From Filthy to Food-Grade Clean in Ninety Minutes

In the old days of disaster restoration (only a few short years ago), soft contents (clothing, textiles, shoes, leather goods) that had been saturated with super-heavy soot and smoke, or that had been exposed to contaminated water, bio-contaminants, or other pathogens would've been automatically discarded and replaced (per the insurance company) during a disaster cleanup. There was just no way to get them truly clean, deodorized, and decontaminated without damaging the fabric. There's no telling how many tons of soft goods were relegated to the land fills during all those years.

That still happens today in a lot of places. It was happening right here in the Mid-South until last summer when ServiceMaster by Cornerstone met the folks from Esporta Wash Systems, and things haven't been the same since.

We were thrilled with the results on our first contents restoration job using the Esporta iS4000. This particular job was the result of a toilet overflow. Since toilet overflows are considered category three water (full of bio-contaminants), most insurance companies allow for full replacement. We explained our wash system technology to our customer and left the choice to her. She decided to give it a try; after all, we have a 100% satisfaction guarantee on items washed in the Esporta.

We restored several items for our customer, but the one item that stands out in our minds is the Coach handbag that she loved. It had been a gift from someone special, and she didn't want to replace it with a new one. The problem was that it had been sitting wet in a bag for a few days before we were called, and by then it was covered in mold in addition to all the other microbial life forms growing within the fabric.

When we tested the handbag with our ATP meter, the same kind used by health departments for testing restaurant surfaces, the reading was 2460 RLU (relative light units). To give you some perspective on that, 30 RLU or below is considered food grade clean. Most surfaces that you handle daily, such as a cell phone, average around 300 RLU. This handbag wasn't just dirty, it was filthy!

Coach handbag before washing

This was going to be a true test of our new Esporta Wash System; the moment of truth. We put the handbag in one of the Esporta's stationary compartments, adjusted the settings, and started the machine. The Esporta passed the handbag through detergent-laden water over and over, using hydraulic action instead of agitation to wash it. That's why we were able to machine wash something as delicate as this, and that's one reason Esporta is superior to traditional washing methods. Doing it this way protects the integrity of the fabric because nothing is rubbing against it and wearing it out. Instead, water and environmentally friendly detergents just keep passing through the fabric, over and over.

The result was incredible. At the end of the process, this handbag that had previously tested at 2460 RLU was testing at 22 RLU. That's food-grade clean, meaning it was so clean you could safely prepare food on it. It also looked brand new and smelled clean and fresh. Our customer even commented that it had not looked that good since it was new. She was also thrilled with how her clothing items and shoes turned out. We were able to get items that she needed immediately back to her within 24 hours, and she had all of her items back in less than a week; delivered neatly under plastic covers, hanging in nice boxes. The whole thing was a home run for us and a pleasant surprise for our customer.

Coach purse after going through the Esporta Wash System

We've done several jobs with our Esporta since then; all of them wildly successful. We're cleaning items that come to us from as far away as Jackson, MS, three hours south of us. There has been so much demand that we just bought a second machine to keep up. It's that good! Word is out about ServiceMaster by Cornerstone and the Esporta Wash System. It feels great to be an industry pioneer.