A Note to Restorers: Think Before You "Share"

February marks my 10th month with R&R, and I am loving every moment and view every day as a new opportunity to learn something new.

 

Last month, I had a conversation with a restoration business owner who asked me what has surprised me most about the industry so far. My answer? How passionate restorers and remediators are about proper process. Essentially, doing things the right way. I’ve sat in on heated discussions about the placement of air movers and dehus. Should they be further apart? Closer together? What about the angle? Is more equipment what you need? Or is it more about strategy and efficiency? You’ve all been in discussions like that, right?

 

That conversation progressed to the realization that at the core of this is the desire to run an ethical business that does the job right every single time. And you know what? The contractors who live by that motto also live in fear of lazier restorers who cut corners, giving the good restorers a bad name.

 

I learned about cutting corners more than ever in preparation for this month’s article on crime scene restoration, which you can find on page 16. Have you ever looked at the websites and social media pages of some so-called crime scene restoration experts out there? It’s flat out disgusting. On my hunt for sources, I stumbled upon bloody crime scene photos, brain matter, captions stating the exact location of the crime scene, and even images of cleanup crew members standing over dead bodies or pools of blood as if showing off their day at the office. It was shocking.

 

Are those images really necessary to share? How can that possibly be an appropriate way to promote your business? Families of a murder victim would likely take one look at your carelessness for other victims and move on to another company with a quick click of a mouse. No one wants to see their family treated in such an unconscionable way, and this industry is about caring for people and helping them, not exploiting them. So please take a moment to think about what images you’re sharing, and their potential impact, before clicking “submit.”