In “The Commodity Conundrum, Part 1” from the September 2017 issue, we discussed how some might view cleaning and restoration as a type of “commodity” — much like products you can purchase at a grocery store.

This happens because your potential and, perhaps even some of your regular customers, think that all cleaning and restoration companies are the same… they have the same marketing messages, do the same type of work, have the same guarantees, etc. Like a commodity.

They may not understand how unique your company is — how much you put into providing quality work with a personal touch. Commodities can’t do that.

Landing a quality customer takes patience and persistence. And when you get one, a good one, it’s like you won a contest. It feels good.

Now what? You want to avoid the commodity conundrum. You don’t want to do just one job for this new customer only to lose her to another company she stumbles across the next time she needs more work done at her home. You want repeat work. You want referrals. You want a long-term relationship.

You can do all of this with a simple, four-step plan.

Step 1: Understand your customer

It may seem easy, but it’s often neglected. For residential services, you are usually dealing with the woman of the home. How you treat her is different from how you may treat a man such as at a commercial job. Remember you are entering her private haven, the place she cares most about. Her home is something she created for her family. When you get to the job, take your time, ask questions, and don’t talk too much… just listen to what she needs. This is a challenge for some technicians. You must train them to do this.

Step 2: Your guarantee

Guarantees today aren’t worth that much. Every company has a guarantee, and they all seem the same. Think of one that is different. Look at other industries and what they guarantee if you need ideas.

Step 3: The work

Remember that people, in general, expect to be disappointed. They wait for it. When you do the work, schedule plenty of time, and do more than they expect. As one example, when you move that sofa from the wall, wipe off the dust from the baseboard. It takes five seconds. And let her know you did it.

Step 4: The follow-up

When the work is done, allow time for a final inspection. And let your customer know you will follow up with a telephone call or email in a day or two to make sure all is well, just in case she notices something that needs more attention. This way, she feels free to “complain” if a spot comes back or you missed something. The worst thing you can do is allow her to be unhappy and talk about it with her friends.

That’s it. Implement these four steps into your company’s customer service plan, and you will see how easy it is to avoid the commodity conundrum.

After all, you don’t look like a gallon of milk or a can of corn to me.

Jeff Cross is executive editor of Cleanfax. He can be reached at JeffCross@issa.com.

For the “Commodity Conundrum, Part 1, CLICK HERE.

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Steve describes this particular job: “This job is at a hotel and was cleaned by my son, Josh Cartwright. He was conceived with the thought of being a carpet cleaner.

“He presprayed it with Citrus Slam by Go Clean and then used the RotoVac 360 to do the extraction. Then he extracted a second time with a scrub wand; some people like to see the wand marks, plus it removes more soil.”

For an opportunity to win a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros (worth $250), send your images and a brief 100-word description on how you obtained your results to Jeff Cross, executive editor, at JeffCross@91��Ƶ.com or 193 Purple Finch Loop, Pataskala, OH 43062. Contest rules available by request.

Approximately 78 percent of those working in the restoration industry avoid franchising, with 22 percent opting to be part of a franchise system.

The top three services contracted out by restoration contractors include wind damage, contents restoration, and biohazard/trauma cleaning, at 49, 27 and 18 percent, respectively.*

*Cleanfax Restoration Benchmarking Survey Report.

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Would you agree that all of business and life are about relationships? You bet they are!

In the September issue of Cleanfax, I talked about the value of building relationships with potential referral sources. By adding value to them, they will add value to you.

Have you ever heard this: “It’s not what you know but who you know?” Over the past 33 years in business, I have learned that all of business is about relationships. But, relationships are not just about who you know, but also what you know about who you know.

And it’s not just about who you know — but who knows you and what they know about you. That’s called “positioning.”  My good friend Bob Burg, best-selling author of The Go-Giver, says that people do business with those they know, like, and trust.

