Articles

Understanding Textile, Garment and Soft Goods Restoration
By Mike Rusciolelli
Cleanfax Magazine, February, 2009

When fire, water or mold losses occur, as much as 40% of the affected contents are textiles and soft goods. Textiles include clothing of all types as well as bedding, tablecloths, towels, window treatments and so on. Shoes, belts and purses and 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 replacement cost), the textile and garment restoration industry has emerged.

Restorers need to understand the differences in restoration processes to make an informed choice when selecting a sub-contractor. The success rate differences can be quite substantial and the higher the success rate, the happier the adjuster and the policyholder!

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.

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 proven unsuccessful in removing difficult odors like smoke.

The cutting edge of ozone washing technology is found in the industry's only patented process, granted to 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.

This 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, 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.

Other ozone washing systems typically inject ozone bubbles into the wash water. This method is only able to attain a 24% ozone saturation rate and can result in free ozone that causes fading of colored items.

State-of-the-art soft goods restoration starts with ozone washing in special equipment followed by the application of unique finishing products that return soft goods not just to pre-loss condition but completely restore them to like new-potentially saving thousands per loss.

By making an informed choice, restorers can select the textile, garment and soft goods restoration company that will really make them shine!

About Evans Garment Restoration

Evans Garment Restoration specializes exclusively in textile, garment and soft goods restoration. Evans has developed three proprietary processes including the industry's only patented process (U.S. Patent # 7,141,124 B2), which is how Evans restores twice as many items as the competition.

Unlike companies that "cherry pick" the easy to clean items and then claim high success rates, Evans takes ALL affected items and successfully restores 92-93% of them! Evans also utilizes a state-of-the-art inventory control system, has one point of contact on every claim from start to finish, delivers emergency clothes the next day and restores more so claims cost less.