4th Addition, Chapter 7, “Psychrometry and Drying Technology.”
• Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, 18.1.3, 19.1.5.3.

David Oakes has worked in the cleaning and restoration field since 1973. He consults for both restoration contractors and insurance companies and has served as an expert witness in state and federal court. Oakes is an RIA Certified Restorer, holds multiple IICRC certifications, and is an IICRC approved instructor, teaching restorative drying classes, among others. He served as vice chairman of the ANSI/S540 committee and chairman for development of the TCST certification program.

The post Expediting the Drying Cycle appeared first on Cleanfax.

James and Kelly have operated the company for the past nine years. With 36 employees, a 25,000-square foot facility, an in-plant rug washing operation, six truckmount systems, and multiple other vehicles, Heaven’s Best offers a multitude of services including carpet, upholstery, tile, and hardwood floor cleaning; stain and odor removal;�� air duct cleaning; and oriental and area rug washing and repair. Four years ago, James and Kelly also added a restoration division to the business, operating as Spartan Emergency Water Removal. Next month, the company will close on a second 30,000 sq. ft. building next door that will provide the space needed for Spartan’s new packout and storage services.

From years of service to the service industry

James is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and wounded warrior. Following his military service, he continued to serve as an FBI agent, SWAT operator, Miami Division SWAT commander, FBI supervisory special agent, and a private military contractor.

“After 20 plus years as a professional gunfighter, suffering with PTSD, burned out from too many deployments, operations, and a very busy training schedule—and trying to maintain some semblance of family life and marriage—I decided to make a radical career change to save myself,” James says. “I knew that I wanted to open up my own veteran business, and I also want to use it as a venue to hire and help vets.”

James didn’t have any business experience, so he started looking into different franchise options, thinking a proven business model would increase his chance of success. During his search, a sales rep from Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning called James out of the blue. “I laughed at first and said, ‘I don’t clean carpets;’ however, after speaking to the sales rep, I began to like the idea of the service industry,” James explains.

For one thing, James’ entire career had been about service, and the business he envisioned starting had service to fellow veterans at its heart. The low start-up costs for Heaven’s Best also appealed to James, as well as the fact that he could start slowly, working from his own garage until the business grew.

Challenges met, lessons learned

As much as James looked forward to this new chapter in his career, it comes with its own set of challenges familiar to all entrepreneurs: finding customers, hiring good employees, and knowing how and when to grow and diversify.

“I sometimes say it was easier kicking in doors and arresting armed bad guys than owning and building a business,” James says. “In my old career, I was able to step away from it and be off duty. You’re never off duty when you own a business, especially in the beginning.”

After five years working out of the garage, James and Kelly moved into their present commercial location in 2015. Although Heaven’s Best has maintained 30-35% yearly growth from the start, in hindsight, James feels he slowed the growth of the business by operating out of the garage for so long. In the beginning, James and Kelly found themselves holding back the growth of the company until they built the infrastructure to handle more volume and new services.

James reflects, “Once I finally moved into a commercial location, that’s when the company really started to explode because I was able to start doing in-plant rug washing, packouts, and contents cleaning…It’s also important to move your business out of your home to get some type of separation between work and family life.”

To market the carpet division, James and Kelly focus heavily on SEO strategies to ensure Heaven’s Best is potential customers’ first pick. They have had success with email marketing, holiday specials, and yearly cleaning reminders for repeat customers. They also offer referral payments and prize giveaways for flood job leads. This year, for example, the company gave away a motorcycle and several cash prizes.

Growth plans and advice

After nine years running a business he didn’t expect to be in, James has found great satisfaction in the industry as it gives him the opportunity to help people in times of need. Additionally, he and Kelly feel that it’s a stable industry with growth potential as people are more willing to have carpet and upholstery cleaned before spending the money to replace it. One reason they branched out into restoration work is that it is insulated from economic downturns because, unlike carpet cleaning, it’s not an elective service.

