Cleaning Parking Garages
Whether it's a multi-story parking garage or an underground car lot at a hotel, airport, or a shopping center, guests, passengers and customers get their first impression the moment they park their vehicle. Cleanliness plays an important role here, because a well-maintained space is not only visually appealing, but also gives people a sense of reassurance. A structured approach to cleaning is therefore very important, with efficient cleaning technology taking the strain off staff and ensuring good results.
A Cost-Effective Approach to Parking Garage Cleaning
Given the shortage of skilled workers and the time pressures involved, it's important that cleaning operations are as cost-effective as possible. The key thing is to focus on the essential tasks and to adequately train and equip cleaning staff to handle these. This saves time and money over the long term, while financing solutions can ease the strain on the budget.
What's the Best Way to Go About It? Good Planning is the Key to Success.
In parking garages and similar parking facilities, maintenance cleaning during opening hours is essential to ensuring that visitors have a good impression of the premises and feel at ease upon arrival. In order to implement efficient processes, it's important to take note of the regular condition of the facilities during the planning phase, as this can reveal important details about what sort of measures need to be put into place. If staff frequently find themselves collecting garbage off of the floor, for example, then there may be too few trash cans around, or they may be too small. By solving problems such as these, significantly less work will be required for waste management, meaning that cleaners' time can be used more effectively elsewhere.
Full-surface cleaning of floors is another key consideration for maintaining multi-story or underground parking garages, which is why it's important to use the right cleaning technology. The types of machines that are most suitable depend on the size of the facility and also on the local weather conditions. The type and intensity of dirt encountered and the type of floor covering fitted also play a significant role in determining which machine to use. Once the right solution has been found, a good cleaning result can be achieved in considerably less time.
Investments that Pay Off: Flexible Financing and Staying Solvent
Good cleaning technology comes with a price tag. In order to work as economically as possible, the operating costs (TCO: Total Cost of Ownership) should be calculated over the period of use. The higher the labor costs, the quicker the investment in efficient technology will pay for itself. This will also relieve the pressure on staff and reduce sick leave. In order to maintain solvency when making these new investments, the burden can also be reduced through financing solutions. In addition to traditional leasing, there are also "pay-per-use" models. This can be useful for machines that are only used seasonally. It is recommended to use providers who do not set a minimum usage for their products, but instead only calculate the actual usage of the machine.
Tip – Pay-per-use:
As a particularly customer-friendly initiative, some manufacturers even offer pay-per-use models for consumables.
Cleaning Parking Garages: A Clean Outside Area
A clean outside area is not only visually appealing, but also reduces the amount of dirt that enters the building. Adequate waste disposal plays a key role in this. The appropriate cleaning technique must be selected according to the weather conditions, the type of soiling, and the setting.
Beautiful Inside and Out: Reducing the Dirt That Gets Inside
To give visitors a good first impression when they arrive at a multi-story or underground parking lot, cleanliness is all-important – even before they drive in. The added benefit of this is that less dirt enters the building from outside, which in turn reduces the amount of cleaning required inside. As such, it is important to regularly clear all access roads, footpaths, and outdoor parking areas of garbage, dust, dirt, etc.
Say Goodbye to Garbage: Waste Disposal
Litter is a major issue in multi-story and underground parking garages. A trash picker is a practical tool for collecting waste, which is gentle on the back. Packaging, cans and more can be picked straight off the floor and deposited in a trash can. When emptying trash cans, staff should check whether the container itself needs to be cleaned to prevent a build-up of germs and unpleasant odors. Cleaning staff should wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including work gloves. Waste must be separated prior to disposal in accordance with local waste regulations.
No Chance for Dirt and Germs: Surface Cleaning In and Around Parking Lots
In parking garages, there are numerous surfaces that people will frequently come into direct contact with, so special attention should be paid to these surfaces in the course of cleaning. Examples include handrails in stairwells, or surfaces on automatic pay stations. To save time when cleaning surfaces, the pretreatment or spraying method can be used. For this, cleaning staff use cloths that have been folded over twice and presoaked with the right amount of detergent, or to which cleaning solution has been applied with a foam dispenser. Each surface is then cleaned with a fresh side of the cloth. Once every side of the cloth has been used, it is replaced with a completely fresh cloth.
Tip – Janitorial Carts:
Work can also be made more efficient by using janitorial carts with modules for different cleaning tasks, which can be docked or undocked on the go. A system that can be accessed from all sides and provides mobile storage for all the necessary tools is particularly helpful and user-friendly.
Dust, Leaves, Snow and More: Keeping Outside Areas Well-Maintained in Any Weather
During dry periods, sweeping is the most effective option for keeping access roads, ramps and parking spaces in outside areas clean. For smaller areas, a walk-behind floor sweeper is sufficient; for larger areas, a ride-on floor sweeper is the right choice.
Tip – Cleaning According to the Amount of Dirt:
As a rule, areas should not be cleaned in a linear fashion, but according to the amount of dirt that accumulates in each case – i.e. heavily frequented areas such as access routes should be cleaned more often than rarely used parking spaces.
Tip – Cleaning External Stairs Properly:
External stairs should be periodically cleaned with pressure washers to remove stubborn dirt such as bird droppings, moss or lichen. It's important to ensure a sufficient supply of water for this.
Tip – Watering Must Not Be Overlooked:
Don't forget about plants in planters: they should be watered regularly to keep them looking cared-for and attractive to visitors.
The End of the Road for Stubborn Dirt: Floor Sweepers and Floor Scrubbers
In general, dry cleaning with a commercial floor sweeper is an efficient method of ensuring cleanliness. However, depending on the setting and weather conditions, wet cleaning may be required periodically or even daily. If stubborn dirt accumulates more rarely, it should be sufficient just to work with a floor sweeper. The more frequently wet cleaning is required, the more it is generally advisable to use a machine that combines floor sweeping with floor scrubbing. These models can sweep, scrub and vacuum in a single pass, saving time and money when working on large areas.