Building relationships

Are you actively building smart relationships, or are you just relying on casual word of mouth or advertising to get customers? How much time do you invest in business relationships? Are you kind of stuck working “in” your business?

In today’s digital world, we are more connected, but more isolated than ever before. I personally love social networking and actively network on Facebook, but I also make time to connect face to face because nothing can replace that.

The importance of making connections has been noted over and over again. Here’s just a few examples:

American legend Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.”

Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”

Best-selling author Jeffrey Gitomer says, “All things being equal, people would rather do business with a friend. All things being not so equal, people would still rather do business with a friend.”

Jim Cathcart, best-selling author of Relationship Selling, says relationship selling is becoming an asset to others before they become an asset to you. So when you want to build a relationship with someone who can benefit your business, find out what they like, what they want, and what they need — and simply be the one to give it to them. It may not come from the same person, but my experience has shown me that if you give people what they want, they will be more apt to give you want you want.

You see, you can have higher prices and a longer wait, but your referral sources will still support you because you are a trusted friend and advisor. While others are begging at the front door, trying to get by the gatekeeper, you are graciously invited in through the back door.

If people don’t know about you, they obviously can’t use you or refer you. If they don’t like you, they won’t use or refer you unless they absolutely must. And if they don’t trust you, they won’t use or refer you.

Finally, building relationships requires leadership on your part. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell says that leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.

We all have influence in other people’s lives. How do you gain influence in someone else’s life? By adding value to others. Maxwell says, “If you don’t add value to others, you devalue them.” Add value to them, and they will add value to you.

Remember, all of business is about relationships. You can know everything there is to know about the technical part of your business and be broke! Not to say that being technically savvy isn’t important — it is — but you can be the most technical person in the world and still be broke in business.

The networker’s value

To build a strong referral marketing system, you need to understand networking and how to build rapport quickly. Here are tips:

1. Dress well. Did you know that people make eleven important assumptions about you in the first 30 seconds of meeting you? Most of this happens before you even open your mouth. First impressions last, so you want to make it a good one!

I think this is an area in which many cleaning and restoration “professionals” are failing miserably. We have become so casual in our culture that we aren’t even aware of the impact of dressing professionally. You influence others in how you dress and groom yourself, positively or negatively.

My goal is to always be dressed sharp without overdoing it. If you are going to build powerful business relationships, you need to look like a businessperson. Wear a sport coat and a tie if you are a man. Wear a dress or nice pantsuit if you are a woman.

Make sure your clothing is professionally pressed, your shoes are shined, and your accessories are appropriate. Your hair should be well groomed; your fingernails should be clipped and clean; be clean shaven, and keep some breath mints with you always. No one likes spending time with someone whose breath could melt butter!

2. Always have business cards (or brochures) with you. Don’t go anywhere without business cards! In the cleaning business, this is an absolute requirement. Keep a stack in your pocket and a stack in the car, and keep your extra supply wherever you keep your car keys. When you meet people, always get their cards. It is much more important for you to get their cards because there is no guarantee that they will call you, but you should be sure to follow up with them. Ask them for permission to add their names to your email marketing list.
3. Be gracious. When you are in a networking environment, you are not there for you. You’re not there to eat and take advantage of the food and drink. You are there to build relationships, so preference others before yourself. Be polite and kind. Be positive and likeable.

Avoid getting into negative conversations. Sometimes you will run into people at networking groups who want to talk about the weather or complain about the food, etc. Keeping in mind that you are not there for you, and avoid these conversations. They are not productive, and they bring everybody down.

4. Don’t stand in the corner all alone. Instead, identify those who could be good referral sources for you and strike up a conversation. When you begin speaking with them, instead of being anxious to share what you do, show interest in what they do. Find out as much as you can about them and their businesses. This will come in handy when you get to talk about your business.

People love nothing more than to talk about themselves and their businesses. In fact, a great exercise is to practice asking as many questions as possible without saying anything about yourself until they ask. Once they ask, that means they will listen closer to what you have to say.

