Spectrum Cleaning and Restoration: Providing State-of-the-art Cleaning Services

Husband and wife Jay and Dana Peters founded Spectrum Cleaning & Restoration (Spectrum) in 1983 to provide a wide variety of cleaning services backed by a 100-percent satisfaction guarantee. Carpet cleaning and restoration remain two of Spectrum’s foremost specialties, though the company has evolved into a multifaceted disaster mitigation and restoration specialist. Spectrum stays ahead of the competition by recruiting and employing only the most motivated, compassionate and highly trained professionals in the industry and maintains a rigorous professional development program to ensure its team remains at the forefront of safe insurance restoration.

Spectrum maintains headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., as well as branch offices in Columbia, Mo., and Oregon. The wide spread network of outposts allows the Spectrum team to serve clients virtually anywhere in the Lower 48.

“We’re highly equipped and very experienced,” asserts Greg Anderson, operations manager at Spectrum. “All of our employees go through a rigorous in-house training program in addition to certification programs organized by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification.”
Spectrum serves both residential and commercial clients, with about half of its total volume coming from multifamily residential clients and the remainder split evenly between single-family residences and commercial offices spaces, according to Anderson. The company offers clients a single-source for both regular and emergency cleaning and disaster restoration services. In addition, Spectrum operates a 24-hour support line to field requests and mobilize crews at any hour.

True to Its Roots

Carpet cleaning remains the company’s primary specialty and technicians are trained to employ the signature Spectrum method to cleaning carpets. The technique involves a step of procedures to first agitate the carpet fibers and loosen any trapped soil from the pile. Technicians then employ the help of several nontoxic and water-based cleaning solutions to clean the carpet, followed by a thorough rinse with purified hot water. The remaining solution is then extracted using highly specialized equipment to leave behind a revitalized carpet free of toxic cleaning agents and chemical residues.

Spectrum will tailor the process to tackle tough stains, pet odors and allergen removal. These services allowed Spectrum to extend its reach into other areas of cleaning, including tile and grout cleaning, Oriental rug cleaning and air duct cleaning, as well as furniture and upholstery cleaning.

The company maintains state-of-the-art equipment that can be mobilized at a moment’s notice in the wake of a disaster. From drying equipment to air filtration equipment and hydroxyl air treatment equipment, Spectrum can work with a client to return the home or office back to a safely habitable state. The team strives to handle as much of the restoration and cleaning process as possible using in-house experts. Spectrum’s experienced professionals work closely with insurance carriers and the policyholders to stop the damage before it worsens, boarding up and sealing off any exposed and unsafe areas.

With 30 years of experience, Spectrum takes pride in going the extra mile to take care of the client and provide even a modicum of comfort in the wake of a disaster. Spectrum will help a client pack up the contents of the building and arrange for items to be stored, moved, cleaned and deodorized. For an extra degree of transparency, Spectrum provides clients a full inventory of the items on the spot for the client’s records.
From there, Spectrum sets specialists set to work deodorizing, repairing and polishing wood furniture. The team uses the power of ultrasound technology to clean and restore everything from china dinner plates to computers.

Calling for Backup

The company recognizes when a situation calls for outside help. Spectrum maintains strong working relationships with many subcontractors and restoration specialists across the country to fill in the gaps.
“We try to provide the client with as many services as we can, but there are times when the job requires something we’re just not certified or licensed to do,” adds Anderson. “In these cases, we’re fortunate to have a wide network of trusted, certified and licensed contacts to call in. We would never subcontract something to a company we didn’t have 100-percent faith in.”

The extent of Spectrum’s network comes into play often when a large disaster rolls through an area as it did earlier in 2012 with Hurricane Isaac. Even before the storm made landfall, Spectrum packed up equipment and sent the team south to Mississippi to set up a temporary operating base, knowing full well its contacts in the area might need a hand or two in the following weeks.

Spectrum’s expediency and scope of services made it a prime competitor in 2011 when disaster struck closer to headquarters. “In 2011 we got a call that a water pipe had burst in the federal courthouse in downtown St. Louis and we immediately sent crews in to dry it out,” adds Anderson. “We spent the next 10 days getting rid of four inches of water on the bottom 17 floors.” Almost as soon as Spectrum finished drying out the building, the General Services Administration determined the damage was so extensive that it launched a full-scale reconstruction effort.

The next few years hold a wealth of opportunity for Spectrum, and Anderson attests that the company is likely to make a push for truly nationwide service. “We’ll be opening up an office in Florida in 2013,” adds Anderson.
Whether the team opts to expand through franchising or through corporate-owned locations, the company’s longevity and dedication will ensure customer satisfaction remains Spectrum Cleaning and Restoration’s primary indicator of success.