Elevate Your Building’s Cleanliness with High Dusting

Often, building owners focus on the visible, high-traffic areas regarding cleanliness and maintenance, but what about the spots that are out of sight? Steve Jobs was adamant about the aesthetic quality of Apple products, even the components customers would rarely see. He said, “For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic and the quality have to be carried all the way through.” The same holds true for your commercial property.

High dusting, which targets hard-to-reach places like rafters, beams, pipes, and elevated art sculptures, ensures the hidden parts of your building receive the attention they deserve. These areas are often found in school gyms, manufacturing plants, atriums, airports, art exhibits, and lobbies. Over time, these spaces accumulate dust and debris that can compromise air quality, reduce tenant satisfaction, and degrade the overall aesthetic of your building. Let’s take a look at why high-dusting maintenance matters to you and your tenants.  

High Dusting Presents Unique Challenges

While dusting itself is straightforward, this task presents unique challenges that standard janitorial teams can’t and shouldn’t handle. The reason? Most janitors don’t have access to specialized lifts, fall protection, or training required for high-reach cleaning and working at heights. They also often lack proper liability insurance, which could put property owners and managers — and their teams  — at risk.

When neglected spaces are left unclean, they can cause poor indoor air quality. For instance, you may see a higher amount of dust, allergens, and other particles consistently released into the ventilation system.

High Dusting Takes Your Building from Dusty to Dazzling

To prevent buildup, we recommend scheduling an annual high dusting service for hard-to-reach pipes, beams, rafters, art sculptures, and other hard-to-reach surfaces. 

General cleaning for retail spaces, lobbies, and high-traffic areas should be scheduled monthly. For lower-traffic areas, twice-a-year cleanings should suffice to remove dirt and dust.

Here are the key benefits of regularly scheduling high dusting.

Air Quality: Breathe Easy

Dust buildup in high spaces can silently degrade air quality over time. Removing this dust helps safeguard the air your tenants breathe and reduces the risk of respiratory issues caused by particles circulating through the building’s HVAC system.

Skyline Aesthetics: Clean from Floor to Rafters

Ensuring that even those high-up spots are clean maintains the building’s polished appearance. It’s not just about the floors and walls; having a consistently clean environment from top to bottom creates a more welcoming, professional setting for tenants and visitors alike. For property managers, tenants looking out of their office windows onto dusty beams or rafters is a surefire way to generate complaints.

Happy Tenants, Happy Property

Regular maintenance reduces complaints, keeps tenants satisfied, adds to a healthy environment, and shows that the property is well cared for. No one wants to work or live in a building where dust falls from the ceiling or the elevated art feature is noticeably dirty. By proactively addressing these areas, you can avoid dissatisfaction and prevent tenants from moving out due to poor maintenance.

High dusting is often one of those tasks that property managers overlook or defer until it becomes an issue. By implementing a scheduled annual maintenance plan, you can take high dusting off your to-do list and rest easy, knowing that Awnclean will handle it efficiently and safely.

Awnclean’s Sky-High Expertise

At Awnclean, our window cleaning service line includes high dusting solutions, a vital component of building maintenance. The earlier you take action, the better the long-term impact.

High dusting is just one way we help maintain your building’s pristine condition. Our window cleaning, birdproofing, pressure washing, and metal refinishing services are all designed to address those hard-to-reach places that standard maintenance services can’t handle.

When it comes to servicing your building’s highest points, we provide a suite of high-reach services and beyond. Our combination of training and expertise allows us to perform complex cleaning and maintenance tasks using specialized lifts, equipment, and safety protocols.

Secure a Healthier, Cleaner Building with Awnclean

As you can see, high dusting plays a significant role in keeping your building clean, safe, and tenant-friendly. We are proud to provide services that enhance your building’s aesthetics and longevity.

Now is the perfect time to schedule high-reach maintenance before the seasonal elements cause further wear and tear on your building. Contact us today and discover how we can help you create a custom maintenance plan that fits your building’s needs and budget.

 


The Hidden Costs of Deferred Maintenance: Why It’s Essential to Budget for Annual Upkeep

As a property manager or building owner, it’s tempting to prioritize immediate cost savings by deferring maintenance, but that’s a gamble that rarely pays off. Deferred maintenance often leads to costlier problems down the line, draining finances through expensive restoration projects while compromising safety and efficiency. 

This article highlights the hidden costs of deferring maintenance and how preventative maintenance helps avoid significant repair costs to ensure smooth operations and maximize property value.