5. Listen closely. Instead of halfway listening (called “selective listening”), listen closely to what the other person is saying. Use nods and positive affirmations to let them know you are interested in what they are saying.

Even if you aren’t interested in what they are talking about, you should be — at least from the standpoint of how you will build a professional relationship with this person. Try to discover ways you can help them and add value to their businesses.

Remember why you are there. Find out how you can help others so they will, in turn, help you. You are not there for personal reasons; keep your goals in mind and make the time investment worthwhile.

Follow up

Immediately put each new contact’s name and address into a database. If you are strapped for time, hire a high school or college student to do data entry for you. You should develop an information packet that shows why prospects should choose you over someone else, and after entering a new contact into your database, you should follow up immediately by sending the new contact a “nice to meet you” letter or card and an
information packet.

In fact, you should have a follow-up system that includes an initial information packet, regular mailers, and a regular emailed newsletter.

Put those new contacts on your calendar to remember to call the following week or whenever you told them you would call. Remember the fortune is in the follow up. But also remember that your goal is to make so many contacts that you don’t have to chase individual suspects to
survive.

Howard Partridge started his cleaning business from the trunk of his car over 31 years ago and built it to more than $3 million a year. He teaches cleaning and restoration companies to have success. Partridge is the exclusive small business coach for Ziglar Inc., the John Maxwell Coaching Team founder, and a bestselling author.

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If you are a frequent reader of Cleanfax, you may remember an article I wrote titled “The Carolina Protocol.” It was the cover story of the June 2015 issue.

As someone who has worked in the restoration field and now teaches mold remediation, I am always seeking a lower-labor cost method of removing mold from surfaces, rather than the traditional methods of the past: Sanding, scraping, wire brushing, media blasting, etc.

The first lower-cost method I discovered was “blasting.” And while soda blasting and dry ice blasting have their place, and, if done correctly, do a really good job of removing mold, they also have some drawbacks.

When I discovered that hydrogen peroxide really works, as explained in “The Carolina Protocol” article, I thought we had finally found the best mold remediation process. The standard and guidelines in our industry describe the guiding principle of mold remediation as “mold removal,” but how the actual mold-removal process is performed is left up to the skilled technician.

As time moves on, other ideas and concepts come forward and must be considered, evaluated, and either accepted or discarded. In mold remediation, we now have two “cleaning” solutions that can be used for mold removal: Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide. This article looks at both solutions, comparing them to see which is better, or more appropriate, for our work.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide, which is an oxidizing agent, is the same solution that most people have at home in their medicine cabinet. We use it as a common antiseptic for small cuts. When used for mold remediation work, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide is higher than what is in the medicine cabinet.

Thousands of mold remediation jobs have proven hydrogen peroxide to be an effective mold removal (not mold killing) cleaning product.

The benefits of hydrogen peroxide

• It is an EPA-registered disinfectant with a very broad spectrum and very aggressive antimicrobial efficacy.
• A good oxidizing agent, it can attack malodors and stains.
• The odor is extremely mild and not offensive.
• It does not generate environmentally objectionable byproducts.
• If accidentally contaminated, it does not generate any hazardous gases. The decomposition products are water and oxygen.

Limitations of hydrogen peroxide

• Solutions of hydrogen peroxide are not stable in sunlight, so packaging and storage are an issue.
• It is capable of damaging certain textile dyes.
• If contaminated, the container will undergo rapid pressurization with the risk of bursting.
• Hydrogen peroxide has no bacteriostatic or fungistatic capability.
• It is susceptible to degradation if contaminated; therefore, containers and any water diluent must be very clean.
• Peroxide is stable only under acidic conditions. As a result, it can damage surfaces that are not acid stable.

Chlorine dioxide

A more recent cleaning solution to arrive on mold remediation jobs is chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide is a chlorine-based oxidizing agent that is somewhat like the well-known sodium hypochlorite, or standard chlorine bleach. Chlorine dioxide, however, has significant advantages over chlorine bleach.

