Q: Although my main business is water damage restoration, I've been getting additional fire and smoke work from adjusters I work with. I'm considering media blasting to increase productivity. What should I consider?

— Marty, Rochester, NY

A: text.

When you attend a training seminar on this topic, you find there are many methods restoration professionals use to remove smoke residue and soot from walls, ceilings and a variety of surfaces, many of them non-durable.

While you must still use some of the traditional methods on some surfaces, many surfaces, such as walls, ceilings, crawlspaces and attics can easily be tackled with media blasting, and you can choose a variety of media materials, such as sand, soda or ice.

Some surfaces have so many obstacles that physically scrubbing or cleaning them is very time consuming. Instead, using media blasting is a very smart choice.

Of course, you will have an investment, or perhaps a rental fee, to consider when adding this type of service to your business. But the time you will save on the job will pay you back many times.

Bottom line is that you should consider how much time you will save, the convenience of the system, and how much profit you may add to your business.

Q: My husband and I argue about this all the time. He thinks it is OK to take business calls on his cell phone while on the job but I tell him his customers don't like it. What do you think?

— Meredith, Hoover, AL

A: text.

The best answer is for you to put yourself in the customer's shoes.

How would you feel if a service technician was in your home and instead of giving you his undivided attention, he was interrupted by taking care of other customers who were trying to make appointments, ask questions, whatever the phone call demanded.

Your husband may be trying to save money by handling all the calls himself and, although it does cost money to have someone live answering the telephone from an office setting, he will land more jobs and his customers will feel they are treated better.

In the long run, it's a good business move to avoid answering the cell phone in a customer's home.

Tell your husband that you win this argument.

Q: Some of my spot and stain products don't seem to work as well as they used to. What could be the problem?

— Mark, Aurora, CO

A: text.

You could be facing some more stubborn spots and stains lately. That could be one reason.

But most likely, your products could be aging and losing their effectiveness. This is especially true of the bleaching agents found in many spotting kits.

Contact your manufacturer and ask what the shelf life is of the products you use, and how you should store them. Storing your products in a hot van in the summer months can weaken them, so you might consider carrying only enough supplies for a few days at a time.

But don't forget to carefully monitor what you have on the truck. There's nothing worse than running out of product while on the job.

Have a question for us? Ask at Cleanfax.com/experts or jcross@ntpmedia.com.