Contents  Pros  –  The  Closer  you  look,  the  better  you  will  like  what  you  see!

 
     Insurance  adjusters,  insurance  agents   sewage   backup   means   we   are   look-­ ration  professionals  performed  packout  
and   contents   restoration   pros   all   know   ing   at   a   very   high   bacteria   count.     We   and  cleanup  as  an  afterthought.  Insur-­
the   value   of   a   good,   strong   relation-­ can’t  take  any  chances  –  what  are  you   ance   adjusters   simply   used   the   men,  
ship  with  the  consumer  (and  with  each   going   to   do   about   all   the   germs?”   and   machines   and   techniques   that   were  
other). the  agent  responds  with,  “I  understand   available.  But  in  the  last  decade,  a  new  
     An  insurance  agent  knows  that  cus-­ completely,   that   is   why   I   have   already   type  of  restoration  pro  has  appeared  on  
tomer   satisfaction   translates   into   re-­ called   the   contents   professionals   who   the  scene  and  the  agents  and  adjusters  
newed  policies  and  increased  revenue   sanitized   Memorial   Hospital   after   the   are  now  actively  seeking  them  out.
for   the   company.   As   an   example,   a   MRSA  outbreak  there.  They  use  hospi-­       Contents   pros   save   money   for   the  
homeowner   might   call   and   say,   “We   tal  grade  disinfectants  strong  enough  so   insured   and   the   insurance   companies  
have  a  new  baby  in  the  house  and  this   that  when  the  state  board  went  through   on   virtually   every   job   –   that   much   the  
after   the   job,   they   gave   it   the   highest   agents   and   adjusters   already   know.  
rating  the  hospital  ever  had.  The  com-­ Whether   it   is   by   restoring   crystal   and  
pany   I   chose   for   you   will   make   your   porcelain,   or   cleaning   soft   goods   to  
home  hospital  safe/baby  safe.”   pre-­loss   condition,   the   contents   pro-­
      Now,   you   have   a   customer   who   cessing  team  always  seeks  to  restore  
knows   you   listen   and   that   you   can   not  replace  –  if  there  is  any  chance  that  
respond. it  will  save  money  for  the  insured  and  
     When  an  adjuster  is  looking  at  the   the  insurer.
bottom  line  of  the  job  itself  and  calls        But  their  real  value  comes  from  the  
a   restoration   company   owner   to   ask,   relationships   each   has   with   the   other.  
“I’ve  got  $35,000  in  Hummels  that  took   An   agent   can’t   tell   a   customer   about  








the   company   that   sanitized   a   hospital  
soot  and  completed  drenched  with  wa-­ unless  he  (she)  knows  that  company.
ter.  Can  you  restore  Hummels  in  that        An  adjuster  doesn’t  know  that  he  can  
condition?”   and   the   contractor   says,   count  on  a  certain  company  to  restore  
“No  we  really  don’t  do  that,”  the  ad-­ the   insured’s   valuables   and   “knick-­
juster   knows   he   isn’t   speaking   to   a   knacks”   until   he   knows   the   company  
contents  pro. itself.
      You   may   recall,   in   an   earlier   edi-­      A  contents  company  with  top  notch  
tion   of   Contents   Solutions,   we   told   training   and   equipment   –   and   their  
you  the  story  of  the  contents  company   




 -­
that  restored  $35,000  of  Hummels  and   ates  and  associates  isn’t  like  any  oth-­



 



er   company   in   the   market.   They   are  
the   insurance   adjuster   had   regretfully   the   ones   the   insurance   companies  
decided  that  they  were  a  total  loss. turn  to  when  they  need  something  ex-­
     In  days  gone  by,  the  structural  resto-­ traordinary.

Protection  Question
     “If  it  isn’t  safe  for  us,  it  isn’t  safe  for  the  cus-­      They   still   use   ozone,   of   course.   But   it   is  
tomer,”   says   Barb   Jackson,   spokeswoman   always  their  second  choice,  after  all  the  al-­
for  the  contents  restoration  industry. 




      You   have   undoubtedly   read   about   how        “Green  cleaning”  is  always  a  favorite  topic  
contents  pros  are  constantly  looking  for  safe   of  theirs,  but  they  will  tell  you  that  so  called  
alternatives  to  the  various  technologies  and   “green”   products   are   not   so   green   when  
techniques  that  are  widely  used  in  the  resto-­ they  are  used  to  excess  or  mixed  with  other  
ration  industry. compounds.
     As  an  example,  ozone  is  a  powerful  tool  for        Contents  pros  may  not  be  the  only  innova-­
removing   smoke   odors   –   it   is   also   harmful   tors  in  the  restoration  world,  but  they  are  the  
Vol.  11,  Issue  3

to  humans,  pets,  plastics,  leather  and  other   







 





fragile  items.  So,  contents  pros  continue  the   their  training.
search  for  new,  better  more  “human  friend-­      Barb  Jackson’s  motto  of  “Adapt,  Create,  
ly”  ways  to  remove  smoke  and  other  unde-­ Proceed,”   is   rapidly   becoming   the   founda-­
sirable  smells. tion  for  contents  pros’  success.