Since the carpet cleaning division is part of a franchise, James can’t really expand beyond his assigned territory, but he still has plans to grow and improve the business through updating SEO techniques, increasing marketing and social media presence, and developing more commercial work. And James and Kelly have big plans to grow the restoration division of their business, with 2020 goals to hire more marketing and sales reps to increase commercial accounts and contents work, and they even have plans for a second location.

For those new to the carpet cleaning industry, James advises owners never compromise their integrity. He also recommends placing high priority on finding and keeping the right staff.

James says, “Hire slowly and fire quickly; the wrong employee can be very detrimental to your business. Hire good employees, take care of them, and compensate them well; a company will never be great until the employees love the company.”

See how three industry companies found success, learn from their journeys, and decide what your own path to success will look like. Check out the other companies featured in our 2020 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review:

Atiyeh Bros Inc.

Dry-N-Clean

The post The 2020 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review: Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning of Northern Virginia appeared first on Cleanfax.

“Due to professional differences, I left a good-paying job,” Allen says. “[After that,] I went from door to door offering repair services until a client asked me to clean her carpet. Then I went from using small, portable equipment to my own signature, dual-wand truckmount.”

Allen created Dry-N-Clean of Virginia Beach in 1995. The niche company caters only to exclusive clientele with its 10 employees, five trucks, and two sales vehicles. It offers carpet, stone, tile, and grout cleaning in addition to pest services and water damage restoration to its high-end clients. It also houses a full rug cleaning facility.

How Dry-N-Clean came together

After Allen left his former industry and found his way into carpet cleaning, he first started Dyna Clean, which he built to five trucks and sold in 1991. With his earnings, he paid off his house and took a couple of years off of work. Allen says, “I came to the conclusion that man was made to work.”

That’s when Dry-N-Clean came about. He wanted to create a business that not only offered floor cleaning, but also ventured into other services, like water damage restoration and pest control. He quickly built the new business into a five-truck operation and created a company he is proud of.

“There is a lot of satisfaction in being an entrepreneur,” Allen explains. “There is something unique��about satisfying a customer’s needs. Cleanliness is definitely tied to success, health, and happiness.”

Standing out

Allen started off placing double-page ads in the Yellow Pages to grow his business, and over the last 10-15 years, he has transitioned to digital marketing and uses Housecall Pro, which he says helps manage his whole business.

At first, Allen found it challenging “being in an industry where there was a lack of constancy,” but he found a way to ensure he stayed top of mind for his customers to attain that needed loyalty.

“I made a point to stand��apart from the norm of carpet cleaning, taking on a different direction in customer service and quality,” he says. “The goal was to educate the customer in process by going above and beyond in my knowledge of cleaning.”

Through developing his own knowledge of cleaning and creating education, he eventually developed Truck Mount Forums, which he is known for throughout the industry.

“The last 12 years I have focused on providing online education and branding while operating my businesses,” Allen says. “I have created a platform for other cleaners to educate themselves in the processes of the changing industry.”

Allen’s education of other cleaners online has spread industrywide and helped show him as a thought leader and knowledgeable source to his own clients at Dry-N-Clean. He adds, “We enjoy sharing knowledge to the entire community and outward. In return, our customers have provided a lucrative financial portfolio that continues to grow each year.”

Staying ahead

When looking back on his history, Allen says there is nothing he would do differently. He says, “Everything has led me to where I am today.”

As to the future of Dry-N-Clean, his goals remain simple, to the point, and reflective of the company’s history: “I want to continue providing five-star service and grooming expert techs.”

Despite his years of experience. Allen still remembers what it was like to be first starting out. For those in the industry still trying to build their own success stories, Allen has some simple, sage advice.

“Focus on quality, education, customer service and people��before��money. The��success will follow,” Allen recommends. “And never get down comparing yourself to others. We are all works in progress.”

See how three industry companies found success, learn from their journeys, and decide what your own path to success will look like. Check out the other companies featured in our 2020 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review:

Atiyeh Bros Inc.

Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning of Northern Virginia

The post The 2020 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review: Dry-N-Clean appeared first on Cleanfax.