First, for the chemists who may read this, chlorine dioxide, strictly speaking, is a gas at normal temperature and pressure. It is quite unstable and dangerous as a gas, so it is normally generated in water solution by a salt known as sodium chlorite. Please note that this is distinguished from table salt or sodium chloride. The “ite” versus “ide” suffix is important. For convenience, however, I’ll still refer to this item as chlorine dioxide.

Benefits of chlorine dioxide

• It is an EPA-registered disinfectant that is active with a very broad spectrum and very aggressive antimicrobial efficacy. Of course, this substance can be a component of products that are not registered disinfectants, but, whether a product is Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act registered, always follow label directions. Also keep in mind that our goal is to remove, not necessarily kill, the mold and associated spores.
• A good oxidizing agent, it can attack malodors and stains.
• Operates at mildly acidic pH conditions rather than the strong alkaline conditions required for chlorine bleach; nevertheless, it is still effective over a wide pH range.
• The odor is less objectionable than that of chlorine bleach.
• It does not generate environmentally objectionable byproducts as would chlorine bleach.

Limitations of chlorine dioxide

• Solutions of chlorine dioxide are not stable in sunlight, so packaging and storage are issues.
• It is capable of damaging certain textile dyes.
• It can produce toxic chlorine gas under certain conditions, especially if contaminated.
• Chlorine dioxide has no bacteriostatic or fungistatic capability.
• It is susceptible to degradation if contaminated; therefore, containers and any water diluent must be clean.

Summary

We therefore have two mold removal cleaning solutions that work. Both are effective and have been proven effective in field use.

Which is the better product? Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide are almost totally equal in mold remediation effectiveness. But, in my own objective opinion, I would personally choose hydrogen peroxide, primarily because it does not leave any residual.

Richard Driscoll has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, an MBA from the University of Dayton and is currently working on his doctorate. He is a professor at Webster University where he provides graduate and undergraduate level lectures. He is an IICRC Certified Master Restorer, Master Textile Cleaner and an approved instructor. Driscoll has been consulted by state governments on legislation related to the cleaning and restoration industry. He also is the author and instructor for Restoration Sciences Academy’s MR-110 and MR-210 microbial remediation classes and MR-211 trauma scene clean up class. He is IICRC approved instructor teaching WRT and AMRT. He can be reached at Richard@MayhemMishaps.com.

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In the past, jute was used as a foundation fiber in some hooked, needlepoint, and (a few) pile rugs. Today, however, there seems to be a “jute renaissance.” Jute has become one of the more widespread fibers in the rug world, especially in rugs coming out of India. We are seeing jute used not only for foundation fibers, but also as a face fiber for jute rugs.

New jute face fiber rug from India.

From the retailer’s point of view, jute rugs have two major advantages: Jute plant fibers are quick and cheap to grow. Anything that gets rugs to market faster and at a lower cost is an advantage to the rug sellers.

For the cleaner (and consumer) there are major negative aspects to jute, specifically that jute is not a very durable or easy to clean fiber. Most jute rugs end up becoming “disposable rugs” if they are in heavy-use locations. Though these rugs are marketed as “eco-friendly,” the fact that they reach landfills faster than traditionally woven rugs is not particularly environmentally friendly.

Hooked rug with jute foundation fibers.

The most common challenges for professional rug cleaners that come from jute rugs and how to handle them is detailed within this article.

Jute browns with water

If you are a professional carpet cleaner who has ever had to tackle installed wall-to-wall wool carpet, which happened to be woven on a jute backing, then you know how dangerous this situation can be.

Jute foundation browning a white

Get that jute even a little too wet, and the white wool can turn shades of coffee brown.

Jute will turn brown when it’s wet. It releases oils that brown the fibers. Since the way to get rugs clean is to wash them, this can create a cleaning challenge.

