Soft Contents Restoration & Cleaning with Gadue’s Dry Cleaning

For years, the restoration industry has been celebrating the success of ultrasonics for cleaning hard goods. However, what many people don’t realize is that with the proper ultrasonic equipment, you can also clean soft contents such as stuffed animals, fabric window blinds and curtains, dolls, sports equipment, bags, area carpets and many other items. Gadue’s Dry Cleaning in Vermont recognized this opportunity and they have graciously shared their Success Story with us (photos below are courtesy of Gadue’s and examples of their work).

Before and After: A doll cleaned with Morantz Ultrasonics
Before and After: A doll cleaned with Morantz Ultrasonics

In 2015, Melissa Gonyon, Gadue’s Restoration Sales and Marketing Manager, attended Crawford’s Contractor Connection expo in Orlando, Florida where she saw Morantz Ultrasonics equipment in action. She and Aline Gadue, President and third-generation operator, were convinced that ultrasonic cleaning was the answer to growing the restoration division of their business. They ordered their equipment, set up their facility and got to work.

Gadue's Contents Restoration facility complete with the Morantz SM-200 Super System (and bubbles on the walls!)
Gadue’s Contents Restoration facility complete with the Morantz SM-200 Super System (and bubbles on the walls!)

After a year of utilizing ultrasonic cleaning, Melissa tells us, “We originally purchased our Morantz Ultrasonics equipment to aid in cleaning associated with our Fire, Smoke and Water Restoration Division. It has worked very well in this department. Our company is able to offer a service that was not previously available in our state. It has blown away insurance adjusters with the savings of cleaning items rather than having to replace them.”

Wicker basket before and after ultrasonic cleaning
Wicker basket before and after ultrasonic cleaning

Melissa continues, “We have also found that using ultrasonics to clean items we typically use conventional dry cleaning methods for provided more successful results. An example is wedding gown cleaning. Vermont brides end up in some not-so-clean spots seeking that perfect Vermont setting for their wedding photos. The result is a train and dress bottom that has literally been dragged through the mud. We use our ultrasonic equipment to concentrate on the bottoms, prior to the finish cleaning process, to ensure we remove all the dirt.”

This wedding dress had wine stains sitting on it for 4 years! Amazing before and after photographs of ultrasonic cleaning results
This wedding dress had wine stains sitting on it for 4 years! Amazing before and after photographs of ultrasonic cleaning results

Melissa also tells us, “With ultrasonics, we now have the ability to expand our scope, and accordingly, our current customer base. By offering cleaning of items such as baby gear, sports equipment, window treatments, blinds, golf clubs and bags, and more we have reached beyond traditional dry cleaning customers.”

Leather handbag before and after ultrasonic cleaning
Leather handbag before and after ultrasonic cleaning

“We recently signed a deal to clean all of the sports equipment and uniforms for Vermont’s first professional indoor football league, The Vermont Bucks. We are very excited for this opportunity and are looking forward to the doors that this may open for us with other organizations such as universities and athletic programs across the state.”

Before and After photo of a soot damaged sports jersey, a cherished possession of one of Gadue's customers
Before and After photo of a soot damaged sports jersey, a cherished possession of one of Gadue’s customers

Aline and Melissa recognized that marketing their new technology was going to be critical to their success. From the beginning, they created information packages, banners and more; all boasting about their ultrasonic technology.

gadue-ultrasonic-marketing

Even the Gadue's vehicles boast about their Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology
Even the Gadue’s vehicles boast about their Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology

Gadue’s is thrilled to be able to restore more types of items than ever before, including personal, cherished possessions, items that were previously considered to be a loss and even items that they would not have even considered cleaning. That’s because Gadue’s knows that cleaning with ultrasonics is faster, easier and restores better than any other process. As a result, Gadue’s is creating new profit centers and increasing revenue. Congratulations to Gadue’s Dry Cleaning on their success with ultrasonic cleaning!

Aline Gadue (far right), Melissa Gonyon (second on left), and the crew at Gadue's Dry Cleaners after completion of ultrasonic training
Aline Gadue (far right), Melissa Gonyon (second on left), and the crew at Gadue’s Dry Cleaning after completion of ultrasonic training

All photos above are copyrighted and property of Gadue’s Dry Cleaning.  These cannot be used without their permission. If you would like to view more before and after photos like these, please visit: Before and After Ultrasonic Cleaning photo album.

FEATURED SUCCESS STORY: AmeriDri of Colorado Springs

Incorporating Ultrasonic Contents Restoration into AmeriDri’s Fire Restoration Services Brings in Big Business!