Saving Pennies Now Can Cost Dollars Later

Currently, commercial property owners feel the pinch of rising energy costs, which have jumped nearly 30% since 2020. Sticking to budgets and managing expenses with these financial pressures isn’t easy. However, cutting corners by deferring maintenance will eventually come back to bite you. For example, imagine skipping a roof inspection and missing a small water leak. If you don’t catch it early, that leak could turn into extensive water damage, forcing a complete roof replacement and throwing your building’s operations into chaos. 

Consider the General Services Administration (GSA) a cautionary tale. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), in 2022, the GSA faces a staggering $3.1 billion backlog in deferred maintenance and repairs, including persistent issues like water leaks and outdated safety systems. While explaining the challenge during a House hearing, the GSA stated it is “suffering from the consequences of significant deferred maintenance, driven by inadequate investment.” 

In a similar story, the Kansas State University board found it cheaper to demolish buildings than tackle years of neglect by deferring maintenance. Meanwhile, the state of Louisiana faces a $2 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects, which causes compliance issues, leaky buildings, and “a lengthy list of crumbling infrastructure on state college and university campuses.” When you defer maintenance, the problem doesn’t go away; it compounds financially and restoratively. 

Weighing the Risk and Reward of Deferred Maintenance

Whether “a stitch in time saves nine” or “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” there are countless words of wisdom advising against deferring maintenance. Despite these best practices, ballooning deferred maintenance costs are all too typical, and the results are equally predictable. 

  • Deferring Maintenance Increases Repair Costs: Minor repairs neglected over time can escalate into major repairs, demanding extensive work and resources. For example, on a recent project, we discovered that the property manager had put off minor repairs and routine maintenance. The expense ballooned three short years later, costing the property three times what preventative maintenance had called for. 
  • Decreased Property Value: Neglecting maintenance can significantly reduce property value. For instance, failing to stay on top of facade maintenance in a challenging market can negatively impact occupancy rate and rent. 
  • Higher Energy Bills: Poorly maintained properties and building envelopes quickly become less efficient, compounding the impact of increasing energy costs. For instance, pressure washing white roofs helps maintain cooling efficiency. 
  • Minimizing Disruptions: Preventive maintenance, such as window cleaning, requires minimal to no disruption to tenants. When you neglect window cleaning for an extended period, deep cleaning, glass restoration, or complete replacement may be the only option to return them to their original condition. Not to mention missing out on opportunities to identify issues while they are small, like damaged mullions or damaged sealants
  • Health and Safety Risks: As a building owner, you are responsible for keeping tenants and those who work on your property safe. Preventative maintenance is critical in maintaining air quality and negating slip hazards and other safety issues. Maintaining fall-protection systems is among OSHA’s most frequently cited standards, requiring routine inspections and certifications. Failure to comply puts workers at risk and comes with steep penalties and other liabilities. 

The deferred maintenance trap puts tenants, workers, and your investment at risk. The key to building longevity is preventative maintenance. It puts you and your building in the best position to prevent the avoidable and tackle the unavoidable early on while keeping the cost low and manageable. 

Smart Budgeting for Year-Round Maintenance

A well-structured budget that allows for annual upkeep and maintenance of your property is your best ally to avoid the deferred maintenance trap. Over time, this strategy will save money by proactively addressing issues while they are small, extending the life of components and systems, ensuring safety, and avoiding fines. The long-term implications of deferring maintenance aren’t worth the risk of an unmanageable backlog.

Here are some key tips to remember for your annual maintenance plan. 

  • Windows & Glass: Clean exterior windows and glass 2-4 times each year. 
  • Building Facade: Pressure wash your building’s facade every 3-5 years and add a sealant for protection. 
  • Inspecting Waterproofing Membranes: Routine inspections and reapplying per the manufacturer’s recommendations ensure your waterproofing investment pays off. Our Waterproofing & Building Facade Preventative Maintenance Guide highlights how a proactive approach to waterproofing helps avoid repair costs and provides long-term protection for your asset. 

These are just a few of your property’s many needs. You can make the most of your annual building maintenance budget by staying ahead of potential issues to keep your property value up while keeping costs down. 

Partnering with Awnclean for Expert Maintenance Solutions

Don’t sacrifice tomorrow for a quick win today. Sticking to a preventative maintenance plan tailored to your building and property needs pays off in the long run. At Awnclean, we can help you with budget planning to avoid costly repairs. While it’s easy to underestimate the implications of deferred maintenance, we’ve seen the costs accumulate and accelerate over time, leaving decision-makers wishing they had acted sooner. 

