The glow on the West Coast comes from the new Los Angeles Dodgers ownership burning money like Cub Scouts roasting marshmallows over a campfire. This team’s ambitions are fueled by the largest payroll in American sports history, and it keeps getting larger. The fire damage will be minimized due to their sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

The potent pitching of the St. Louis Cardinals, featuring some powerful young arms, could end up smoking the competition at the plate and propelling this team to the top of the National League Central.

The Minnesota Twins are a team in need of some restoration. Fire and brimstone speeches won’t overcome their lack of hitting and pitching. With no offense and no defense, they have no place to go but down in the American League Central. The Houston Astros will likely be in a similar situation in their new home—the American League West. Trying to light a fire under these two teams this season could result in some self-inflicted fire damage.

Which team will be burning up the bats and shooting balls over the walls? The San Diego Padres are moving in the fences, which gives them an edge, but it remains to be seen which team will have the heavy hitters this season.

Of course, all of our predictions could come crashing down in flames, leaving us with a little fire damage ourselves. We don’t mind being a little red-faced when it comes to baseball predictions, because our expertise is repairing fire damage. For more information visit the Omegasonics website.

Cleaning PPE doesn’t have to come with a high price tag

Cleaning personal protective equipment (PPE) often comes with a high price tag, but failing to properly clean gear could cost even more and presents a serious health risk as well. Firefighters especially could find plenty of other uses for precious funds rather than paying for expensive, specialized equipment to clean and sanitize PPE.

Meeting the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851 standards for cleaning PPE at a fire station might mean shelling out $100,000 for an Esporta washing machine. The Esporta was engineered to clean equipment without the agitation found in most washing machines, and by all accounts it does an excellent job.

But the Esporta is a one-machine-fits-all solution, designed for everything from industrial and firefighting personal protective equipment to sports equipment and even wedding dresses. Different items require special cleaning formulations, meaning you pay for multiple settings and a lot of capability you’ll most likely never use.

A less expensive and more practical solution would combine an Omegasonics ultrasonic cleaner (cost around $15,000) combined with a Milnor industrial washing machine extractor (also about $15k). The ultrasonic cleaner gently cleans and sanitizes hard parts like helmets and boots, while the washer/extractor handles soft parts like jackets and pants. Allowing for soap and extra equipment, you will pay less than  $50,000. That’s half the price for the same cleaning capability necessary for personal protective equipment.

Wouldn’t it be nice to spend that extra $50,000 on something other than a high priced, multipurpose washing machine? Especially given that you’ll rarely if ever use most of the settings on the more expensive machine? Rather than take the expensive route to cleaning personal protective equipment, you could get the same clean for half the price, and still have money to purchase infrared imagers, extraction tools, or additional safety equipment.

Before you overspend, visit our website to learn more about how our ultrasonic cleaners, used along with Milnor’s industrial washer/extractors, can help you meet the NFPA 1851 standards for cleaning personal protective equipment.

An industrial cleaning machine helps increase productivity.

Industrial work environments need an effective industrial cleaning machine to boost efficiency and productivity. Lubricants combine with particulates during the manufacturing process and literally gum up the works. Pressure washing or cleaning by hand is labor intensive and just doesn’t get the job done. Besides, these old fashioned methods produce a considerable amount of contaminated waste, creating environmental concerns.

Without an industrial cleaning machine to keep the assembly, work stations and other manufacturing equipment free of dirt and grime, parts wear faster, breakdowns occur more often, and efficiency and productivity suffer. The flow of fluids, lubricants, heat and air all suffer when parts become dirty. Increased friction means greater heat buildup, which may add to parts and motors.

Factory owners and manufacturers need industrial washers that are capable of cleaning even the smallest parts quickly and completely, without causing damage. Ideally, an industrial parts washer should also be environmentally friendly.