“We retail fine handmade, machine-made, and wall-to-wall carpeting to residential and commercial clients,” Atiyeh reports.��“We also have full cleaning plants that offer in-plant rug cleaning, repair services, appraisals, padding, fiber protection, and on-location residential and commercial wall-to-wall carpeting and furniture cleaning.”

From two brothers to four generations of Atiyeh Bros

As the name suggests, Atiyeh Bros. began with two brothers, Aziz and George Atiyeh. Aziz Atiyeh immigrated to the United States in 1897 at the age of 17 from Ottoman, Syria.�� Aziz started in Pennsylvania as a distributor between importers and peddlers. He made his way to Portland, Oregon and opened the A. Atiyeh business in 1900.

Two years later, his younger brother George arrived to help with the business, and the name changed to A. Atiyeh and Bro. As the business grew, George stayed in Portland to run the retail arm of the company, while Aziz moved to New York City where he built a wholesale operation. Aziz also began traveling to Kerman, Persia (present-day Iran) to establish looms that would design and manufacture their own rugs, known as the Kerman DeLuxe.

More than a hundred years later, Atiyeh Bros. remains a family rug business. With 50 employees in three locations across Oregon (Portland, Tigard, and Eugene), the company is a one-stop shop for carpet and rug needs, including sales, installation, cleaning, repair, and appraisals.

Although the company is a multi-generational family legacy, Kevin says there was never any pressure for him to join the business: “My parents encouraged me to do what I was interested in. I found a love and interest for rugs while working summers at our cleaning plant while in school.”

Even though Kevin enjoyed the work, he didn’t join Atiyeh Bros. right away. With a degree in business and a focus on finance, he worked two jobs in the financial services industry after college. In the end, the people and the rug industry drew him back to Atiyeh Bros. full time. Kevin says, “The people in our industry are wonderful to work with and learn from,” and he feels “fortunate and honored” to continue his family’s legacy.

The importance of people

At the head of the business today, Kevin relies on the advice of his great uncle: “Keep your ears open and your mouth shut.” Kevin says thanks to this advice, he’s been fortunate to work with and learn from more experienced people in the industry, and he challenges himself to continue learning as much as he can.

“Being able to work side by side with certified rug and carpet technicians has allowed me to learn from the best people in our industry,” he says. In fact, for Kevin, everything about this business comes down to the people—those he works with and the customers he builds relationships with.

When it comes to marketing, Kevin says people are at the center of that as well. “The best kind of marketing is how well we clean and sell rugs and how we treat our customers.��If we exceed our customers’ expectations, they will return and refer others to Atiyeh Bros. Sure, we do a lot of print and digital advertising as well, but exceeding customer expectations is our goal.”

Looking ahead and looking back

Kevin says there are no immediate plans to open more facilities, but there is opportunity for growth in the areas they already serve. With three Oregon-based locations, Atiyeh Bros. serves much of the state, including the Portland metro area. The company operates a total of 13 wall-to-wall cleaning vans and transport trucks for on-location cleaning and transprotation to and from the wash plants.

When asked what advice he would give to someone just starting out in the industry, Kevin says, “Have a passion for what you do, surround yourself with people who have the same passion, and listen… Work hard and treat people with kindness and respect.”

See how three industry companies found success, learn from their journeys, and decide what your own path to success will look like. Check out the other companies featured in our 2020 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review:

Dry-N-Clean

Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning of Northern Virginia

The post The 2020 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review: Atiyeh Bros Inc. appeared first on Cleanfax.

What if you could hand pick the neighborhoods you cleaned? Think how that would increase your average job ticket, cut down your drive time, and make business easier. When you get into the right neighborhood, a chain effect happens and everyone in your target neighborhood wants to do business with you.

So, pick the best neighborhood. That’s the first step. Then you have some work to do before you dominate it. But there are online and offline marketing strategies to position your cleaning or restoration company as the go-to company for any neighborhood you pick.

Your neighborhood message

To own an area, first create your marketing message. One message I used with great success involved branding my company as the “Neighborhood Cleaner.” The overall theme is that you are either located close by or you are regularly in the neighborhood.

