May 1, 2026
What is contents restoration in property damage restoration? Contents restoration is the cleaning, deodorizing, inventorying, packing, storing, and restoring of personal property and business contents damaged by fire, water, mold, or smoke. It is a $5 billion annual revenue segment frequently subcontracted by general restoration companies, representing significant margin leakage.
Contents restoration generates approximately $5 billion in annual revenue across the restoration industry. Most of that revenue is captured by specialty contents companies and franchise networks with in-house contents capabilities. The independent restoration operator who responds to the loss, dries the structure, and refers the contents work to a specialty house captures a fraction of the total job value while doing most of the customer relationship work. That referral is a margin leak.
Pack-out, cleaning and restoration, storage, inventorying, and return and installation — each phase is separately billable. A contents job on a significant fire or water loss can run $15,000–$80,000. Pack-out alone on a residential fire runs $2,000–$8,000 and requires only a vehicle, packing materials, and an inventory system to capture in-house.
Contents restoration margins are strong because labor is specialized but not licensed, facility leverage allows multiple jobs to be processed simultaneously, storage is passive recurring revenue, and pack-out captures the customer relationship during the longest phase of reconstruction — a referral generation opportunity most companies give to a third party.
Building an in-house contents division requires $75,000–$150,000 in startup investment. For a $3M+ restoration company with regular fire and water losses, the contents revenue opportunity typically exceeds $300,000–$500,000 annually, making payback 6–18 months. The first step for companies not yet ready to build: capture pack-out in-house immediately. Startup cost under $10,000; revenue per significant residential fire pack-out $2,000–$8,000.
Ultrasonic cleaning uses high-frequency sound waves in a liquid medium to clean hard goods — electronics, metals, glass, ceramics — removing soot, smoke residue, and contamination without abrasive contact. It’s a specialty capability that justifies premium pricing on electronics and valuables restoration.
Contents storage is typically billed monthly per cubic foot of climate-controlled storage occupied. Rates vary by market but typically run $1.50–$3.00 per cubic foot per month.
Mike McCabe is The Profit Detective — a 36-year restoration industry veteran and Fractional Operations Manager at Floodlight Consulting Group.
Most engagements pay for themselves within the first week.