The AmeriDri staff proudly shows off their Training Certificate from Morantz Ultrasonics
The AmeriDri staff proudly shows off their Training Certificate from Morantz Ultrasonics

Joe Crivello, owner of AmeriDri in Colorado Springs, CO knew he needed a better system for Contents Restoration. Although his staff works very hard, cleaning by hand was just taking too long. Not only that, items were not getting fully cleaned and the types of items he could clean was frustratingly limited. To make matter worse, all of this was impacting his profits.

According to Joe, “I began researching Ultrasonic equipment and Morantz came highly recommended to me. I wanted a piece of equipment that I could grow with, yet would not take up a great deal of space, would work with my current electrical capacity in my facility (110v), and that would be affordable. Luckily the Morantz M-115 “Mighty One” fit all of my requirements.

Cleaning Crystal and Glassware during training with the Morantz M-115 "Mighty One" Ultrasonic Content Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Crystal and Glassware during training with the Morantz M-115 “Mighty One” Ultrasonic Contents Cleaning Machine

When Joe took delivery of his machine, he immediately got to work telling his customers about all of the new contents he could clean for them. “I was so excited to be able to offer electronics cleaning as part of our services,” said Joe. “When I started to actually get the jobs to clean Electronics in house, I knew it was time to train my staff properly on all the techniques using this amazing machine. We were so excited; Lisa Morantz personally came to our facility to perform our training. Lisa worked with my staff on multiple jobs that we had waiting. Everything from crystal to stuffed animals to computers was covered, and that was just the beginning. My staff was so excited they began bringing in personal items from their desks and cars to learn what else we can clean.

Joe continues, “Something else that I learned during our training session is that we can now maintain own restoration equipment in our M-115 machine. This has made cleaning our equipment an easy process and is a huge time saver!

Joe’s staff absolutely loves the Mighty One’s pneumatic lift. This feature alone helped with the staff’s “buy in” because it makes cleaning easy by lowering items into the tank and raising them out with the touch of a lever. “I was sold on this important feature as I didn’t want my staff dealing with heavy lifting,” He said. Plus, Joe recognizes the benefit of processing 4 contents baskets at once. This capability moves the cleaning along at a very fast rate.

During training, Lisa spent time discussing my facility layout and made specific suggestions to improve our workflow,” said Joe. “This was one of the advantages to having her come out and spend time with us. Plus, Lisa covered all aspects of our business, not just the ins and outs of the equipment. My manager and I even reviewed our marketing strategies with her. Lisa made several recommendations on selling the service that I plan to incorporate into my business.

Joe has also incorporated iCAT, Morantz’s software partner, into his process. With these professional tools in place, AmeriDri has been experiencing tremendous growth, and more importantly, can handle the growth with ease.

Joe Crivello, Owner of AmeriDri, giving his Morantz "Mighty One" the thumbs up.
Joe Crivello, Owner of AmeriDri, giving his Morantz “Mighty One” the thumbs up.

Congratulations to Joe and AmeriDri and best wishes for their continued Success.

SUCCESS STORY: Kleena of Australia increases business by 200% with Morantz Ultrasonics

Mick Bantoft, Owner of Kleena
Mick Bantoft, Owner of Kleena

Meet Mick Bantoft, owner and operator of Kleena in Queensland, Australia (kleenabc.com.au). Over the past 8 years, Mick has used Morantz Ultrasonics to create an entirely new niche market for his company cleaning curtains, microfiber cloths, trolley covers, privacy curtains, blinds, soot damaged contents and other hard to clean items for hospitals and hotels.

Shaking Up Business

In 2006, Mick Bantoft knew he had to shake up his curtain cleaning business or risk losing it. He flew half way around the world to attend a cleaning tradeshow in search of the “next big thing,” something that would help grow his business. During his browsing, he saw the Morantz Ultrasonics cleaning systems. Immediately, Mick knew he had found what he was looking for. “I was completely amazed with what I was seeing. Fabrics, like the ones I clean were being put into the machine and came out cleaner than I could ever get them, and all within seconds,” Mick said. Mick decided then and there to learn as much as he could about ultrasonics. A short time later, he was on a plane to Philadelphia to see all that Morantz had to offer. After a few days at Morantz H.Q., Mick ordered his first set of machines, a Morantz 3-in-1 System, and got to work.

Kleena staff unpacks curtains to prepare them for cleaning.
Kleena staff unpacks curtains to prepare them for cleaning.

The learning curve was short and once my staff and I really began to understand the full capabilities of these machines, the excitement and work continued to grow.” said Mick. “I focused primarily on blinds and curtains in my first year because it was my client base. I was able to process existing jobs in a much shorter amount of time which generated higher profit margins and left me time to explore and promote other types of cleaning.

Kleena’s drying area. Rolling racks can be wheeled into their Drye Rite XL (see below).
Kleena’s drying area. Rolling racks can be wheeled into their Drye Rite XL (see below).

