Change is—and will always be—a part of life. Throughout history, we have seen examples of those who embraced change and remained relevant, and those who rejected change and became irrelevant.

The insurance restoration industry has seen its fair share of change over the last decade. From drying-in-place technology to thermal imaging; mold remediation methods to ultrasonic cleaning—and an array of other innovations—there have been significant technological advancements improving the way claims are settled and, ultimately, how P&C insurers are able to serve their policyholders. Restoration contractors, suppliers, insurers, and other industry professionals have adopted developing technologies and adapted to different approaches in order to continue to meet the high level of service that customers currently expect.

One realm that is in the midst of rapid change is soft contents restoration. Emerging technologies have enabled the restoration of goods that would otherwise have been considered lost forever. Moreover, these technologies are impacting all elements of the claim settlement process, including the kinds of items that can be salvaged, the type of contamination that can be cleaned, settlement times and overall claims costs, the level of service delivered by restoration professionals, and, ultimately, the satisfaction levels of the policyholders. As has been shown time and again, a dissatisfactory claims experience can cause even the most loyal policyholder to explore new carrier options. Thus, quick, effective restoration plays a crucial role in retention. 

Cleaning Methodology Cons

Historically, textile cleaning methodology has involved the use of dry cleaning, wet-wash laundering, ozoning, spotting, and hand washing to create results that have propelled the insurance restoration industry for years. Although these tools have certainly enabled restoration professionals to achieve relatively remarkable results when cleaning soft contents, some inherent limitations have revealed themselves:

  • Limited disinfecting capability. Previously there was an inability to remove heavy smoke and soot as well as gray and black water contamination.
  • Longer turnaround times, especially when an article must be ozoned to remove smoke odor.
  • Limited restoration capability. This often resulted in the cashing out of a higher-than-necessary percentage of goods.
  • The involvement of an additional party in the restoration process above and beyond the claims adjuster and restoration contractor.
  • The use of harsh chemicals at the detriment of the environment.
  • An inability to restore specialty items such as shoes, purses, sports equipment, and so on.

Nonetheless, generations of technological advancements have enabled insurers to continually ramp up standards and adapt to increasing claimant expectations. The Esporta wash system is one such example of technology that is, by some measures, radically changing the rules of the soft contents restoration game. A progressive network restoration dry cleaner once called Esporta technology "a maverick that will irrevocably change the soft contents restoration industry."

Sure, this may seem like a bold assertion. But let's examine some of the system's capabilities and what all of that means for the industry, which is perpetually evolving. The Esporta wash system is perhaps the industry's only technology capable of cleaning category 2 and 3 water-damaged soft contents and laundry. Third-party laboratory testing conducted by Wonder Makers Environmental confirmed this level of restoration of soft contents to pre-loss condition.

Three Measurements

The results of the laboratory testing also suggested that the technology removes as much as 99 percent of organic contaminants and is capable of cleaning previously thought impossible in the restoration of soft contents. Gone are the days of, "It looks and smells clean, so it must be clean." Restoration professionals must now provide evidence of the capability to clean and disinfect at the microscopic level. Third-party independent lab testing can be used to explore the capabilities of limitations of cleaning technology. In addition, Esporta operators use the ATP field testing device to examine individual articles within soft contents claims before and after treatment to verify microscopic decontamination. Restored soft goods need to stand up to the three tests of clean: if it looks clean; if it smells clean; and if it is clean at the microscopic level.

It is understood that traditional cleaning requires the correct combination of time, temperature, cleaning agents, and mechanical action. The Esporta is unique in that the controlling parameters are time, temperature, cleaning agents, and hydraulic action, not mechanical action (an important distinction). The system incorporates computer-controlled, pre-programmed wash recipes, and environmentally friendly cleaning agents so that insurers and the restorers they employ can expect consistent results when cleaning a range of material and contaminant types for any given soft contents claim. The more than 20 preprogrammed cleaning protocols can be specified on the touch screen thereby enabling the operator to cater the program to virtually any restoration scenario. These types of capabilities and expansive knowledge of loss are absolutely crucial, as contents claims specialists and restoration professionals confront a dizzying array claims for materials contaminated by smoke, soot, sewage, and various other harmful substances.

A Clean Slate

Another reason to employ sophisticated equipment and methods that incorporate automation is to decrease the potential for human error and execute to insurer and policyholder expectations every time. When compared to more labor-intensive traditional cleaning methods, this technology carries with it a diminished need for human assistance. Additionally, system versatility (as with the Esporta ES-3300) allows certified operators to restore more than just simply garments. Enhanced capabilities enable industry professionals to restore items such as leather shoes and purses, luggage, and stuffed goods (including seat cushions and toys), along with sports equipment in many instances.

There is a growing trend in the restoration world for P&C insurers wanting to work with full-service restoration companies to provide a one-stop solution to meet their policyholders' needs. This trend is supported by a recent J.D. Power and Associates insurance industry survey that indicated that customer satisfaction decreases significantly when the policyholder has more than two points of contact in virtually any given claim settlement scenario. By swiftly adopting this technology, progressive restoration contractors not only better serve the insurance companies that enlist their expertise with professional, consistent textile cleaning results, but also expedite the return to normalcy for policyholders.

Even though the computer-controlled technology limits the amount of human intervention in the actual cleaning process, it is still critical that soft contents restoration specialists have the appropriate skills, equipment, technology, training, and certification(s) to effectively restore soft contents and laundry. This particular wash system has given birth to a North American network of full-service restoration contractors certified in the Esporta wash system for soft contents restoration. This network is known as the Certified Contents Restoration Network (CCRN). It requires site certification and provides in-depth technician training, which includes continuing education (CE) and recertification programs. Each technician at a CCRN-certified facility has been trained to pre-treat, restore, and finish a variety of soft contents. These technicians would only call upon a restoration dry cleaner to restore the items with care labels that read "dry-clean only." One should note that typically less than 10 percent of the items in a home require processing by an actual dry cleaner.

The hundreds of CCRN members in North America represent some of the industry's most progressive and highly skilled restoration professionals, with state-of-the-art contents processing facilities that contain the most advanced technology available to provide new levels of service and results to insurance companies and their policyholders without damaging the environment.

Be certain that any cleaning agents used are biodegradable and contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorine bleach, phosphates, alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE) or nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), all of which are commonly found in commercial laundry detergents. Esporta detergents can also be used in cool wash temperatures, which further reduces the impact on the environment. Contrast this with restoration dry cleaning techniques that typically use cleaning solutions such as perchloroethylene (perc), which is classified as a hazardous air contaminant and must be handled as hazardous waste. California declared perchloroethylene a toxic chemical in 1991, and its use will become illegal in that state in 2023.   

New Industry Standards

It is important that soft contents restoration pricing is consistent across the board. CCRN members use a variety of industry-standard pricing strategies (including the Xactimate pricing software) to ensure that industry guidelines are met at reasonable prices and that the soft contents cleaning expenses are itemized and broken out from the rest of the restoration claim.

The results of thousands of claims processed over the past few years show that CCRN members are capable of restoring an average of 85 percent of the soft contents and laundry that would otherwise be considered non-restorable by traditional restoration dry cleaning methodology. This statistic represents a triumph in soft contents restoration. Utilization of this advanced technology demonstrates to insurers that treating soft contents after a loss can be a viable and cost-efficient option to total replacement.

It truly is a time of change within the realm of soft contents processing. As Harry Truman once said, "Men make history, and not the other way around. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."

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