When you think of things at an apartment complex or condominium that tends to get the messiest and grossest out of all other areas, what do you think of? If you are the maintenance supervisor of one of these facilities or property manager, you know the answer is the trash chutes and other trash holding areas. There is a good reason that these areas seem to be the bane of every manager’s existence. These areas are big. They are made to hold the nastiest of the nastiest things. And they attract pests like nothing else.
This also means that regardless of what time of year it is, your building is probably overdue for a good cleaning of the trash chute and trash holding areas. While you may not think of spring as being the most obvious time of year to clean these dirty areas, you might be surprised to find out that early spring is the perfect time to give these areas a good cleaning, and here is why:
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- A good cleaning will keep odors from spreading. During the winter your building was a lot more closed off than other times of the year. Windows were opened less often, doors were closed more, and the air did not get the chance to freshen up much. This means that when foul odors get caught up in the air, they will hang around a while. The more these odors hang around, the more pests it will attract. To keep odors from accumulating this winter, stop them before they start. The best way to do that is to give your trash chute a good cleaning. Trash chutes deal with everything. Wet food, bathroom garbage, food waste, and everything in between. These things stink, and they smell even more during the fall and winter when they are left to sit and mingle because fresh air isn’t getting circulated through the building as often. No manager wants to deal with complaints of a smelly building. Let Fikes clean your chutes so you won’t have to.
- Make pests less attracted to your building over the winter and don’t give them a chance to stay there in the spring. Pests instinctually hide over the winter. That’s why pest infestations often start at that time of the year. This is also the reason why a nasty garbage chute will be a big issue for you. Trash chutes are a pest destination year-round. They are quiet, damp, dark, and full of food residue. Some pests, including roaches and rats, will use these to travel throughout the building. This pest elevator allows them to spread throughout the entire building quickly and easily. Keeping your trash chute clean is the fix to this problem.
- Keep tenants and workers from getting sick. We all know we’re more likely to get sick in the fall and winter. After all, there’s less fresh air circulating, as we mentioned above. People also stay wrapped up in the same gloves and coats, which means that germs spread quickly and easily. Trash chutes perpetuate the spread of germs and health issues. When a lot of trash sits in one space, mold can grow in it. As the mold grows, its spores and toxins spread. Eventually, the mold will spread outside of the trash chute and into the building. We know that the building is closed up and warmer for the winter too. This means the spores and toxins will spread even faster. If you don’t clean your trash chute, it could quickly and easily cause an epidemic in your building. What’s worse? The longer you leave your trash chute germs alone, the harder they will be to get rid of. That’s why it is vital to invest in routine cleaning of your garbage chutes.
Early spring is the perfect time to hang out with your family, enjoy the changing weather and some pumpkin spice. Don’t let your Spring festivities and potential residents looking for the new place to call home be ruined by stinky trash chutes, and trash holding areas, or the germs, mold, and pests they like to share. Contact Fikes today and let us help fix your problem before it starts by giving your dirtiest areas a good fall cleaning.
