NeglectGarage Cleaning at Your Peril


BY SCOTT STONE


put off or delay cleaning, thinking they are saving themoney that it would normally cost for this part of garage maintenance. They do not stop to realize the potential liabilities and hazards of hav- ing a dirty, poorlymaintained garage. Regular maintenance will make your garage more popular


O


and desirable for future customers. Even if you have customers on a subscription program, they will be more likely to refer you to colleagues and co-workers if your garage is clean and well- maintained. Often, parking garages are neglected and have large oil spots


on the floors, urine trails and filth from dirt buildup. This causes many concerns for the parking garage operator. The first concern is safety.Anytime you have the public in


an area, there are liability problems. These could be slips and falls, and tracking oil, dirt and debris into their prized vehicle. Also, there are health concerns, including urine and feces


that might be in the garage, particularly a public one. In my 20 years of cleaning parking garages, I have not found a single garage that did not have urine stains in it. Curb appeal is what could drive the selection of a garage.


With the thousands spent on architecture to make a parking garage appealing, it becomes even more important to keep it clean and sanitary.


NE OFTHE BIGGEST CONCERNS in any industry is public appearance and perception.


Garage operators, in an effort to save some money, or through neglect, often will


Some of theminimumgarage- cleaning requirements are:


1. 5.5 GPMat 3000 PSI hot pressure washer. The hotter the water the contractor is able to generate with his equipment, themore easily he will be able to remove oil and other deposits fromyour garage floor.


2. Some sort of recovery system. These are readily available to the serious contractor and should include some sort of filtration system so the water can be disposed legally down the sanitary sewer.


3. Documentation process for waste disposal, which includes the filtrationmedia. This is part of federal guidelines for “cradle to grave” responsibility.


4. A safety plan. This is particularly important for a “live” garage, because of the traffic there.


5. A work plan. This will demonstrate that the contractor has actually thought through the cleaning process for your particular garage.


Few people will go into any place of business with a poor


street appearance. Even if you are able to have a customer the first time, it is difficult to get them to return the next time they Continued on Page 22


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JULY 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


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