We encourage you to contact us today to establish a preventative maintenance program uniquely designed to drive value, improve safety, and maximize your budget dollars for years to come. 

 


Proactive Maintenance: How to Plan Your Annual Building Maintenance Budget

Whether it’s unexpected repairs or a backlog of deferred maintenance quickly escalating to costly problems, forces are at work that will derail your annual building maintenance budget. One of the most effective strategies against these forces is budgeting for preventative maintenance.

Preventative maintenance addresses your building needs while they are small and manageable. This puts you in control of your budget dollars to effectively minimize disruptions and ensure compliance with safety regulations, all of which aid in budget adherence. This guide offers a step-by-step approach to creating an annual maintenance budget. It provides practical tips for prioritizing tasks and setting realistic goals, helping you stay within budget, save money, and ensure the safety and value of your properties.

Leverage Proactive Maintenance to Stay in Budget

Proper building maintenance is not just about fixing problems as they arise—it’s about preventing them before they start. When you plan accordingly and budget appropriately for your building’s needs, you are in the driver’s seat to get the most value out of your budget dollars.

Reducing Long-term Costs

With increasing costs, unlocking hidden value within your building maintenance budget is more imperative than ever. Proactive maintenance is a proven strategy that helps you preserve and protect your building to prevent costly repairs. For instance, performing window cleaning 2-4 times per year is a relatively small cost compared to other building maintenance services.

However, deferring window washing can lead to mineral deposits or grime etching into the glass. Additionally, accumulated dirt can damage window seals and frames, leading to leaks and potential structural issues. Factoring routine window washing into your budget is critical to prevent capital expense projects such as costly glass restoration or replacement services.

Improving Building Efficiency

To maximize building efficiency, implement proactive measures, such as inspecting and periodically replacing sealants at signs of deterioration or according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. When sealants begin to fail, they lose their efficacy, thus putting a greater strain on heating and cooling systems.

Effective waterproofing and exterior maintenance prevent water infiltration, which can lead to structural damage and energy loss. Addressing these aspects makes it easier to maintain a comfortable and efficient environment, reducing overall operational costs and enhancing the longevity of the building. An efficient building saves energy costs, freeing up resources that can be allocated to other essential maintenance tasks or improvements.

Ensuring Building Safety and OSHA Compliance

When you fail to take a proactive approach to building safety, you increase your risk of injuries, fines, or worse. Failure to provide adequate fall protection and other height-related citations dominate OSHA’s top ten most frequently cited items for building owners. The citations are far from a slap on the wrist, reaching tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Many safety systems require periodic inspections and certifications to ensure they function correctly and meet evolving regulations. Delaying safety-related maintenance requirements is not worth it. If you delay beyond manufacturer or OSHA requirements, you knowingly expose yourself and others to risk, which could constitute willful negligence. Proactive maintenance ensures compliance with these regulations, reducing liability risks and potential fines.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Annual Maintenance Budget

Creating a solid maintenance budget involves more than just crunching numbers. It requires identifying areas needing attention and their costs and then using this information to prioritize tasks. This builds a solid foundation to establish a regular maintenance schedule to prevent issues from escalating. Let’s explore each step to creating an annual maintenance budget in detail.

Assessment and Inventory of Your Building’s Needs

Kicking off your annual maintenance budget starts by taking a good, hard look at your building’s current state. It’s like giving it a health check-up! This process involves examining all building components and systems to identify existing issues or potential problem areas.

Create a comprehensive inventory list that includes all elements that require maintenance, such as the roof, HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical systems, and exterior facades. Additionally, note any items due for replacement, such as sealants, waterproofing membranes, windows, and other materials with a limited lifespan.

Prioritize Value-Added Building Maintenance Tasks

Once the inventory is complete, categorize maintenance tasks by urgency and importance. Focus on critical areas that impact safety and functionality. Address immediate safety concerns first, followed by tasks that could prevent significant damage or costly repairs in the future.

Estimate Costs and Obtain Quotes

Research the materials, labor, and service costs required for each maintenance task. It is essential to include potential emergency repairs and contingency funds in the budget. This ensures you are prepared for unexpected issues that may arise throughout the year. Consider obtaining quotes from multiple service providers to ensure you are getting the best value for your money. You can contact Awnclean here to get the process started.

