Restoring the Structure is Not Enough–Contents Need Attention, Too

Water is one of the most essential resources on Earth, but it can also be one of the most destructive.

Whether water seeps into a building from a plumbing leak, a flood, or other act of nature, water damage can cost a home or business owner thousands of dollars in cleanup and repair if it is left to sit.

However, as anyone who works in property restoration knows, water damage doesn’t stop once the flood has subsided or the plumbing is fixed. In addition to the thousands of dollars in repair and building material replacement costs, home and business owners may also need to replace furniture and electronics. They also risk losing important documents and collectibles.

Whether you’re a property restoration company owner or even a property manager, the job of reconditioning a home or business doesn’t end with restoring the drywall and tile. You should also consider partnering with a content restoration company to assist in restoring your clients’ salvageable belongings to a pre-loss condition.

Same Mold Story

The most common issue that property owners face after a water leak is that the building’s smell and structural integrity begins to come into question. These issues are not just because the building has been exposed to water, but because mold and mildew could begin to grow inside the structure, creating an unpleasant environment.

Mold can attach itself to anything that is an organic, carbon-based material. In addition to spreading across a building’s walls and ceilings, mold can make computers unusable, leave its mark on works of art, and completely destroy paperwork. Prolonged exposure to toxins produced by mold such as mycotoxins can also lead to a variety of health issues, including allergic reactions, respiratory infections, and long-term health problems such as immune deficiency and cancer.

So, as a restoration professional or a property manager, you need to act quickly to mitigate the water, remove the contents from the affected area, and begin structural restoration immediately.

Best Laid Plans

While we can’t stop natural disasters and plumbing mishaps, we can work with our clients to lessen the impact these incidents can have on their building and its contents.

If you are a facilities or property manager, you should already have a contingency plan in mind in the event of a disaster. You will need to know how to contact your insurance company and a reputable water damage remediation company so you can work quickly to get rid of water damage before it causes structural damage or spawns a mold infestation.

That being said, your contingency plan shouldn’t end with the property restoration company showing up to dry out a building’s ceilings, walls, and floors.

Property managers and building restoration professionals should work closely with one another to list all the contents that have been damaged in the building to determine if these items can be restored or if it will be necessary to replace them.

Water damage annually costs homeowners up to $20 billion and business owners up to US$50 billion. Make sure your home or business stays safe from prolonged water damage by acting fast, understanding the damage, and developing a mitigation plan before disaster strikes.

What to Save

Anyone who has ever lived through a flood or bad storm knows the importance of planning. While most businesses have developed crisis plans so employees know what to save, who to call and when to act, homeowners aren’t always so prepared.

That’s why you need to take some time to work with your clients to triage their belongings to determine what needs to be removed to protect them from mold spores, what is already damaged, what can be saved, and what needs to be replaced.

Companies offer packout services that help home and business owners inventory and move valuables, furniture, electronics, and even clothes into safe and climate-controlled storage while the building is being restored.

And, if some of these contents have already been damaged, a contents restoration company can take them off site to begin restoration services so that they can be moved back into the home or business once the structure has been dried, cleaned, and repaired.

Restore Their Faith

Restoration professionals have often come into contact with home and business owners who have faced devastating events. From the damages caused by Hurricane Katrina to California’s wildfires to the tornadoes in the Midwest, property restoration companies and their employees are often touched by the stamina and perseverance of their clients.

While most property restoration companies are focused on rebuilding the structure of a family’s home or a company’s physical building, other items are affected by disaster that need attention.

By partnering with a contents restoration company, you can offer your clients the opportunity to rebuild using their old possessions. Items that can be restored include:

• Artwork: Art cleaning professionals can do everything from reframing damaged pieces to cleaning and restoring works of art.
• Electronics: In the past, most people would just throw away a damaged refrigerator, computer, or phone. But with the help of new technology, contents restoration companies are able to restore damaged items to their pre-loss condition.
• Furniture: Wood and upholstery are particularly susceptible to mold and can retain the unpleasant odors of mildew or smoke damage. A contents restoration company can remove the odors, replenish the wood, and make your expensive furniture pieces look as good as new.
• Textiles and collectibles: In the past, antique or expensive rugs, clothing, or a stuffed animal or doll collection would have to be thrown out once they were damaged. New restorative methods and chemicals have made it so that many of these items can be salvaged.
• Documents: Until recently, when paper became damaged, it was often tossed because there was little that could be done to salvage it. But with desiccant drying, thermal vacuum freeze dryers, molecular sieves and adsorption drying, important papers, family photo albums, and certificates can be saved.

Restoring damaged items can be cheaper for your clients than replacing them, especially when irreplaceable items like photos or family heirlooms are involved. Sites like PropertyCasualty360.com estimate that restoration costs are usually 15 to 25% of replacement costs.

After disasters strike, your clients may worry that the items they cherish most will be gone forever. By partnering with a contents restoration company, you can assure them that their home or business will be restored along with their salvageable cherished or valuable items.