Branching Out

Mick and his staff soon returned to Morantz H.Q. and attended a Morantz’s Firesonics® Seminar where they learned more about how to use ultrasonics to clean soot and smoke damaged items including electronics. “Very few people offer content cleaning in Australia. I knew this was a great opportunity to get my foot in the door. As soon as I started promoting it, the work came so quickly I ordered a SM-200 Super Mighty One from Morantz to dedicate to the contents side. I also purchased a golf club cleaning machine to promote content cleaning and other services at tournaments and meetings.” Mick added, “When I realized how useful the pneumatic lift on the SM-200 was for lifting heavy items, I started using it for curtain cleaning and it made a huge difference! My female employees were struggling with lifting wet, heavy curtains out of the tank, but the lift made this process of lifting and draining very easy.

Kleena’s custom SM-200 with Blind Inspection Rack and Flip Out Work Table for Curtains.
Kleena’s custom SM-200 with Blind Inspection Rack and Flip Out Work Table for Curtains.

A Better Drying Process

As both his curtain cleaning and content cleaning businesses continued to grow, Mick knew he needed a better drying process. “While some curtains can air dry, other types need to be dried quickly or else browning starts to appear. Electronics also must be dried quickly and at higher temperatures. I had seen the Morantz Drye Rite cabinet, loved it, but needed something much bigger to accommodate all I had to dry on a daily basis. I had Lisa (Morantz) build me what is now the Drye Rite XL. It’s a full, room size dryer complete with Infrared Heat and Ozone for deodorization. We have both our contents and our curtains on rolling racks and roll them in and out. It’s incredible and has increased my productivity tremendously!

Click here to see a video of Mick’s Drye Rite XL.
Click here to see a video of Mick’s Drye Rite XL.

Hospitals Took Notice

In 2010, Mick started seeing a significant increase in work from local hospitals. When he presented the data from Morantz’s independent testing (testing confirmed that ultrasonics not only sanitizes, but disinfects), hospitals really took notice. Mick tells us, “MRSA and C-Diff are big issues for hospitals. Morantz’s testing set a new standard that no other method of cleaning could touch. Now I had the capability of offering services well beyond privacy curtain cleaning. With my equipment, I clean wheelchairs, slings, trolleys, trolley covers, bed-side tables, microfibers, patient restraints… Some of the items they give me, I don’t even know what they’re for! The work orders keep growing and I keep bringing on new hospitals.

Mick demonstrates the cleaning capabilities of Morantz Ultrasonics at a hospital with the portable Z-56 “Bubba”
Mick demonstrates the cleaning capabilities of Morantz Ultrasonics at a hospital with the portable Z-56 “Bubba”

Expanding… Again!

Business was growing so fast that Mick needed to expand yet again. After moving to a larger and newer building, he spoke to Lisa Morantz about adapting one of Morantz’s newer models, the SM-200-XL which had primarily been used for industrial parts cleaning, to suit his needs. “We put our heads together and came up with unique features which makes the new SM-200-XL a hybrid machine with all the best features Morantz has to offer,” said Mick. “I now use this model for everything I do and couldn’t be more pleased. It’s been terrific for all the new curtain cleaning and lamp shade work I am getting from hotels.”

Kleena’s SM-200-XL machine cleaning slings and blinds.
Kleena’s SM-200-XL machine cleaning slings and blinds.

Growing by 200%

By 2014, since meeting Morantz, Mick has increased his business by 200%. His processes with the Morantz machines can now be duplicated around the country, and that’s just what he intends to do. Mick has just completed a new deal to bring Morantz Ultrasonic equipment, and his know-how, to a major Australian cleaning franchise.

Congratulations to Mick and the entire team at Kleena. Best wishes for your continued success.

Mick Bantoft gives his Morantz equipment a “thumbs up.”
Mick Bantoft gives his Morantz equipment a     “thumbs up.”

 

FEATURED SUCCESS STORY: Cleaning up in Italy!

Buongiorno and welcome to Milan, Italy! We bring you all the way around the globe to meet Michele Lazzarotto, owner of Elle Emme custom window treatments and LavareTutto (literally translated from Italian to mean “Wash All“).

Michele Lazzarotto with his Morantz B-136 "Baby" Blind Cleaning Machine.
Michele Lazzarotto with his Morantz B-136 “Baby” Blind Cleaning Machine.

Michele and his family operate several businesses all over Italy that custom manufacture window treatments of all types including blinds and curtains. He has owned and operated his famous shop in Milan for nearly 25 years.

How He Got His Start

Michele first learned about Morantz’s blind cleaning equipment in 2008 while researching on the internet ways to properly clean blinds for his clients. Amazed with what he saw, Michele booked his flight to Philadelphia to see the machines in action. He even brought samples of fabrics and blinds to test clean. Excited by the results, Michele placed his order for equipment.

