Asset preservation tips for facility managers of commercial buildings

All of these duties relate directly to the preservation of the commercial building and its assets. Some of those assets include the hard surface flooring, carpeting and woodwork. The assets within the building have a life expectancy, but are you ensuring that they’re meeting (or exceeding) their anticipated life span? Here are some tips that will contribute to your building’s asset preservation, saving time and money in the long run.

Asset Preservation: Carpet

Carpeting is a big investment, particularly if you’ve got a lot of square footage to cover. There are many different grades of carpet available at many different price points, but regardless of the choice you make, it’s a big expenditure. It’s in your best interest to make the carpet last as long as possible, so you don’t have to drop a lot of cash replacing it earlier than you anticipated.

Your janitorial service might be doing the daily cleaning, but are they equipped to do the maintenance that will help extend the life of your carpets? A good service will not only offer yearly deep cleaning, but they’ll provide a schedule for periodic maintenance cleaning for high traffic areas that become quickly soiled. By scheduling the maintenance and pricing it out ahead of time, you will be able to budget accordingly.

Asset Preservation: Hard Floor Surfaces

Hard floors can last for many years when they’re cared for properly. If you don’t maintain them properly, it will cost a bundle to replace, especially if it’s high end flooring such as granite or marble. Your janitorial service should be able to help you keep your hard floors clean and free of debris, and offer suggestions to protect them from traffic and wear and tear.

When you’re choosing a janitorial service, be sure that they’re properly trained in hard floor care. Your service should have the right equipment to care for a variety of hard floor surfaces, including:

• Ceramic tile
• Stone
• Concrete
• VCT tile
• Rubber
• Vinyl
• Wood

Asset Preservation: Windows

Maintaining your building’s window goes beyond appearance. Of course, you want them to look clean, but you also want them to last for years to come. Failure to properly clean the tracks, seals, and frames can result in degeneration, which might result in costly repairs and an increase in your energy bills. In addition, if your landscape company allows sprinklers to spray windows regularly, you can end up with hard water stains that eventually pit the windows, which no amount of cleaning can fix.

Your windows are visible to anyone walking past your building; it’s important that you make a positive impression on passers-by as well as people who come inside. A janitorial service should utilize top-of-the-line equipment to keep your windows in great shape for years to come, preventing the need to replace them prematurely.

Preserving Additional Assets

Your windows and floors might be the top of your asset preservation list, but they’re not where it ends. Consider the following:

Wood Surfaces — From baseboards to built-ins, your wood surfaces should be carefully cared for; a qualified, well-trained janitorial service will not just keep them dust-free, but also maintain their natural beauty with the proper cleaners, preventing cracking and damage.

Upholstery — Your furniture and draperies should be regularly deep-cleaned to eliminate the need to replace them frequently; in addition to standard wear-and-tear, there are some pieces that get more use than others.

For example, the chairs in your reception areas probably get more use than the rarely-visited conference room. Your janitorial service can make a schedule for deep cleaning that will ensure that the spots that get the most use will be cleaned with greater frequency.

Stone and Marble Surfaces — If your building has stone or marble surfaces, you need a service that understands the unique methods that will preserve and protect your surfaces for years to come. Trained janitorial staff will know that natural stone and marble requires specialty cleansers as well as gentle treatment with soft cloths. They’ll keep your surfaces free from scratches and other abrasions that can detract from the appearance.

Stainless Steel Surfaces— Stainless steel requires very particular handling, and your janitorial service should understand the proper way to clean it. Stainless steel sinks, refrigerators, drinking fountains, and elevators can be damaged when cleaners don’t use techniques that are specific to the material to get the job done. Certain cleaning supplies might scratch or permanently dull the finish, shortening the lifespan of the item; additionally, failure to properly clean sinks or drinking fountains can result in hard water deposits.

It’s vital that you preserve your investment by partnering with a janitorial service that will not just keep it clean, but also help you to create a schedule for more intensive maintenance that will put you on the path of proper asset preservation. Contact us today for more information about the importance of regular maintenance.