The majority of apartment complexes in the world today use trash chutes, and it’s easy to see why. Trash chutes are an efficient, quick way of getting rid of an apartment’s trash. For the most part, trash chutes are a great addition to an apartment building and are a must-have for many residents.
Just like everything else, though, trash chutes have their downsides. These downsides are especially apparent when a trash chute is unkempt and can come in forms that range from an inconvenient smell to a life-threatening disease.
In order to prevent issues like these, all apartment managers should invest in consistent trash chute cleaning. Here are just a few reasons why regular cleanings are important for the health and comfort of your residents, as well as your apartment as a whole.
1. Grease Fires
While grease fires usually occur in the kitchen, they have become increasingly prevalent in trash chutes. When grease leaks out of a garbage bag and onto the sides of a chute, the fire hazard is there. All that is needed is some overheating and the grease will catch fire and risk the lives of those in your building.
It is almost impossible to prevent grease from spilling onto the edges of your trash chute. What you can do, though, is invest in trash chute cleaning.
Most professional chute cleaning services will include a removal of harmful substances from the side of the chute as part of the service. This cleaning of harmful grease will significantly reduce your risk of grease fires and will prevent any dangers in the long run.
2. Air Quality
While the smell of a trash chute is never pleasant, it is just one of many issues that neglecting your trash chute can lead to. An unpleasant odor is a real inconvenience to your residents and can be part of many complaints that they may bring up to your management.
But, foul odor coming from the trash chute may signal and even larger underlying issue. Oftentimes, a bad odor is the first sign of bacteria traveling through the air. This bacteria can directly impact residents of the building and can have many negative health consequences.
The issue with trash chutes is that the primary form of waste is organic waste, which makes the chute a breeding ground for harmful pathogens that can enter through the respiratory system. This can have many impacts on your residents, from worsening asthma to creating new health issues.
With a good trash chute cleaning, many air quality issues are no longer relevant. Professional services will use disinfectant supplies that will kill many harmful bacterias that may cause sickness and will remove the organic material that these viruses grow on.
3. Pest Infestation
While most residents like to limit their time near trash chutes, some organisms tend to thrive in them. Rats and other pests such as bugs are attracted to trash chutes because of the easy access to food and the possibility of using the trash chutes as a nesting place.
While vermin like these are primarily unpleasant, they also bring many issues with them. They can cause structural damage to the walls of your apartment and can bring health concerns to your residents. This makes them an issue to both yourself and your residents, and they are certainly not a welcome guest.
With a deep trash chute cleaning, these pest issues will be a thing of the past. Professional companies will not only get rid of any food waste that trash services may have ignored, but it will also sanitize the area to make it unpleasant for any pests to live in or around the chute.
4. Unnecessary Trash Buildup
Unfortunately, not all the services related to trash chutes are efficient. When it comes to removing trash from the trash chute, some trash may be stuck to the sides or may seem impossible to get out. Trash pickup services may also neglect to remove the trash that your residents have dumped, and may build up over time.
In order to fully remove all the trash from your trash chute, it is necessary to get a proper cleaning. With this cleaning, all the leftover trash that your chute may have seen over time will be gone. This will truly be a transformative effort for your apartment complex as it will have many positive impacts.
By removing the extra trash buildup, cleaning services will be getting rid of any possibilities of bacteria buildup. This extra trash removal will also dispose of any trash that may have been attracting rodents and other pests to the chute.
5. Extending the Life of Your Trash Chute
As with many other appliances around your home, a clean and well-kept trash chute will have a longer lifespan than a dirty one. Through all the trash that residents throw down a trash chute, it is vital to the success of a building that the chute is reliable. A cleaning will ensure just that.
With a proper trash chute cleaning, many materials that may damage the structural integrity of a trash chute will be taken care of. From corroding chemicals to damaging liquids, a dirty trash chute will have a significantly lower lifespan.
With a professional cleaning, the removal of damaging materials will be of first priority. This will ensure that your trash chute will be structurally intact for a longer time, and you and your residents will be able to rest easy knowing that your trash chute will stay reliable.
Do You Need a Trash Chute Cleaning?
For the most part, experts advise that trash chutes should be cleaned twice a year, once during the summer and once before the holidays. This will ensure a clean, reliable trash chute for your residents and will put your worries at ease.
If your trash chute is requiring some deep sanitizing and the smells coming out of it are absolutely putrid, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free estimate and to schedule a cleaning. Your residents and workers will be sure glad that you did!