There are special detergents to remove tire and abrasion marks – an ever-present problem in parking areas and underground parking garages – in the course of periodic cleaning. The detergents are applied to the ground in advance of the cleaning. After the specified contact time, the abrasion marks can be removed with a commercial floor scrubber.
Tip – Use a Pressure Washer:
Areas that are hard to access, such as corners or behind barriers, can be easily cleaned with a pressure washer.
Cleaning Parking Lots and Outside Areas
Whether dining in a restaurant, shopping in a supermarket, furniture store or shopping center, or visiting a doctor's surgery or a museum – often the first thing guests do upon arrival is to park their car and make a short walk to the building. There are a number of cleaning methods that can be used to make a positive impression right from the start, to prevent the risk of accidents and to stop dirt being brought in from outside.
Interior Cleaning of Multi-Story Parking Garages
When carrying out maintenance cleaning in interior spaces, it's important to take into account a number of details. Stairwells and restrooms have special requirements, for example, and a number of cleaning tasks will also need to be carried out periodically here.
A Well-Maintained Interior: Waste Disposal, Wet and Dry Cleaning, and Surface Cleaning
As with outside areas, wet and dry cleaning indoors should be undertaken depending on the type of dirt, and selected based on the level of use and degree of soiling. Within any multi-story parking facility, waste disposal and surface cleaning will be consistent areas to address. Examples of surfaces that people frequently come into contact with include light switches, door handles and automatic pay stations.
Tip – Regular Inspection:
These kinds of spaces should be inspected regularly, with any damage such as broken lights repaired promptly to ensure that visitors feel safe and comfortable.
Ticking All the Boxes in the Entrance Area: Foyers, Smoking Areas
Depending on the facility, some multi-story parking garages may have their own foyer. Dust control mats are usually set down here to reduce the amount of dirt coming in from outside. Loose dirt can be easily removed from the mats by using an upright vacuum cleaner. In wet weather conditions, a wet and dry vacuum cleaner can be employed. Like all other areas, the entrance should be kept free of litter, and the lighting and signs should be cleaned regularly. In smoking areas, which are usually also located near the entrance, trash cans must be emptied and ash must be disposed of from smoking receptacles. Fireproof containers must be used for this purpose, and the outside of the smoking receptacles must also be cleaned if necessary.
Tip – Keep Glass Surfaces Clean:
Fingerprints can be removed quickly and efficiently from glossy surfaces or glass using the spraying or pretreatment method. In addition, glass surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly on a periodic basis.
Down With Dirt, Up With Cleanliness: Tackling Dirt on Stairwells
Stairs in multi-story park facility often get very dirty. One particularly convenient solution to remove loose dirt here is a battery-powered backpack vacuum cleaner. The advantages of these are that there are no cables to present a tripping hazard, and workers do not need to worry about hunting for a power socket. Stubborn dirt can be tackled with a mop. Pretreated mop covers make this work easier, as there is no need to carry a heavy bucket around. It's also a much more hygienic method of working, as germs and dirt are not carried away in the dirty water. The handrails on the stairs must also be cleaned regularly and disinfected as necessary.
Cleaning Stairwells
Stairs can be real design elements, made from shot-peened steel or precious wood. They can be central escape routes or merely neglected pathways between the floors. In each case, cleaning jobs on a stairwell become a challenge because the spatial conditions make for hard work. Why is cleanliness still important? What must be kept in mind for various floor coverings? What are the most common operator errors? Here is an overview.
Sparkling Clean and Bacteria-Free: Toilet Cleaning
Cleanliness is important everywhere in multi-story parking garages – but with toilets in particular, it's non-negotiable. Regular cleaning and disinfection is particularly necessary in this sensitive area to prevent the spread of germs. For this reason, the toilets themselves must be thoroughly cleaned at least once a day before or after opening hours, or even at intervals during the day if necessary. Mirrors, shelves and sinks should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a day. One simple yet effective method to prevent the transfer of germs is color-coded equipment. In this system, red cleaning textiles are used for urinals, toilets and splash areas. Yellow cleaning textiles are used for all other areas in toilet facilities. The different colors form part of a quality management system and ensure the safety of cleaning staff and visitors alike. To prevent streaks from forming when cleaning mirrors, we recommend using suitable microfiber cloths with a ready-to-use glass cleaner.
Cleaning Restroom and Changing Rooms
There are many reasons why careful cleaning is required in restroom facilities and washrooms: depending on the setting, toilets, showers, and changing rooms in office buildings, production facilities, hotels, restaurants, gyms, sports arenas, or shopping centers are used by many people. This inevitably leads to people's skin coming into contact with various surfaces that have been touched by practically all users of the facilities—including door handles, faucets, or toilet flush buttons. Consequently, microorganisms can pass from one person to the next. This must be prevented by means of defined cleaning sequences.
Periodic Working for All-Round Cleanliness and Safety
As with the outside area, recurring cleaning tasks will also need to be carried out inside multi-story parking facilities. Stubborn dirt can be removed using a pressure washer. In many cases, it's important to carry out cleaning not just for visual reasons, but also to ensure safety. Even lighting installations should be cleaned regularly and lamps and illuminated signs wiped down as required – if necessary, external specialized service providers should be commissioned to do this. This ensures sufficient illumination and helps visitors to feel more at ease.
Recommended Products for Cleaning Parking Garages
Walk-Behind Floor Sweepers
Ride-On Floor Sweepers
Commercial Pressure Washers
Commercial Vacuum Cleaners
Compact Floor Sweepers
Commercial Backpack Vacuums
