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Where the trade learns, in one place

Curated for restoration owners and teams, backed by decades of experience in the trade. We get paid for the outreach we run, so we have no reason to hold back where the best of the industry lives, even when we did not make it.

We believe in giving away the playbook. Part of that is being honest about where the best training, data, and tools already live, and sending you straight to them. Below is the training, reading, and listening list we would hand a contractor who wanted to get sharper, organized by what you need.

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Shopping for equipment, supplies, software, or service partners? See the Restoration Buyer's Guide: Equipment, Supplies, Software, and Services. It covers documentation and estimating software, contents and pack-out specialists, and the rest of the industry's tools and suppliers. This page covers where to learn, get certified, and stay current.

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Certifications and technical training

• Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) (iicrc.org): the standard-setting certifications for water, fire, mold, and more. The full standards catalog, including publication status for each one, is free to read at iicrc.org/iicrcstandards. The standards themselves are paid. Check status there before citing a designation, since several S-numbers in circulation (S230, S250, S320, S530, S760) are drafts rather than published standards.
• Restoration Industry Association (RIA) (restorationindustry.org): the restoration industry's national trade association, and a high-value membership for an owner who wants the data and the standards. It runs the advanced designations (Certified Restorer, Water Loss Specialist), publishes the Cost of Doing Business Report and a set of position papers, does advocacy work, and hosts the International Restoration Convention. What is included at each membership tier changes, so price it against the current member benefits page before you join.
• ACAC (acac.org): the American Council for Accredited Certification, an independent body that credentials indoor-environmental, mold, and indoor air quality (IAQ) professionals.
• NADCA (nadca.com): the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, the trade group behind the ACR Standard (Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration of HVAC Systems, current edition ACR 2025) and the Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) certification, relevant to HVAC and duct-hygiene work. The standard itself is a free download, name and email only.
• NORMI (normi.org): the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors, offering mold assessment and remediation certification and training.
• IAQA (iaqa.org): the Indoor Air Quality Association, with IAQ education and credentials for the assessment side of the work.
• Reets Drying Academy (reetsdryingacademy.com): hands-on water-damage and drying training.
• Learn To Restore (learntorestore.com): water, fire, mold, and contents courses. Confirm which specific courses carry IICRC approval and the format each is offered in.
• Firehouse Education (firehouseeducation.com): fire and smoke restoration training, online and hands-on in Spokane, covering structure and wildfire cleaning, contents cleaning, pack-outs, deodorization, and the paperwork and billing that go with them. The onsite company program lists IICRC continuing-education credits; the public classes issue a certificate of completion, not IICRC approval.
• America's Restoration Training Institute (ARTI) (americasrti.com): hands-on infection control risk assessment (ICRA) 2.0 training in a full-scale mock-hospital facility. Check the current catalog for what else it runs.
• Global Catastrophe Training (globalcatastrophetraining.com): large-loss and catastrophe (CAT) event training.
• Large Loss Mastery (largelossmastery.com): large-loss project training for restorers stepping up into bigger commercial work.