Derby Cladding Cleaner
We at Morris Cleaning, have created a handy guide to cladding cleaning including:
- An introduction to cladding cleaning.
- Best practices for cladding maintenance.
- Common challenges in cladding cleaning.
- Different cleaning techniques.
Cladding Cleaning: Tips for Maintaining your Exterior Surface
Introduction to Cladding Cleaning
The exterior façade of a building is the first thing your customers, visitors, and potential employees see when they come to your business. Therefore, to give them a great first impression it is essential that the exterior looks at its best.
Commercial cladding protects buildings, and can enhance the appearance of commercial properties. It can, however, become drab, and dirty because of exposure to pollution, different weather conditions, and dirt. It is important therefore to maintain, and clean the cladding regularly. This will ensure your commercial property remains, clean, and in top condition. This can enhance your professional image.
There are many different types of cladding such as stone, plastic, and timber. All these varieties of commercial cladding benefit from regular professional cleaning.
Why Choose a Professional Cleaning Company?
Commercial cladding often covers a large area, and therefore requires the use of specialist equipment. Professional cleaning companies should have equipment such as cherry pickers, and the training to use them safely, and effectively. They should be fully insured to use this equipment, giving you, the customer peace of mind.
Professional cleaning companies should do an extensive inspection of your cladding before the cleaning process begins. They can then decide what method of cleaning is most appropriate for the cladding, and begin to prepare the area. They should also ensure that the surrounding area is protected whilst the cleaning process is ongoing.
Morris Cleaning offers a professional cladding cleaning service. All our staff are fully trained in using specialist equipment safely. We have all the equipment needed for working at heights, and cleaning large areas. All our work is fully insured.
Best Practices for Cladding Maintenance
Regular cladding maintenance is essential to ensure its integrity, and longevity. This helps business owners avoid expensive repairs, and that the cladding performs at its best.
So, what can a business owner do to maintain their cladding?
- Regular cleaning – this is important as it helps protect the cladding, and its appearance. Using a professional cleaning company is vital, as these companies have the expertise to eliminate dirt, grime, organic material, and pollutants. They will operate in a way that does not damage the cladding.
- Regular inspections – Regular inspections should be carried out to help recognise signs of wear, damage, or other issues, meaning you can take any necessary steps to stop these issues from escalating.
- Repairs should be done promptly – damage should be repaired as quickly as possible. This helps stop further damage, and the building maintains its integrity. A professional repair company should be able to solve issues such as dents, cracks, or loose panels successfully.
- Proper ventilation – maintaining proper ventilation is important as this reduces the chance of any moisture buildup beneath the cladding. The correct airflow helps stop condensation, which can cause issues such as mould or rotting. A professional who specialises in this should be able to identify any ventilation issues, and correct them.
- Resistant cladding – resistant cladding materials help protect from issues such as weather damage, pollutants, and physical damage. Consult your contractors as they will be able to advise you on this. High-quality, long-lasting cladding material should be an investment that will pay you dividends in the long term. It can also reduce maintenance costs.
So, if you follow the above advice, you can help keep the appearance, longevity, and performance of your cladding at its best. Of course, working with a professional cleaning company ensures your cladding is cared for correctly, helping to preserve your investment and enhance the value of your property.
Common Challenges when Cleaning Cladding
There are many challenges that professional cleaning companies face when cleaning commercial cladding. Some of these challenges include:
- The fact that many commercial and industrial properties have a high footfall. Therefore, awareness of customers, workers, and visitors around the site that is being cleaned is imperative. Safety measures must be put in place, and a risk assessment of the surrounding area should be carried out. Safety signage must be prominently placed to keep everyone safe.
- Many properties have large cladding areas, and cleaning may involve working at height. Therefore, specialist equipment, and personal protective equipment must be used to keep operatives safe.
- Due to the structure of some cladding, dirt, mould, and grime may be in hard-to-reach places. So, specialist cleaning equipment should be used to maximise the cleaning potential.
- There may also be vehicles moving on some of these sites. So, safety measures must be put in place to avoid potential accidents happening. Perhaps, diverting traffic from the area whilst cleaning is taking place.
So, professional cleaning companies face many challenges when cleaning commercial cladding. They should have the relevant expertise to cope with these challenges.
Cleaning Techniques used in Cladding Cleaning
There are 3 main methods for cleaning cladding, they are:
- Pressure washing.
- Soft washing.
- Chemical cleaning.
Pressure Washing
Pressure washing – this is a great method for cleaning commercial cladding, and it is essential to apply the right pressure to avoid damage. At Morris Cleaning, we use van-mounted pressure washers to clean your cladding.
Our team has the expertise to know when to use high pressure, and when to lower the pressure, depending on the type of cladding you have. We also know whether steam, hot or cold water is required. We do this, as different types of surfaces, and materials need different temperatures. We can also advise you about alternative cleaning methods if we think your cladding is not suitable for pressure washing.
Steam cleaning offers the best option for the removal of organic matter, such as moss and algae. If there is any carbon staining, we may recommend the use of a bio-degradable chemical which is applied using a brush.
Soft Water Cleaning
This method of cleaning uses low-pressure, and eco-friendly chemicals to eliminate dirt, grime, and stains from cladding. This technique is a gentle way of cleaning, and prevents damage to delicate materials such as aluminium but, still delivers excellent cleaning results.
The combined use of eco-friendly chemicals, and low pressure removes the build-up of algae but does not damage the cladding. Additionally, it helps prevent further build-up by killing the spores.
Soft water cleaning is less harsh on the environment as it uses less water, and eco-friendly chemicals.
Soft water cleaning prevents the regrowth of moss, and algae. It also penetrates hard-to-reach areas of your cladding that other methods find hard to reach.
Chemical Cleaning
Although there are chemical cleaning solutions available for cleaning cladding, we do not recommend the use of any harsh chemicals, as these can damage the surface of your cladding.