Articles

The Evolution of Textile, Garment and Soft Goods Restoration
By Mike Rusciolelli
Restoration and Remediation Magazine, March, 2009

One of the principal drivers of our industry on both the contractor and the insurer side is to restore more and replace less. Because of this, innovations to increase successful restoration are constantly being introduced. This is also the case when it comes to the restoration of textiles, garments and soft goods damaged by smoke, water, mold, etc.

This is understandable because such items can account for up to 40% of the value of affected contents in a typical loss. Textiles and garments include clothing of all types as well as bedding, tablecloths, towels, window treatments and so on. Shoes, belts and purses are known in the industry as “soft goods”.

Because these items can represent many tens of thousands of dollars in replacement costs, (and can be restored for a fraction of that cost), the textile and garment restoration industry has emerged.

There are many other benefits to successful restoration. On the insurer side, indemnity expenses are reduced, claim files are closed much faster for reduced loss adjustment expense, policyholder satisfaction is greatly increased and closing of the claim is made easier for the adjuster.

Contractors also benefit in that they are able to profit from the restoration of contents that would otherwise be written off and replaced. In addition, they are able to deliver better service to the policyholder (such as conserving policy limits) and the adjuster, giving adjusters additional reasons to work with their firm.

The response to this need has come from two industry categories. The first are retail dry cleaners that process restoration work in addition to their over the counter business and the second are companies like Evans that specialize exclusively in textile, garment and soft goods restoration and do not process any retail cleaning at all.

Restorers and adjusters need to understand the differences in restoration processes to make an informed choice when selecting a textile and soft goods restorer. The success rate differences can be quite substantial and the higher the success rate, the happier the policyholder and the lower the overall cost to restore the loss.

Many companies remove smoke and other odors with ozonated air. However, the major drawback to using ozone chambers is that textiles require 24 to 72 hours or more of treatment to effectively remove odors, especially smoke. Another drawback of using ozone chambers is that airborne ozone degrades rubber, causing elastic in clothes to lose its elasticity. Air ozoning also has the downside of removing smoke odors but not soot, which must be removed in a separate process.

However, a new standard has been created with the introduction of “ozone washing” systems, which introduce ozone into the wash water. A much weaker form of ozone washing is used in the hospitality industry but has been proven unsuccessful in removing difficult odors like smoke.

Other ozone washing systems sometimes used by retail dry cleaners typically inject ozone bubbles into the wash water. This method is only able to attain a 24% ozone saturation rate, which is not effective on smoke odors, and can result in free ozone that causes fading of colored items.

The cutting edge of ozone washing technology is found in the industry’s only patented process, granted to Mike Rusciolelli of Evans Garment Restoration, LLC. Not only is this process far more effective at restoring even heavily smoke damaged items but it does so almost immediately, without the delays of air ozone systems. And, this system removes smoke odors and soot at the same time.

Evans’ patented process differs from other ozone washing systems in that it utilizes a careful balance of ozone, temperature and special additives. The ozone is mixed in a vacuum created by a special vortex, which results in a remarkable 90% ozone saturation rate. This patent also shows that ozone works best at 55°F, requiring the use of equipment designed to maintain this temperature.

This system of ozone washing represents an evolutionary giant step forward in terms of dramatically increasing the amount of items that can be successfully restored. Many companies make claims regarding a percentage of items that they restore but do not include items that they did not attempt to process as these would lower their success rates. The industry’s very best companies are typically willing to offer head-to-head comparisons on a number of losses to substantiate their success rate claims.

Another major benefit of Evan’s ozone washing method is that it allows for the delivery of emergency clothes to policyholders the day after the pack out—even when they have been contaminated with heavy smoke. Policyholders have suffered a terrible trauma and being able to be back in their own clothes the very next day imparts a sense of normalcy and gives them confidence that their life will get back on track.

There are other issues that are vitally important to insurers besides cleaning and odor removal. Inventory control has long been a major issue in terms of policyholder satisfaction. Evans utilizes exclusive bar coded garment tags and Assured Software’s POI (Pack Out Inventory) system to track every item at each step in the restoration process. This insures that the policyholder receives all their items back and can even locate items needed during the restoration process.

Inventory control is such a major issue for insurers that some have implemented requirements that any garment restorer working on their claims must use POI.

Evans strives to act more like restoration contractor in terms of meeting the kinds of service standards expected from an immediate responder. This includes very fast response time, one point of contact for all involved parties from start to finish, delivering estimates within 48 hours, completing the job in 14 days and delivering the type of comprehensive documentation that the adjuster needs to close the claim file quickly.

The restoration of soft goods (shoes, belts and purses) has also been positively affected by high saturation ozone washing. But the real key to successful restoration of soft goods has as much to do with the proprietary finishing processes that have been developed.

The best of these processes actually utilize a spray booth and special “smart oils” that contain dyes used in the original manufacture of the leather item for a perfect match. These oils are designed to restore the leather only where treatment is needed. This treatment protects the item from water, mold and other impurities.

The finishing process is the key to state-of-the-art soft goods restoration and is something that cannot be accomplished simply by ozone washing. In fact, reports from policyholders indicate that, using this process, soft goods are not just returned to pre-loss condition but completely restored.

When one considers what the cost of a high quality pair of shoes or a leather designer purse might be, it is no wonder that insurers are very interested in improving success rates on soft goods. Better results on soft goods can easily save thousands of dollars on a typical loss.

As the industry evolves it really pays for insurers, adjusters and restoration contractors to understand the differences in processes and the results they can expect. After all, all textile, garment and soft goods restoration companies are charging Xactimate pricing. So it’s important to understand the total value that comes at that price in order to get the maximum benefit from the restorer you choose.

About the Author
Mike Rusciolelli is the Managing Director and founder of Evans Garment Restoration, LLC, a national textile, garment and soft goods restoration franchise. He is the inventor of the Evans patented process as well as several proprietary soft goods restoration systems.