An ultrasonic industrial cleaning machine meets these demanding requirements. Several parts can be cleaned simultaneously. Because of the relatively gentile agitation experienced by parts undergoing ultrasonic cleaning, even small and delicate parts are cleaned without risk of damage. And since the agitation of the ultrasonic process can be at the microscopic levels, it provides the ideal method for cleaning even microscopic features.

As the demand  for ever-smaller tolerances rises to meet the requirement for ever-greater quality, this last characteristic of an ultrasonic industrial cleaning machine should not be overlooked. These industrial washers can clean to a level impossible to reach by mere hand cleaning, and these machines clean surfaces and areas that are easily missed by other cleaning methods.

Using an ultrasonic industrial cleaning machine reduces the amount of contaminated waste produced during the cleaning process. In fact, the cleaning solution can often be filtered and reused. This ability to recycle makes an ultrasonic industrial parts washer one of the greenest options available.

Keeping parts clean with an industrial cleaning machine increases productivity in your factory. An industrial parts washer utilizing ultrasonic technology provides the most efficient, thorough and environmentally friendly method to keep parts clean.

To learn more about ultrasonic cleaners, contact one of our ultrasonic cleaning experts at (888) 420-4445, or visit our website at www.omegasonics.com.

Fire Damage Restoration

Beyond the professionals, very few people deal with fire damage restoration. What do victims of a fire need to know about getting their lives back in order without risking their health or future problems with their home or business?

In addition to direct fire damage, there are two other sources of damage from a fire: smoke and water. In fact, smoke and water damage are often the main focus of fire damage restoration efforts. If not cleaned quickly, the water used to extinguish a fire can lead to severe long-term problems.

The first step in fire damage restoration efforts is verifying the integrity of the structure. Heat from the fire and the water used to put it out can damage foundations and make a structure unsafe. Floors, walls, and ceilings must also be examined to ensure their structural soundness.

If the structure is safe to enter, fire damage restoration generally moves on to drying areas of the structure. This may require removing floors to dry the areas underneath. It will almost always mean replacing carpet damaged by water and smoke.

Without proper drying, areas under floors, behind walls, and above ceilings, can develop mold and mildew, presenting both a health hazard and a source of future structural decay. Again, this is a job best left to professionals.

Soot needs to be removed from walls, ceilings and floors. Professionals have the equipment and know-how for this type of restoration. Fire, water and smoke damage to the structure, including ventilation and electrical systems, can generally be accomplished quickly and efficiently.

However, there is more to recovering from a fire than just structural restoration. Fire damages personal property, too. Furniture, clothes, dishes, electronics, decorations, jewelry, and electronics are just a few of the items that might need fire damage restoration.

A surprising number of items can be cleaned of soot and smoke damage using ultrasonic cleaning equipment. Immersing items in a solution agitated by ultrasonic sound waves delivers a thorough cleaning that hand scrubbing or washing simply can’t achieve.

Ultrasonic cleaning equipment is one of the many tools fire restoration professionals have available, and that toolkit is one of best reasons to enlist the services of professionals for fire damage restoration.

To learn more about ultrasonic cleaners, visit our website at www.Omegasonics.com. If you are a fire damage restoration professional, contact one of our ultrasonic cleaning experts toll free at (888) 420-4445.

When entering a water damaged area, make sure the structure is sound and the electricity is off. Mold and mildew can occur within 48 to 72 hours and flourishes in temperatures from 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the area requiring water restoration well ventilated if possible, and wear rubber gloves, eye protection, protective clothing, and an organic vapor respirator. Place a fan in a window and clean toward the fan.

Items such as drywall, carpet, padding, mattresses, pillows, box springs and particle board should be discarded if wet. Remove portions of walls and insulation 15 to 20 inches above the water line. Base molding should also go. Flooring must be removed to expose pockets of saturation underneath.

Walls, studs, joists, subfloor and other damaged areas should be cleaned and sanitized. After a complete pressure wash with detergent solutions, they must dry thoroughly before water restoration continues. Floors, walls and ceilings should not be replaced until measurements ensure moisture content of wood is below 13 percent.