Since you are pretty much neighbors, you make a “neighborly” special offer. The offers vary, but they generally involve giving away a couple of small gifts when they use your service. Don’t get hung up on the offer. You can make whatever offer you want, but good offers usually get a better response.

Include pictures of the target neighborhood or your van parked somewhere in the neighborhood. When you can, include pictures of clients you’ve cleaned for in the neighborhood. Put a picture of you or the company spokesperson in the ads too. Whenever possible, include testimonials, before and after pictures, awards you’ve won, and other elements that prove your credibility.

Some phrases my own company used with good success:

• “We just cleaned your neighbor’s home.”
• “We’re always in your neighborhood.”
• “You’re our special neighbor.”
• “Support local businesses in your neighborhood.”
• “Gas prices are high, so help save gas.”

All of these have been great topics and they all lead into a valid reason why we are giving them a special, exclusive offer. Some ideas for offers we’ve used:

• Free trial of one of service
• Free trial of more than one service (opens up selling more services)
• Free bottle of spot remover
• $25 or $50 off the first service
• Free restaurant gift card (Do a trade out with a restaurant.)
• Free car wash, massage, maid service, etc. gift card (Again, do a trade out.)

Normally, you’ll want to require a certain minimum job to give them this offer. For example, you may have an offer for 100 square feet of carpet cleaning, 50 square feet or tile cleaning, and a bottle of spot remover for free with any $125 minimum cleaning.

Will this cost you time or money? Yes. But remember, this is a special offer only to your target neighborhoods. I recommend you do this only in the best neighborhoods to build up your client base. If you really want to quickly be the neighborhood cleaner, you’re going to have to give a little to get a lot. Believe me, it’s worth giving a great offer to be known as the neighborhood cleaner.

Every door direct mail

This is a service by the United States Postal Service that allows you to send large postcards for 18.7 cents to each home. If you have a bulk mail permit, it’s only 16.2 cents per home. Another benefit is the ability to canvas an entire mail route without purchasing a mailing list. You can mail to as little as 200 homes at a time and you can do it without any kind of mailing permit or yearly fee.

Every door direct mail (EDDM) is typically mailed as a postcard. The size needs to be at least 6.25 inches tall or more than 11.5 inches long. Some popular sizes for our industry are 9×12, 8×10, 6.5×9, and 8.5×11. It’s a big postcard, so you have room to sell your service and tell the story of how you’re different from other companies. EDDM will require the post office’s postal indicia to be placed on the postcard as the stamp, and the words “Local Postal Customer” are written near the indicia to signify to the postal carrier that it’s mailed as EDDM.

The one drawback with EDDM is that you’ll have to mail to the entire mail route. The only homes skipped are empty homes. If an apartment complex or duplexes are on the mail route, you’ll mail to them as well. You have an option to skip mailing to commercial addresses if desired. Keep all of this in mind when designing your offer and campaign.

Saturation mailing

The biggest difference between EDDM and saturation mailing is that you’ll need to purchase a mailing list. Lists can be bought pretty cheap and are often included if you have a mailing house do the mailing for you.

You can mail much more than postcards with saturation mailing. You can mail letters, brochures, or large self-mailers. This is especially useful because a good sales letter outsells a postcard almost all the time.

You can pick and choose the homes you mail. If you want to mail to 50 or 100 homes around the home you cleaned last week, you can do that. This can help you niche down to the specific street or neighborhood you want to target. If you want to avoid mailing to apartments, saturation mail is a great choice.

You will need a bulk mail permit to do this type of mailing. Or, you could use a mail house. The cost for postage is comparable to EDDM at around 18 cents per home. However, large postcards or large envelopes may cost slightly more for postage.

I highly recommend you use saturation mail to send a letter, with a good offer, to a small target neighborhood. Keep it interesting. Print the letter up in a handwritten or typewriter font. This has been one of the highest-producing marketing campaigns I have done.