Some rug cleaners, if the rug is not too heavily soiled, opt to go with a good vacuuming and low moisture cleaning methods.

With heavily soiled jute rugs, some cleaners wash, giving them an acid side rinse (to help prevent the browning) and dry them quickly. The longer a jute rug takes to dry, the more problems can arise.

Some cleaners dry these rugs face down to wick any browning issues to the back side. If a cleaner has a drying platform, the rug can lay face up with warm, dry air run underneath to create that same wicking dynamic toward the back side of the rug.

Jute does not clean up well

Jute does not give a wow when cleaned the way wool does, it does not have a great soil-hiding capacity, and the fibers easily break and split when under normal use. This means aggressive scrubbing is not an option. The fibers also easily discolor from spot and stain removers, so in-home cleaning efforts often leave large bleach halos around all of the spills.

These can sometimes be dyed to help lessen the do-it-yourself damage, but often the time and skill needed for this type of work is not worth the rug involved.

Do-it-yourself spot removal can make it even tougher to make a jute cleaning job look great.

Jute will look better after washing, but there is never a dramatic result with the work. Jute does not have great texture or sheen, so there is nothing to pop back to life with a great cleaning job.

Many of today’s jute rug productions are loosely (quickly) constructed rugs that come from India, and they tend to stretch and buckle.

If the rug is anchored down with heavy furniture, the edges can stretch out of shape in the home. If the rug is given a full wash and moved around without careful handling when wet, it also is possible to stretch these rugs out of shape. Once they lose their shape, it is next to impossible to get them square again.

These are not rugs to hang up wet to dry.

Jute becomes brittle

Jute is a very absorbent fiber, and if left damp too long, it will develop mildew and eventually dry rot.

As jute ages, it also dries out and becomes brittle — and loses its strength as a result. You will see this in very old hooked and needlepoint rugs in which the jute foundation splits and breaks along the folded edges and in high-traffic areas.

Old, hand-hooked American rug from the second World War.

With hand-hooked and rag rugs made during the era between the two World Wars, often the jute used as the foundation in these rugs begins to disintegrate with age. The face fibers (wool and cotton) stay completely intact, but the foundation threads split and tear. When deterioration occurs in the foundation of these rugs, they must be removed from floor use, and other ways to display them must be found because they will continue to fall apart.

Old Spanish wool rug woven on a jute foundation that is deteriorating
from age and moisture damage.

With extremely fragile pieces from this era, traditional cleaning methods are not safe. These rugs need to be secured between nylon screens to allow no flexing or bending of the foundation and soaking and rinsing with as little agitation as possible. This will help prevent further damage to the deteriorating foundation fibers.

Jute holds odor like no other fiber

Jute is a primary fiber used in the production of machine-loomed rugs. When a customer brings in a synthetic-loomed rug and says the rug does not looked stained from their dog but smells horrible, this is the result of the jute.

The synthetic plastic fibers are not soaking up the pet urine; instead, the very absorbent jute interior fibers are acting as a sponge. The synthetic fibers hold the moisture inside the jute, so it is very difficult for the rug owner to dry out these areas, and this leads to a fungal and bacterial pet petri dish in these rugs.

Aggressive decontamination and odor removal steps need to be taken to make these rugs “clean” again, and sometimes the price to save the rug exceeds the cost to simply buy another one.

Contemporary, Indian, chunky-braided jute rug with jute backing.

With these rugs, cleaners need to inspect the back side of the rug more closely than the front side. Dark shadows in the foundation will often be mildew and urine salts. If the problem is left alone for too long, these areas will develop into tears or holes.

Manage expectations with jute rugs

With all rugs, but especially with these jute creation rugs, the more time a cleaner spends pre-inspecting and testing, the less time will be spent trying to fix unexpected disasters.

If a rugmaker has cut so many corners to make a rug cheap that fully washing it safely is not possible, then explain the structural problems and any options that may be available to get the rug as clean as is safely possible.

