For all business owners, cleanliness should be at the top of the agenda. If your space is not clean and well-maintained it poses major health and safety issues, and this could seriously damage your reputation.
For businesses that have a large portion of their assets outside - i.e. a restaurant with alfresco dining, a hotel with gardens, a leisure centre with a children’s outdoor play area, a gym with an outdoor pool, etc. - it can prove difficult to maintain a clean outdoor space.
There are many elements to consider when it comes to keeping an outdoor space clean, and if you’re in need of some tips, we have some ideas for you.
Hire a professional landscaper
If your business has a garden space - big or small - it can sometimes feel overwhelming to keep on top of it, especially as the seasons change. The condition of a garden can have a huge impact on its overall look and feel, and this is problematic if, for example, a hotel is in pristine condition indoors, but its exterior is a little unruly. This may be a bad first impression for guests and wrongly signal to them that the hotel isn’t as top quality as it perhaps is.
Before you begin organising or clearing out your outdoor space, you must first tend to it. Your garden may be super organised, but if the plots, shrubbery, trees or lawn is neglected, the organisation is redundant.
If your gardens are too much for you to maintain by yourself, it may be worth hiring a professional landscaper to prune and trim it on a regular basis and get it looking its best. They may even suggest planting some new flowers or trees to really make it shine, or may even suggest incorporating some impressive centrepieces, like a water fountain.
Giving your outdoor space a spruce will really increase the value of your business, so hiring a landscaper to do it properly is a great investment.
Keep a lookout for moss
Though moss itself is not dangerous, it has the ability to retain moisture. This problematic because it means it will encourage mould and can create a slippery surface, which is a major health and safety concern, especially for businesses that have paved areas.
To keep your outdoor space free of moss, follow these 3 simple tricks.
1. Boil the kettle and pour the boiling water over the moss to kill it.
2. Mix a 5:1 ratio of water and vinegar, and add a handful of salt. Brush the solution over the moss and when it’s a dry sweep it away using a broom.
3. Use a high-pressure cleaner to clean paved areas that have a bad moss infestation.
Don’t allow moss to get out of hand. As soon as you spot some in your commercial space, you should take immediate measures to get rid of it.
Get an industrial floor cleaner
If your commercial businesses utilise a large outdoor space, you should consider getting commercial cleaning equipment. Industrial floor cleaners are perfect for a range of public and commercial facilities, including restaurants, hospitals, shops, shopping centres, hotels, factories, warehouses, car parks, schools, airports, construction sites and other public spaces.
The benefits of industrial cleaners are simple: they are easy to use, they are efficient, they don’t require manual pushing or pulling, they have exceptional maneuverability and they can get the job done quickly.
The type of industrial cleaner you should choose depends on the size of your facility and the needs of your facility (i.e. does it need a deep clean or a simple spruce?). For most larger outdoor spaces, a Ride On Sweeper or a Ride On Scrubber is adequate. They are powerful enough to thoroughly clean, sweep and scrub all manner of outdoor surfaces, including playgrounds, garden patios, car parks, warehouses, etc.
Industrial cleaners are also available in different sizes to suit the job at hand and can be either battery, petrol, LPG or diesel-powered. Consider road sweeper to keep your outdoor space clean and safe.
5 quick outdoor cleaning tips
Finally, heed these quick and easy tips to ensure your outdoor space remains spick and span all year round.
1. Sweep your outdoor space regularly to avoid a build-up of natural debris, like twigs and leaves
2. Clean out the guttering on a regular basis
3. Store garden furniture, like chairs, tables and umbrellas, out of the weather to prevent rusting or damage (i.e. in a shed or warehouse)
4. Use a stiff broom to sweep outdoor surfaces instead of a hose
5. Get a hose reel to effectively store your hose on to prevent damage (kinks and knots) so that it lasts longer
Conclusion
Commercial businesses that make use of an outdoor space, or that keep their assets outdoors, must be diligent when it comes to cleaning. If they don’t, they may risk breaking health and safety laws, damaging their reputation and integrity, or may even risk damaging their assets. By following these tips - enlisting the expertise of a professional landscaper to assist with garden maintenance, keeping an eye out for moss infestation and destroying it immediately, and investing in an industrial cleaner - businesses can better represent themselves and protect their assets.