Neighborhood Google ads

Run a Google search-and-display ad campaign specifically to these same neighborhoods. You can pick areas as small as a one-mile radius for your campaign. These ads should have the same message, pictures, and offer as your offline campaign. The purpose is for someone to see your online ad and be reminded that you’ve been mailing them with the same message.

When you run a Google display ad, people in your target neighborhood will often see your ad on popular sites such as weather.com, cnn.com, local news sites, and lots of other popular local and national websites. It’s pretty impressive to see a local company show up on these sites as it’s not common for a local business to be on a national website.

Neighborhood Facebook ads

You can run ads on Facebook that show up only to people in your chosen one-mile radius. The same message and pictures should be used as in your other campaigns. Your prospects in your target neighborhood will see your ads while browsing Facebook. If they click your ad, you can lead them to your Facebook page, website, or to Facebook messenger.

With Facebook ads, always start your ad with your city name or the name of the area of town you are marketing. This catches attention and helps to establish you as the neighborhood cleaner.

Do all of these, and your company is seemingly everywhere in the mind of your target prospects living in that neighborhood. You can do a solid campaign like this with a budget of only a few hundred dollars per month. This is highly targeted marketing at its finest. Pick your prospect, pick your message, and get that message to her over and over again.

As you gain popularity in these neighborhoods, get testimonials and online reviews. Put those reviews in your neighborhood postcards and letters. Re-post those reviews on your website and Facebook page. Run Facebook and Google display ads with the reviews and testimonials. This will give you the social proof you need to solidify your status as the neighborhood cleaner.

John Braun is the author of the #1 bestselling 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 Pick Any Neighborhood—and Dominate It appeared first on Cleanfax.

Construction and mitigation have been the mainstays of the restoration business for decades. Contents, on the other hand, traditionally has been viewed as a less profitable but necessary evil that needed to be addressed to facilitate the requirements of the total claim. This perception of contents may well be the reason the industry has taken so long to evolve.

It’s still commonplace for vaults of contaminated contents to sit in warehouses for months waiting for mitigation services and the rebuild to be completed. This practice can be detrimental and often affects the overall quality of the restoration. With various categories of contents, as contaminated items sit idle for extended periods of time, the potential for acidic damage increases. Cleaning becomes more tedious and removing residues from porous materials gets more difficult the longer the cleaning process is delayed. As a result, many delicate items may not survive the cleaning process and may become non-salvageable.

A new direction

Change is inevitable, and the evolution of the contents restoration industry is well underway. As margin adjustments to mitigation and construction continue to dwindle, contractors are turning their attention to contents. We have seen demand for training and education steadily increase. Job software and processing technology also continue to grow as restorers seek to implement methodologies that improve overall service quality for insurers and claimants.

As contents continues to be a hot-button topic in the industry, we are seeing the steady emergence of independent, contents-only service providers. These restorers have full-service capabilities and provide all contents services in house. Many offer their services to other restorers who do not have the desire, capabilities, or manpower to commit to contents services. Franchise groups also are now appearing in the marketplace in an attempt to establish service networks in various regions of the country. These developments are indicators that the contents restoration industry has finally arrived and is here to stay.

Contents restoration, however, is complex, with many moving parts. Cashing in on contents requires attention to detail, precise organization, and the ability to implement specific managerial and technical methodologies. When restorers implement the correct business model, they provide their customers with a quality-assurance standard that leads to successful claims closure.

Packout inventory

It’s hard to imagine processing contents without employing accurate inventory documentation. In the past, however, few restorers bothered with inventory lists, let alone photos of contents items. Today, of course, documentation is a requirement that helps insurers navigate the contents claim and makes it possible for restorers to properly organize and categorize inventory for fast, efficient processing.

Packout is the most critical phase of the contents restoration process, and the way the packout is managed has a direct effect on production and profitability. Despite the importance of implementing a structured packout protocol, few restorers go into a job with a pre-formulated plan. Not implementing a strategy results in packout confusion, labor mismanagement, and inefficient contents processing.