For household items, ultrasonic washing provides a more efficient method of cleaning than hand washing. Insurance companies pay water restoration companies by the box, regardless of the time it takes to clean items. By decreasing the time to clean each box, restoration companies increase their rate of return.

In addition, ultrasonic equipment provides a more thorough cleaning than hand washing, reaching even the smallest and most difficult places. Property owners get their possessions back quicker and cleaner, restoration companies see higher profits, and insurance companies get satisfied clients.

To learn more about ultrasonic cleaners and how they can help with your water restoration cleaning needs, visit our website at www.Omegasonics.com or feel free to contact one of our ultrasonic cleaning experts (888) 420-4445.

Removing carbon deposits, rust, organic and inorganic matter that inhibits turbine blade gearing performance generally involves chemical pretreatment followed by blasting with water, grit, or vapor. Because the components come in various shapes and sizes, each part must be treated individually. Manual turbine cleaning is labor intensive.

In addition, manual cleaning can easily result in small spaces being inadequately cleaned, which may result in improper cooling during operation. Delicate parts can also be easily damaged during the blasting process or through manual handling. More thoroughly cleaned parts extend the service life of turbine generating systems and extend the time between scheduled service maintenance.

Ultrasonic cleaning offers a safer, more cost-effective and more complete means of cleaning turbine systems. In addition to reducing cleaning costs and increasing turbine efficiency, ultrasonic methods are also more environmentally friendly.

Passing high frequency sound waves through a solution causes cavitation, the process of “cold boiling” the liquid resulting in the rapid expansion and collapse of bubbles. Cavitation results in a rapid rise in the local temperature of the liquid, and a stream of high-energy liquid colliding with the targeted object.

Adding the proper detergent to the liquid can dramatically improve cavitation and its cleaning effectiveness. Likewise, choosing the proper temperature and frequency (to match the immersing solution) results in improved turbine parts cleaning.

Several parts can be cleaned simultaneously by immersing them in an ultrasonic-activated cleaning bath, which reduces labor costs. The agitation and impact on parts resulting from cavitation results in less wear and a more thorough cleaning process.

Clean parts improve turbine efficiencies. Clean parts achieved with less labor, less time, and less wear improves cost efficiency. Ultrasonic cleaning delivers.

If you would like to learn more about turbine cleaning and ultrasonic cleaners, contact one of our ultrasonic cleaning experts at (888) 420-4445, or visit our website at www.Omegasonics.com.

There are three strong keywords to success and profit in business. They are training, certification and standards. At first glance, training, certification and standards don’t mean much; it’s only when one explores what these words can do that you begin to appreciate their true value. Here’s why training, certification and standards should be on your mind and the tip of your tongue every day.

Training

The reality is that it’s just about all you have when it comes to getting employees, supervisors and managers to understand what you want done, how you want it done and why they should do it. Even customers need training so they will understand what you can and can’t do to their surfaces and furnishings during the cleaning and/or restoration process. Training and education are truly the foundation of a smooth running, profitable and successful business.

Certification

When shopping, customers look to differentiate one business from another. Advertising alone won’t do it, as everyone promotes themselves in glowing terms – whether it’s true or not. But not everyone is willing to go to the expense and effort of getting training, following standard practices or maintaining independent third-party certification. Training and certification in the eyes of the customer means that you have gone the extra mile and their chances of having a positive experience when doing business with you is much greater. Beyond that, certification means something to those doing the work. Like the business, certification means that the individual has gone beyond just doing the work; they have take training and passed a test and now have more than a basic understanding of the technical aspects of the work they do. In an employee’s eyes, this makes them special and it raises their expectation for themselves.