Create a Maintenance Schedule

Develop a maintenance schedule that outlines regular inspections and preventative maintenance activities. This schedule should include timelines for recurring tasks, such as inspections to certify safety systems, and one-time tasks, such as roof replacement. A well-structured schedule helps ensure that maintenance tasks are completed on time and prevents the oversight of critical activities.

Allocate Resources

Determine the budget allocation for each maintenance task based on its priority and estimated cost. Ensure sufficient funds are allocated for high-priority items that impact safety and functionality. This allocation should be flexible enough to accommodate any adjustments throughout the year.

Review and Adjust

Review the maintenance budget regularly and adjust it based on actual expenses and feedback from past maintenance activities. This ongoing review process helps identify any discrepancies between estimated and actual costs and allows for timely budget adjustments.

Weather conditions, for instance, can affect budget allocation—less snow than forecasted means an opportunity to reallocate funds to other maintenance needs. Incorporating feedback from maintenance staff and service providers can also improve the accuracy and efficiency of future budgets.

By following these steps, building managers can create a robust maintenance budget that addresses both immediate and long-term needs.

Tips for Prioritizing Maintenance Tasks and Setting Realistic Goals

Effective maintenance planning involves setting clear priorities and achievable goals. This ensures that both urgent and long-term needs are met without overwhelming resources or inflating budgets.

Immediate vs. Long-term Needs

Balancing immediate needs with long-term goals is essential when prioritizing maintenance tasks. Address immediate safety concerns first, as these can have significant implications for the health and safety of building occupants. Once immediate needs are addressed, focus on long-term upgrades and improvements that enhance the overall functionality and efficiency of the building.

Balance Aesthetics and Functionality

You want your building to feel good and look good, too. Aesthetic improvements, such as repainting exterior walls or pressure washing the entry and sidewalks, can enhance the building’s overall appearance, increase its value, and enhance tenant satisfaction.

Set Achievable Goals

Break down large maintenance projects into manageable tasks with realistic timelines and milestones. This approach prevents overwhelming maintenance staff and ensures that each task is completed efficiently. Setting achievable goals also helps maintain motivation and accountability among the maintenance team.

Monitor and Document Progress

Keep detailed records of all maintenance activities, including completed tasks, associated costs, and any issues encountered. This documentation is invaluable for future budgeting and planning, providing a clear history of maintenance efforts and their outcomes. Regular monitoring and documentation also help identify recurring issues requiring more comprehensive solutions.

Property managers can ensure that maintenance activities are efficient and impactful by effectively prioritizing tasks and setting realistic goals.

Keep Your Budget On Track With Proactive Building Maintenance

Planning and prevention measures reduce the likelihood of these often avoidable and costly repairs. Proactive maintenance is vital for preserving a building’s integrity and value. By effectively planning your annual maintenance budget, you can reduce long-term costs, improve building efficiency, and ensure safety and compliance.

Partnering with experts like Awnclean can help you develop and execute a comprehensive maintenance strategy tailored to your building’s needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you protect your investment and maintain your property in top condition.


The Awnclean Story – Celebrating 30 Years in Business

Since we are celebrating 30 years in the cleaning business this year, we thought we should write The Awnclean Story so we can share with everyone how we got here.  We hope you enjoy learning about how we grew our business and became experts in commercial cleaning, including pressure washing, concrete sealing, awning cleaning and window cleaning.

The Awnclean Story

 

 


Ongoing Safety Training at Awnclean

In ongoing safety training sessions, Awnclean’s entire field and operations teams participate in two hours of monthly training to make sure everyone stays safe on the job.

Even though almost everyone on Awnclean’s team has been doing their job for 10+ years, the ongoing sessions are meant to prevent complacency on the job and to continually get everyone to remind themselves of where they’re at and who’s around them, especially when they’re 80 stories up, hanging off the side of a building.

In the most recent safety training session, led by Dean Detjean from Provinsur, some of the areas covered were:

  • Fall safety
  • Ladders
  • Proper way to wear a harness
  • Safety equipment and proper usage
  • Working on roofs and hanging off sides of building
  • Rescue procedures and planning
  • Team awareness of plan
  • Scissor lift and boom lift safety
  • Working around power lines

Each session ends with an open forum with discussion about concerns and challenges on individual jobs and suggestions for improving safety on the job.

Awnclean’s Operation Manager, Todd Henry, also visits job sites on a regular basis to check on the crews and make sure they’re correctly following all of the safety procedures.