Packout tips

To kickstart a new claim, management often summons all hands on deck. However, having the entire packout crew show up at the start of the job is a mistake since only a few technicians are required to initially set up the packout. Having too many techs onsite to start a job sets the stage for overbilling of hours, often causing service invoices to be red flagged and ultimately negotiated.

First on the scene should be an inventory specialist, a lead technician or contents manager, and a few techs to address the manipulation of content items. These crew members will initially set the stage for job efficiency and expedited contents removal.

The first order of business is to take photographs and or videos of each room, capturing the condition of the interior and overview of the contents inventory as items are found. The next step is to document all large, total-loss content items and remove them from the dwelling for later valuation and disposal.

The inventory specialist will then proceed to photograph, document, and tag all large items, room by room. These items include furniture, appliances, and other non-boxable, oversized items. All such items should be immediately packed or wrapped and loaded directly into a truck—or, in the case of vaults, awaiting removal from the jobsite as soon as possible. Once the premises are void of these obstructions, other technicians can be put on the timeclock to set up several packing stations in appropriate areas to begin the boxing process.

Extracting maximum production from packout efforts requires the services of a capable inventory specialist and properly trained packout technicians. A typical packout crew for an average three to four-bedroom home should consist of four to five techs, as well as a supervisor and/or inventory specialist. The packout/inventory specialist determines and identifies various categories of contents items, ensuring all like items of the same material type are gathered, grouped, photographed, and documented.

A capable inventory specialist can comfortably document three to four packout stations simultaneously. (The time spent to inventory each packing station is approximately 2-3 minutes when proper protocols are implemented.) After contents are documented at the packing station, the specialist prints a barcode or box label, leaving the technician to wrap and pack items and affix the box label upon completion. The technician then proceeds to gather more contents of the same category as directed by the inventory specialist and repeats the process.

A properly trained packout technician has an average production expectation of four to five boxes per hour. This rate is attainable as technicians are not involved in the inventory process and concentrate only on packing. Utilizing this methodology decreases time spent at the packout site and properly aligns contents for processing efficiency, accelerated production, and expedient claims turnover.

Mistakes cost time and money

When restorers go into a packout, the objective is to remove all content as quickly as possible. Restorers traditionally packout contents room by room as proper protocol dictates. However, most technicians pack to move when they should be packing to clean. Proper procedures involve packing content items by material type and contamination level. When like items are packed together in the same box, only one cleaning methodology—specific to the material type of the items—is required. Mixing contents of different material types and various contamination levels requires using a multi-stage cleaning process, which slows production, hinders cleaning results, and frustrates cleaning technicians.

In addition to material type separation, attention must also be paid to the construction and decorative aspects of an item. A distinction between durable and delicate items must be determined. Items considered durable can withstand aggressive cleaning methodology, higher solution temperatures, and more potent chemical mix ratios. Other items will require specific handling and cleaning procedures even though the items are made from the same material type. For example, ceramic items can be categorized as durable or delicate. The category is determined by how the item is constructed. This distinction must be determined and indicated on the box or box label, providing the cleaning technician with the information needed to apply the correct restoration procedures.

Modern day contents restoration offers restorers a unique business opportunity. The complexities associated with contents restoration are real, and downplaying the importance of the packout can cost restorers hundreds—often thousands—of dollars on every claim. The packout is a series of stages and movements that must be highly organized and properly executed. Approaching contents restoration with service professionalism and attention to detail will provide insurers and claimants with repeatable service consistency, resulting in expedient and successful claims resolutions.

David W Mazur is the president of Fireline and CEO of Ultrasonics International Corp (UIC). He founded Canadian Ultrasonic Industries in 1989, which was the first Canadian company to formally manufacture and distribute ultrasonic cleaning equipment. Mazur expanded into the U.S. in 1993 under the UIC name and has developed a range of cleaning equipment for contents restoration. Mazur introduced Fireline, the first contents restoration production line, in 2005 and thereafter established Fireline Training Centers, which provides contents restoration education.

The post Packouts for Production and Profitability appeared first on Cleanfax.