Standards

Industry standards are how we do things. A group of industry professionals has come together to write, review and establish what they see as best practices – the minimum acceptable standard for certain tasks and operations. Those following the standards have a much better chance that the desired results will be achieved when doing the work. Today, third party groups such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ASTM International and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) act as independent reviewers of the industry standards process to assure that policies are followed when establishing credible standards. In today’s competitive market, a business owner needs to do everything possible to set his business apart from and ahead of the competition. Training, certification and standards are three ways that identify a business and its technicians as special in the eyes of existing and potential customers.

Get Your Money’s Worth

Talk it up. Training, certification and standards should be seen as special in your organization, industry and marketplace. Promoting why your company and staff are different from the competition has to permeate your operation first and needs to be visible in everything you do. This indoctrination starts with the interview process for new employees, and continues in how you promote and pay workers. These same threads should be displayed prominently in your marketing to existing and new customers, and should be clearly seen in the way you do the work and operate your business. Take advantage of what you have accomplished. Inform customers verbally and in writing and show them in performance that both your company and your people are a notch above the competition. Display certification logos on vans, in ads and on business cards for all to see. Train workers to explain to customers what training, certification and standards mean to them, your business and your industry.

For more information about training, certification and standards, contact  Total Contentz or call 888-722-5688.

*Written by William R. Griffin 

An essential component of an effective contents restoration assembly line is a reliable ultrasonic drying process. Since industrial drying applications can be done three different ways (oven dryer, centrifugal dryer, re-circulating dryer), which method is right for you?

If you have questions, we encourage you to talk to an ultrasonic consultant today, like the ones at Omegasonics (http://www.Omegasonics.com?sm=yt). They can assist you with determining which drying system best meets your drying needs. Feel free to also give our team a call at (888) 420-4445.

Click image to see how saw blades can be cleaned using ultrasonics.

Ultrasonic cleaning — particularly that which involves cleaners that operate at the high and low ends of the ultrasonic spectrum — is truly coming into its own with each passing day. Industrial ultrasonic cleaners look somewhat like over-sized washing machines, and they can clean virtually any non-porous object that fits inside of them, from jewelry to musical instruments. Bench-top and tabletop models can clean smaller but vital objects ranging from saw blades to surgical instruments, and can provide the same level of cleaning to everyday objects.

The lower end of the ultrasonic frequencies is highly effective at shaking loose dirt, soil, salt, sand, and other particulate from a surface. The mid-range will remove grease, oil, and other adhesive materials that normally only come off with harsh soap or other cleansers. The highest frequencies the machines can reach — on the order of 130 kHz — will clean electronic devices in preparation for being assembled in a clean room.

Early ultrasonic cleaners suffered from a problem of dead spots — areas where there was no cleaning action due to the wave patterns exactly canceling one another out. Many objects also had complex geometries that created large internal areas where no vibrations could reach. Today’s ultrasonic cleaners solve both problems by varying their waveforms slightly over the course of the cleaning, effectively moving the dead spots around so that every surface is properly cleaned and finding the right waveform for every internal area.

Modern ultrasonic cleaners also generally feature a temperature-control option that allows you to set the internal temperature of the cleaning chamber to a range between 85 and 175 degrees. The hotter the temperature, the more effective the cleaning process. However, because many electronic and other components are thermally sensitive, the option for a ‘cold clean’ is a vital one.

For quality building maintenance and commercial cleaning services around the city of Portland, OR, please contact Service Master Solutions at (971) 244-8673 or email them at sales@svm-solutions.com. They specialize in building repair and renovation, floor and carpet cleaning, window washing, upholstery, wood cleaning and janitorial services.

Omegasonics will provide local sales and development of Layton’s range of specialized equipment which already has an established and growing base of users in the US, as well as established representatives and company offices on the East Coast.

Layton is known worldwide for its pioneering development of systems for the safe use of flammable cleaning solvents including IPA and acetone, which also have ultrasonic cleaning capability and are designed to meet specific standards such as ATEX and regulations such as environmental impact, risk management and assessment. The systems are also approved to UL standards.

For more information about Layton Technologies in the U.S., see www.LaytonPrecisionCleaning.com