New England-based Soil Away Cleaning and Restoration Services recently brought fabric and textile restoration services in-house in an effort to become more of a one-stop shop. The company purchased an Esporta Wash System, making the company the only Esporta user in its geographical area.

Although the company had a good relationship with the dry cleaner that used to handle those services, Soil Away director of client services Josh Solloway says, "It was a matter of differentiating ourselves amongst what you would consider your average or typical contractor. There's multiple spokes to the wheel -- differentiating, marketing, being a one-stop shop, so to speak."

The company has cross-trained several employees on the machine and dedicated space within its facility for soft contents restoration, with a drying room containing a commercial dryer, tables, folding materials, steam irons, conditioning products, and a packing and storage area. Solloway says, "To be good at it, you have to be dedicated at it. It can't just be a side gig or an afterthought."

He notes that the company has generated more revenue and built stronger relationships with new insurance companies as a result. "

The (machine) does a lot of things that the dry cleaner can't do" like "mold-affected or Category 3-affected items," remarks Solloway. "It also does more items. ... It could be a pillow or a stuffed animal or shoes -- the (machine) can clean all that stuff."

Source: http://digital.bnpmedia.com/publication/?i=260165&p=26