ForConstructionPros.com

Rental professionals might not like to admit it, but it's true that accidents, mishaps and small disasters bring in business. When there's water in the basement, fallen tree limbs in the yard or stubborn stains on the carpet, your customers come to you. You are truly a solutions provider.

Nowhere is this more true than when a building has been damaged by water. Wet floors can warp and buckle, damp carpets promote mold and mildew and soggy drywall threatens the structural integrity and visual appeal of homes and offices. Luckily for your customers, you're armed with all the right tools and equipment. Or are you?

To properly serve customers with damage restoration needs, you must start by having the right stuff in your inventory. According to Matthew Perry, product marketing manager, Powr-Flite/CFR, this boils down to a few key items. "Historically we've seen our rental and restoration customers stock the five basic 'must haves' for damage restoration jobs."

They include:

Wet/dry vacuums with HEPA filtration to contain airborne contaminants

Flood pump machines and extraction wands for getting the water out quickly if flooding has occurred

Dryers/airmovers (often called squirrel cages), or for areas needing to dry quickly, downdraft fans which evenly spread the air across the floor surface at high speeds