Ah, summer, sand between our toes, the sun’s warm rays on our shoulders, the smell of the grill and the long days that promise to go on forever. It often seems, or at least many of us would like to believe, that summer’s days are truly never ending. Yet, before you know it, those long summer days come to a close, the weather turns cooler, kids return to school, summer turns to fall and the long, cold, wet winters that Michigan is famous for bellows in to add a million things to your already full plate. It can be difficult to address these problems in fall and even spring with wet weather and the bustling, busy season in full swing. So, summer’s natural slow down and vacation time offers an opportunity to give your facility a truly deep cleaning and to tackle those maintenance tasks that you simply couldn’t before. Getting a head start on preventative maintenance and cleaning can be the best way to prepare for the full swing to ‘back to business’ that so often happens in fall. So, what can you and your commercial building maintenance company do to take full advantage of summer?
One of the biggest challenges that winter presents is the damage it does to the exterior of building. Not only can constant rain and snow damage your building’s exterior, it can make it difficult to spot and address the problems it causes allowing them to bloom into much larger, much more expensive future fixes. The best way to avoid this is to, whenever weather permits, inspect fences, gates, gutters, siding and your building’s roof. Check landscaping to be sure everything is operating as intended and that any needed maintenance is done. A seasoned, professional Michigan Building Services Contractor can help take that burden from you and inspect these crucial areas for you. Having a professional that knows what to look for and how to address problems can greatly extend the expensive assets of your building like roofs and windows. Finding a problem when it is still a minor one, will always be cheaper than finding it later after it has gotten out of control. So, during summer be sure to address key areas like: carpentry repairs, concrete and stucco repair, wood replacement and power washing.
Summer’s warmer temperatures, dryer weather and reduced traffic can make it a good time to attend to some deep floor and carpet cleaning. Low moisture carpet cleaning methods like the Whittaker System Carpet cleaning can be done nearly any time with minimal down time. And truck mounted hot water extraction carpet cleaning can remove soils, bio-pollutants and other grime and allergens that wear carpet, diminish your facility’s appearance and downgrade indoor air quality. And perhaps, your hard flooring is also in need of some TLC. Are scuffs, dings dirt, grime and dullness making your flooring look less than appealing? Summer is still the best time to address repairs and cleaning for it. Does your commercial handyman service offer cleaning, polishing, stripping, waxing, and other repair services that are needed to keep your floors looking new and polished? If not, it may be time to inquire into a building services contractor that offers preventive maintenance packages, special cleanings and even complete refurbishing.
Why is it that every HVAC system decides to stop working on the *hottest* day of summer? It is an unanswerable mystery. What isn’t a mystery, however, is how to avoid the summer rush to fix air conditioning problems. First, make sure that you schedule routine service before you and everyone else need them on the first 114-degree day of summer. Next, contact your building services or cleaning company about preventative maintenance so that when your HVAC system inevitably breaks you skip to the head of the line for repairs. Regularly scheduled maintenance and inspection will always keep your HVAC system in better condition and save you from the quadrupled price of an emergency repair in the middle of August. This way you can keep your building at a comfortable temperature all summer at a comfortable price for your budgets.
While we should all live by the creed “never judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to deciding where we do business or how we see a business, perhaps it's best we’re a little judgmental. So is your building’s exterior sending the right message to potential customers, employees, tenants, the community, employees or student’s parents? Summer offers an opportunity to paint the inside and outside of your building, giving your facility and instant, affordable makeover, refresh and update. And if you are looking for specialized commercial and industrial painting including things like: special coatings, finishes, textured coatings, multi-color spray applications, electrostatic painting, paver and deck sealing and more, many professional janitorial companies, painting companies and building services contractors offer a myriad of services to fit the needs of your facility.
If your planning on remodeling or doing construction on your facility, it’s worth inquiring with your Michigan commercial building maintenance company if they can help. Many building services companies offer services like wall mounting, fixture/furniture moving, light fixture installations, office furniture moving, remodels/alterations, lighting retrofits, studs and drywall, not to mention basic electrical and plumbing services. Perhaps even more attractively, many of these companies will also deal with post construction cleaning so you don’t have to.
There are three types of building maintenance service that you should be aware of so that you can pick the one that fits your facility best: on site maintenance, multi-facility maintenance and on-demand maintenance.
On-Site Building Maintenance:
A building that is outfitted with on-site maintenance has the advantage of having an around-the-clock staff dedicated to keeping your facility in its best operating condition. Having this type of maintenance is often necessary in larger facilities where problems can compound quickly, especially with regard to mechanical and electrical systems. Further, in larger facilities, having a staff that is familiar with its needs is often the most effective way to quickly address problems.
Multi-Facility Building Maintenance:
This style of maintenance puts a single building service contractor in charge of facilities across numerous locations. This way, you only have to go through one company when addressing different facilities needs often making service more effective and affordable.
On-Demand Maintenance:
This service often goes by the name “Commercial Handyman Service”. This type of Maintenance is often best for facilities that may not have the budget or workload for an on-site team of technicians but still needs factional service with a commercial building service provider that is familiar with their facility and its needs. You can use services as you need them while still having a relationship with a single provider so that your needs are always put first.
Not matter what the needs of your facility happen to be, summer is the ideal time to attack that to do list and get your building ready for the coming year. Many if not all janitorial service companies and commercial cleaning companies provide such services. Make sure to ask you Building Services Company how they can help you make the most of the summer months to get and keep your facility looking its very best now and for many seasons to come.