Managing a commercial property effectively takes more than just maintaining basic safety and liability guidelines. Tenants and visitors also expect everything to be clean and professional-looking. This includes removing things like pollution, bird excrement, mildew, graffiti, sprinkler stains, old gum, grease, and caked-on dirt from the building’s roof, windows, and walls as well as frequently used sidewalks.
Pressure washing is one of the most time-efficient and effective ways to remove a lot of stuck-on, unwanted debris from a building’s surfaces. Though the process of doing so does require a rather experienced and trained hand. Some surfaces of a building, plants, and nearby materials can’t always handle the power or potential overspray produced by a truly commercial-grade pressure washer.
There are several benefits to having your building professionally power washed. Understanding them in greater detail can go a long way toward helping you understand how often your building needs it, as well as how to best maintain the professional look of your commercial property.
A Clean & Professional Looking Exterior
Bird droppings, old gum, and other types of physical imperfections on the exterior of your building or around the grounds of your commercial property can put off tenants and visitors. It’s especially unappealing in areas with restaurants, food prep areas, and commons. Not only can these imperfections send the wrong message, but they can also potentially become active health hazards.
Professional power washing and spot sanitizing the exterior of your building will go a long way toward giving it the professional appearance it deserves, while also helping to reduce the microbial population.
Removing Insect Nests & Micro-Habitat
Spiders, mites, aphids, and other insects can sometimes set up shop in the nooks and crevices of your building’s exterior. Left to their own devices these bugs can flourish to become an annoyance, and possibly even an active health hazard.
The powerful jets of water used in professional power washing helps to eliminate insect nests and micro-habitat exploited by bugs, while also helping to restore your commercial properties clean and professional appearance.
Reducing The Need For Repairs
Things like bird droppings, mold, mildew, algae, and dirt buildup can be more than just visuall unattractive, they can also start to wear away at a building’s exterior. Left unchecked these unappealing materials can even cause wood and other soft materials to rot or increase the risk of cracks forming in porous hard surfaces. It’s especially concerning in buildings made from brick and mortar as well as buildings with a brick façade.
Periodic professional pressure washing of the walls, windows, roof structures, and gutter cleaning can help cut down these risks. This in itself can potentially save a significant amount of money in maintenance costs over the long-term life of your commercial property.
Reducing The Impact Of Bird Droppings
Bird droppings in particular can be very acidic and can gradually start to build up to an astonishing degree in a building’s gutter and exterior water management system. This can start to weaken the roof and damaged gutter systems. In a severe case, it can lead to excess water leaks with pathogenic contamination, as well as a total failure of the building’s water management system. Over time it can even leave an older building at risk of a dangerous roof failure.
Fortunately cleaning the droppings with a professional power washing treatment will help prevent further buildup and the risk of structural damage. It will also help reduce potentially foul odors and microbial contamination.
Keeping Associate Spaces Clean
Windows, walls, gutters, and roof structures are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to places in a commercial property that benefit from professional pressure washing. Other areas such as sidewalks and walkways in front or around a building or commercial facility are some of the most common areas that need professional power washing to remove bird droppings and other unwanted surface debris like garbage and shallow concrete stains.
On larger commercial properties, large multi-family residential properties, and multi-tenant retail spaces, there is a bevy of other areas that might also need periodic, if not frequent pressure washing. This includes:
Parking Garages & Parking Lots
Parking areas tend to be abused and sometimes forgotten. Birds, chewing gum, and debris caused by left-behind refuse can become a serious health hazard, while also giving your parking garage an unkempt and unprofessional appearance that simply does not represent the rest of the building.
Loading Docks
Birds are often attracted to loading docks, as are other nuisance animals and insects. This is especially true in multi-tenant retail properties and commercial properties with incoming food deliveries. Pressure washing these surfaces can help maintain a professional level of cleanliness. Not to mention the fact that many food inspectors will check loading dock areas for signs of potential contamination code violations.
Dumpster Areas
Even if your commercial property doesn’t have formal food service or restaurant space, chances are good that employees and visitors are leaving behind snacks, portions of uneaten lunches, and chewing gum. All of which can attract birds and other nuisance animals. Not to mention refuse services have a knack for leaving things behind. Professional power washing helps eliminate bird droppings and residual matter from around dumpsters, which promotes a healthy environment and reduces the attraction to unwanted pests.
Facades & Awnings
These areas can attract insects and birds, collect bird droppings and accumulate dust that can not only look unappealing but can also pose a health hazard. Having them professionally cleaned keeps them free of debris, keeps your property appealing.
Reduces Pollen & Pollutants
Pollen, dust, airborne debris, and other contaminants can build upon a building’s exterior. It can also cause foul odors, and become a health hazard for employees and frequent guests who have respiratory allergies and chronic respiratory health conditions. Professional pressure washing helps to get rid of these substances and, when done regularly, helps prevent them from building up. This can play a major role in meeting local health & safety codes.
Eliminating Graffiti
These days graffiti is a major problem for a lot of commercial properties and public areas. Eliminating it as soon as possible goes a long way toward sending a professional message, about how proactively managed your commercial property is, as well as reducing the long-term risk of the graffiti penetrating the porous surface structure causing stains that require far more rigorous methods to remove.