If a rug owner has allowed five cats to make the jute rug their own litter box, and the odor is horrendous, then sometimes recommending that they put their money toward a new rug instead of saving this one is the best option.

Some rugs are worth saving. Jute rugs generally aren’t.

Lisa Wagner is a second-generation rug care expert, NIRC Certified Rug Specialist, and an owner of K. Blatchford’s San Diego Rug Cleaning Company. She was recognized as the 2006 Cleanfax magazine Person of the Year for her industry contributions. For online rug course and training event details, visit .

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Resilient flooring constitutes one of the largest categories of hard surface flooring. The key part of the term is the word “resilient,” which means to spring back into shape.

The resilient property in flooring materials is the elastic energy that causes it to regain its original shape after being subjected to indentation from heavy loads, except for poured, seamless flooring. It is a hard surface that is not flexible at all yet belongs in the resilient category.

The resilient category includes linoleum, cork, rubber, vinyl, and poured, seamless flooring products. Although these flooring materials are classifications within the resilient category, there are some differences in the way they are maintained, particularly in the restorative service procedures. Identification of resilient flooring helps to determine which floor maintenance chemical system and floor maintenance programs are best suited for the individual classifications.

Resilient flooring may come in sheets (rolls), tiles, or planks, or they can be applied fluid, as is the case with poured, seamless flooring. Sometimes it can be very difficult to visually determine which is which, so it is always best to find out from the architect, distribution company, general contractor, or even the owner. The following list is a brief description of the most common resilient flooring used today.

Linoleum

Invented in the mid-19th century, linoleum has been around for a long time. Although, there are some slight variations in ingredients from manufacturer to manufacturer, linoleum floors are still made in pretty much the same way they have always been. The ingredients in linoleum consist of cork, wood flour, natural resins, limestone talc, and color pigments mixed with linseed oil, hence the name linoleum, which are then pressed on a jute backing. Linoleum comes in sheet and tile form and is sensitive to moisture, abrasion, and high-pH (above 10) cleaning and stripping chemicals.

Cork

This flooring material is manufactured from the bark of the cork oak tree and can be made in sheet or tile form. Most often cork flooring is manufactured in 12-by-12-inch tiles with variations of raw cork (with no seal or polish), traditional cork (with paste wax), and those with polyurethane, factory-applied coatings, the latter being the most common. Usually these floors are easily identified as cork because of how they look — like cork.

Identification of the factory polish or natural surface is essential for the long-term maintenance of cork flooring, each surface requires different maintenance methods. Cork flooring is sensitive to moisture and abrasion, making daily or routine removal of dry particulate soil, followed by damp mopping, important for longevity.

Rubber

Rubber has been around longer than linoleum but did not fare well in its early years. Currently it is doing quite well, but due to its properties and characteristics, it can be a challenging surface to maintain. Rubber is most commonly identified by raised, round or square profiling; however, it also comes smooth and in various textures such as hammered and embossed. There is also crumb or recycled rubber that is manufactured in sheets, tiles, and interlocking forms. Although not water sensitive, rubber is an abrasion- and chemical-sensitive surface that requires following the manufacturer’s recommendations in detail.

Poured, seamless flooring

Fluid applied flooring, resinous flooring, and poured, seamless flooring are considered the same or very much alike. They are manufactured as epoxy, urethane, or other chemically based systems and are extremely durable. They are easily identifiable because they are generally homogenous and uniform on the floor and cove base. Seamless flooring is one of the most durable, resilient surfaces making, it relatively easy to clean.

Vinyl flooring

The most common resilient flooring material is vinyl, which also comes in sheet, tile, and plank form. Introduced in the early 20th century, vinyl has evolved into contemporary classifications such as homogeneous and heterogeneous sheet flooring and various solid and composition tiles.

The largest classification of vinyl flooring today is called luxury vinyl tile and plank. This classification has sub-classifications that are similar, but they have enough differences that caring for them will require closely following the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure proper maintenance.