I could not believe the opportunity I had come across when I saw the Morantz blind cleaning machine working, exclaims Michele. “No one in Italy was offering to clean blinds. The market was wide open and desperately in need of this type of cleaning“.

One of the many micro-mini blinds Michele has cleaned.
One of the many micro-mini blinds Michele has cleaned.

Michele let all of his long-time customers know that he can now service all the window blinds he had sold them. He also created a separate company and website, Lavarre Tutto, to start promoting everything he could clean. Soon he had jobs not only cleaning blinds, but items such as hubcaps, wood stools, metal parts (including engine parts), light diffusers and much more.  Here are some photos he sent us to share with our readers, Prima (Before) and Dopo (After):

Hub Cap Before Hub Cap After

A Machine Called “Money!

Michele lovingly named his blind cleaning machine “Money,” and the name has stuck to this day. “It is unbelievable how much money this machine continues to make, so the name fits,” Michele said. “My staff is constantly busy with cleaning blinds of all types: Roller shades, mini blinds, vertical blinds and more.”

How He “Sells” It

One of the many ways Michele promotes ultrasonic cleaning to his clients is by hooking them on the technology when they visit his shop. Next to his coffee machine proudly sits his Morantz SZ-400 Table-Top System. During offers to clean his clients jewelry and eyeglasses. While cleaning, he explains that this is the same technology that he uses to clean blinds. “It works beautifully and demonstrates my capabilities for cleaning,” says Michele.

The Morantz SZ-400 table top system, a great demonstration model.
The Morantz SZ-400 table top system, a great demonstration model.

Success, and More Success

Michele was doing so much ultrasonic cleaning that in 2011 he purchased a second machine, the Morantz SM-200-XL. “With the XL machine, I am able to clean a wide variety of items including curtains and even multiple blinds at once. This all-purpose system has really opened up Ultrasonic Cleaning to my company. We have diversified in ways we never dreamed of.

Cleaning vertical blind tracks with the Morantz SM-200-XL.
Cleaning vertical blind tracks with the Morantz SM-200-XL.
The SM-200-XL (foreground) ready to clean a batch of Roller Shades.
The SM-200-XL (foreground) ready to clean a batch of Roller Shades.
The Lavare Tutto staff prepping roller binds for cleaning.
The Lavare Tutto staff prepping roller binds for cleaning.
Cleaning Engine Parts in the SM-200-XL.
Cleaning Engine Parts in the SM-200-XL.
Cleaning light diffusers. This diffuser is half cleaned to show the difference.
Cleaning light diffusers. This diffuser is half cleaned to show the difference.
Cleaning a photocopier in the SM-200-XL.
Cleaning a photocopier in the SM-200-XL.
Photocopier after cleaning with Morantz Ultrasonics for 1 minute!
Photocopier after cleaning with Morantz Ultrasonics for 1 minute!
Cleaning Wooden Stools.
Cleaning Wooden Stools.

Watch Michele clean those wood stools in his SM-200-XL
Note: The video is in Italian, but the results are Universal!
(click here to watch on YouTube)

Expanding his Business

To procure commercial cleaning jobs, Michele takes his machines to tradeshows in Italy including the largest exhibition for window blinds as well as the largest for general cleaning. In this way, he is constantly in front of decision makers showcasing his company’s technology and capabilities. “When I show potential clients how Morantz Ultrasonics works, they can’t believe what they are seeing  I create a lot of excitement at these trade fairs, and have taken on many large commercial jobs as a result of these exhibitions.”

Lavare Tutto showcasing their cleaning capabilities.
Lavare Tutto showcasing their cleaning capabilities.

Michele recently completed a large commercial blind cleaning job for one of the many buildings on the campus of ENI Petrol Company. They were so pleased with the outcome that they have now hired Michele’s company to clean another 5000 blinds this Spring!

One of the many buildings on the ENI Petrol campus, now with clean blinds!
One of the many buildings on the ENI Petrol campus, now with clean blinds!

I Get Calls Every Day

Michele tells us that he is constantly receiving calls for his service. “I get calls everyday,” He says, and with the economy in a major slump in Italy, and with local banks not loaning money, he is glad he invested in the equipment. “Small businesses are closing everywhere in Italy. Companies like mine who manufacture and sells blinds are very slow, so they’re looking to maintain what they own,” He said. “The timing could not be better for me to offer this service for blinds and other items. Ultrasonic cleaning is not only keeping my doors open for business, it’s growing my business.

The Success Keeps Coming

Michele has sent us even more photos including those for the job above. You can see them on our Facebook Page. All of our best wishes for continued success to Michele Lazzarotto and the entire Elle Emme and Lavare Tutto team.

Keep cleaning up in Italy!

Ciao!