Sadly, there are many buildings that have either been left dirty for too long or have been cleaned using the incorrect methods. For you a building may be your company’s Gebäudereinigung largest asset, so why has it been neglected for so long?

What your reason for getting your building cleaned

No matter what your reason for getting your building cleaned, it’s vital that you get the best solution that will protect your asset for years to come. It’s important that the approach is proactive rather than reactive; research shows that most buildings are subject to a 5-10 year cleaning cycle which may be futile for a building that is deteriorating. It’s this accumulating damage that leads to rising maintenance costs as well as larger, more disruptive projects.

It’s difficult to know where to start when you’re faced with a multitude of service providers all offering different solutions to solve your building soiling issues. Whilst looking for a building cleaning solution you may have been bombarded by ‘experts’ with boundless knowledge on the benefits of sandblasting or jet washing, but how do you know what’s right for your building?

Like us humans, buildings require TLC that’s tailored to their material and soiling issues – if you’re going to remember one thing, remember this: there’s NO ‘one size fits all’ approach to getting your building cleaned.

The Power Of Preparation

When you think about your own business, what’s the first thing you need from a client? As much information as possible! So, when you’re considering having your building cleaned/restored, it’s sometimes useful to go back to basics and collate as much info as possible about your building.

This may help you get some clarity about what it is you’re looking for, and ultimately help you to achieve the right solution for your company and your building.

Here’s a simple check list you might find useful when approaching prospective service providers:

1. Building use – it’s important to know the function of a building, as this may affect the way a service provider tackles the project. For example if it’s a hospital it may require some out of hours work or there may be strict guidelines about the use of chemicals in the immediate vicinity.
2. Building age – has it been cleaned before? This will affect not only the building’s current state, but also how it’s likely to weather in the future. Remember, sometimes buildings are left dirty for too long so it’s important that you’re realistic about what kind of result is achievable.
3. Building fabric – this may seem obvious but it’s important to know what materials the building is composed of in order that the appropriate cleaning methods can be used.
4. Specification – you may already have one or you may have been given the task of creating one. This can take the form of a simple but detailed outline of the more specific project requirements e.g. restoration of a stone door way involving minor stone repairs or you need a complete solution and access strategy for a restoration project. It can be as detailed as you want; any good service provider will take your specification document on board when considering the project investment cost.
5. Why does it need cleaning? This may be something more complex than “because it’s dirty”. A prospective service provider may ask what the drivers are – whether it be part of a brand enhancement strategy or in anticipation of a head office visit, all of your reasons are as valid as each other.

Now that you’re armed with a killer check list, hopefully the task of procuring building cleaning/restoration doesn’t seem so daunting. It’s about giving the service provider as Gebäudereinigung much information as possible so that you can achieve the results you want and therefore INCREASE your asset’s value and ROI.

How To Eliminate Confusion And Doubt

After speaking to a number of façade cleaning companies, you may be finding it difficult to gauge which service provider is going to give you the best results. One company has suggested sandblasting, whilst another has suggested jet washing… where do you go from here and how do you know whose suggestion is the most suitable for your building?

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