For those interested in expanding into hard floor cleaning, understanding the resilient category is essential, as it makes up a substantial portion of modern floors.

Stan Hulin has over four decades of hard floor maintenance, services, training, education, sales and marketing, and management experience with companies such as ABM, DuPont, and milliCare. He is president and CEO of Future Floor Technology Inc. and the League of Hard Flooring Professionals. He can be reached at sqhulin@futurefloortech.com.

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In today’s marketplace, finding sources of additional revenue is becoming increasingly difficult. But professional cleaning and restoration companies have an existing source of new business they can to add to their service portfolio. In fact, your company may even have been contacted over the years about “getting rid of bed bugs” by some of your key customers. And some of you might have considered (and even researched) bed bug eradication.

Cleaning and restoration professionals have a unique position and advantage in getting into the bed bug eradication business. They already possess 80 percent of the equipment and infrastructure necessary to service this need. They have the trucks, fans, cordage, and staff already conducting personal services professionally to both the commercial and residential markets. Service agreements and liability clauses are already established and being honored. They also have an existing client base with a readily available referral network.

All cleaning and restoration pros lack is the proper heating equipment to conduct the necessary bed bug eradication process and the training for conducting this service properly and efficiently for their current clientele. Training in how to identify infestations, ascertain power availability, and properly apply heat is not as complex as one would assume. In fact, oftentimes properly cleaning certain carpet stains requires more knowledge and expertise.

The bed bug eradication process

Heat has been proven to be the most efficient and safest means to kill bed bugs in all stages of their development and harborages.¹ By using heat as your tool and methodology to kill bed bugs, you can avoid the use of chemicals and problematic compounds that complicate the process and increase liabilities. Additionally, many strains of bed bugs are now immune to the typical chemicals, and others have grown thicker cuticles that prohibit the penetration of compounds to kill them.^{2, 3, 4} Heat works in a very simple, efficient, and effective manner and takes fewer visits to complete.⁵

Scientific studies indicate that a temperature of 119°F to 121°F (48.3°C to 49.4°C) kills bed bugs in all of its stages. Sustaining temperatures at or above that threshold for several hours assures that the heat penetrates the typical hiding places favored by the bugs; headboards, mattresses, picture frames, baseboards, nightstands and any furniture adjacent to the beds or chairs where humans spend large amounts of time.

Heated airflow is the key element in killing bugs effectively using heat. Specifically, the “convection effect,” which is like cooking a turkey in a convection oven versus a conventional oven. The heated airflow penetrates the room and its contents to effectively kill all stages of bed bug life.

Visits needed to eradicate bed bugs

Pest control companies are required to be licensed due to the application and use of chemicals. Annual re-certification is often required on certain toxic chemicals. Typically, licensing is not necessary for heat treatments, however you should check with your state to be sure (You can check .)

Advantages of heat versus chemical eradication

Service pricing

By already having an established business, adding a bed bug eradication service is much simpler than starting from scratch. Anticipated revenue from conducting eradications can vary based on the types of facilities you want to service as well as the room size, level of infestation, and physical construction relative to heat loss.

There are several ways to bill for the service. One manner is by individual eradication based on the above elements. This pricing strategy would produce revenue in the $300-$600 range, versus $500-$1,000 for chemical applications. However, since for current clients you can adjust and customize per account based on your relationships. Another means is to add bed bug eradication services to your existing cleaning service contracts to be included in recurring monthly revenue. These services could be scaled to each client as necessary to meet their needs.

You likely have a pool of potential business that you may find receptive and interested in a discreet, efficient, and packaged approach to helping them resolve bed bug issues. Bed bugs are here to stay, and anyone and any facility can be affected. Having the additional ability to offer this service increases your value to the client while generating additional income.

Pete Dame is vice president of sales and marketing for Colorado Tri-Flo, an American manufacturer of a patented, ETL-listed line of bed bug heaters called the Eradi-Flo. Visit for more information.

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