2
 plastic.
      At   the   same   time,   the  








with  only  minutes  to  spare,  
the   contents   profession-­
als   and   structural   pros  
pulled   all   their   people   and  
materials  out,  leaving  only  
a   completely   functional,  
dry   facility…nobody   knew  
about   the   minor   miracle  
that   had   been   performed.  
It  looked  and  felt  exactly  as  
Have  You  
     
if  a  catastrophe  had  never  
occurred   (let   alone   in   the  
Heard  of  
preceding  24  hours).
      The   band   leader   didn’t  
Hyperclorites?
turn  to  those  in  attendance  
and  say,  “This  one  is  for  the         Neither   had   we,   until   W.A.   Ru-­
contents   restoration   com-­ tala  and  D.J.  Weber  who  work  for  
pany   that   made   tonight’s   the   Division   of   Infectious   Diseas-­
concert   possible.”   But,   it   es,   University   of   North   Carolina  
     Now,  the  clock  is  ticking.   didn’t  matter,  the  pros  were   School  of  Medicine,  told  us  about  
Contents   No  restoration  company  on  










already   on   to   another   job  
and   couldn’t   have   waited  
them  in  Vol.  10,  No.  4  of  the  Clini-­
cal  Microbiology  Reviews.  

Pros  to  the  

      ed  theater  in  just  24  hours.  
What  would  you  do?
for  the  applause  anyway.
     After   the   crowd   cleared  
     They  tell  us  that  it  has  been  used  
as  an  effective  disinfectant  for  over  

      Rescue!
      The   university’s   insur-­ out   the   structural   crews   a   hundred   years.   “It   has   many   of  
ance  company  called  a  La-­ returned   to   set   the   drying   the   properties   of   an   ideal   disin-­






equipment   back   up   and   fectant,   including   a   broad   antimi-­
asked  one  question  –  “Any   




 
crobial   activity,   rapid   bactericidal  
     Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana.   ideas?” –  saving  all  of  the  newly  in-­ action,   reasonable   persistence   in  
You   have   a   fantastic   uni-­       In   less   than   2   hours,   stalled  wood  work  and  trim,   treated  potable  water,  ease  of  use,  
versity   theater   which   has   the   contents   pros   and   the   valued  at  over  $250,000. solubility  in  water,  relative  stability,  
just   undergone   a   multi-­ structural   pros   put   their         Not   one   piece   of   brass,   relative  nontoxicity  at  use  concen-­
million   dollar   renovation.   heads   together   and   came   wood,   or   velvet   was   re-­ trations,   no   poisonous   residuals,  
The   next   day   President   up   with   an   ingenious   plan   placed   –   the   entire   facility   no  color,  no  staining…”
Obama’s   Military   band   is   to   use   massive   structural   was  restored.  That  is  what  







 

scheduled   to   play   for   the   drying   equipment,   but   in-­ happens   when   a   contents   it   in   the   hospital   laundry   rooms.  
public   (a   sell-­out   crowd)   stead   of   focusing   on   the   crew   and   structural   work-­ Hospitals   have   been   using   it   as  
and   a   sprinkler   coupling   building,   they   put   a   huge   ers  join  forces. a   staple   in   their   arsenal   against  
breaks,   spraying   the   audi-­ “tent”   over   the   seats   and         24   hours,   $250,000   the  spread  of  bacteria  and  viruses  




 pumped   in   enormous   vol-­ saved  by  restoring  instead   when   cleaning   hospital   bedding,  








umes   of   dry   air   directly   of  replacing.   surgical   gowns,   etc.   Since   then,  
water. onto   the   fabric,   metal   and   many   contents   restoration   com-­
panies   have   adopted   it   into   their  
powerful   repertoire   of   techniques  
and  tools.  

A  Sticky  Situation













 




 

cally  designed  to  remove  various  glues,  tapes,  paints,  etc.
     Some  old  pros  still  use  WD-­40  or  alcohol.
     But  when  you  see  a  contents  pro,  no  matter  what  adhesive  remover  he  (she)  chooses,  
you  will  always  see  him  apply  it  to  a  cloth  before  using  it  to  clean  away  the  bonding  agent.
     Why?  Because  the  “old  pros”  who  sprayed  adhesive  remover  on  a  carpet  or  wallpaper,  
found  that  it  dissolved  the  carpet  backing  and  wallpaper  paste  as  well!  
     The  contents  pros  are  avid  learners  –  even  when  it  is  learning  what  not  to  do! 3
 Coming  Up  In  the  Next  Issues  
of  Contents  Solutions

Insider  Secrets  For  

Restoring  Wet  Electronics

Saving  Contents  From  

Flood  Water

Antique  Or  Not

Trash  or  Treasure

Contents  Solutions!  may  not  be  reproduced  in  whole  or  in  part  except  by  prior  written  permission  of  the  
publishers.  Contents  Solutions  is  created  each  month  by  the  research  team  at  Total  Contentz  who  are  
solely  responsible  for  its  publication  and  the  material  contained  within  ©2011.