Outdoor Cleaning: For Image, Value Preservation, and Less Dirt Indoors

Cleaning outdoor spaces is an important pillar of building cleaning services. Roads, paths, and parking lots need to be kept tidy, glass surfaces need to be cleaned, and smaller details—from cigarette receptacles to handrails on external stairs—must not be overlooked. Plus, the entrance area and dirt trap zone must be cleaned regularly. It's well worth the effort: a positive first impression is created, the property value is preserved, and the amount of cleaning work required indoors is reduced. A good cleaning concept and the right equipment help you to achieve your goal efficiently.

A worker cleans outdoor areas with a walk-behind floor sweeper

It All Comes Down to Having a Good Plan: A Systematic Approach to Outdoor Cleaning

There are many tasks related to outdoor cleaning, but usually only a limited number of staff available to carry these out. This makes it all the more important to identify the target results of cleaning and how these can best be achieved. Taking into account the surroundings and climatic conditions, it's always necessary to determine exactly what needs to be done and how often each task needs to be completed. For example, trash cans and cigarette receptacles at an entrance have to be checked several times a day, along with revolving doors and glass surfaces.

A person cleaning the glass facade of an office building

A worker cleans a parking garage using a Kärcher ride-on floor sweeper

A worker cleans outdoor areas of an office building using a walk-behind floor sweeper

Parking lots, on the other hand, need to be kept in good condition, but do not need to be cleaned down to the last detail every single day. The extent of cleaning required outside buildings also depends on the purpose of a given area. Visitor entrances, for example, must be kept polished and presentable to make a good impression. Staff and supplier entrances, on the other hand, just need to be clean enough to prevent dirt from getting into the building. If all the necessary tasks—including regularly cleaning the facades—are planned wisely, the value of the property will be maintained and the building's users will benefit from a pleasant environment.

A person operating a Kärcher walk-behind floor sweeper

Cleaning Outdoor Areas: Cleanliness for Visitors

For visitors, the area outside a building forms their first impression of a place. To keep such spaces clear of dust and dirt, sweepers are the ideal tool—these are available in a range of different designs. Floor scrubbers can also be used in outdoor areas on smooth surfaces made of granite or natural stone.

Green spaces must be kept neat and tidy by means of lawn mowing, as well as trimming small trees and shrubs with battery-powered tools such as brush cutters. In weather that could result in slippery conditions, measures must be taken to remove leaves or snow and ice to ensure pedestrians can walk along surfaces safely.

A person disinfects a door handle with a Kärcher steam cleaner

Another point that visitors often attach importance to is the cleanliness of door handles or surfaces that they come into contact with. We therefore recommend regular checks, as well as surface cleaning and, if necessary, disinfection.

A person cleans a carpet runner in an entrance area using a compact floor sweeper

Bringing the Outdoors In, But Not the Dirt: Cleaning Entrance Areas

Entrance areas are the crux of any cleaning concept for a premises: if these are not kept clean, the job of cleaning inside becomes much more work. The "clean-off zone" should ideally begin outside in the form of coarse dirt mats or grids to remove the worst of the dirt from visitors' footwear. This clean-off zone with dust control mats in the entrance can be kept clean with cordless compact floor sweepers, upright vacuum cleaners, or, in damp weather, wet/dry vacuum cleaners. Not only will this help to keep the interior cleaner, but it will also leave visitors all the more satisfied.