With September upon us, it means that Spring is now here. The days start getting longer, the sun slowly gets warmer, the flowers will start blooming… It’s time to clear the dust of winter and get your property ready with a thorough spring cleaning!
How did Spring Cleaning begin?
Many cultures have traditions of spring cleaning that reach far back into the distant past. In Iran, the new year, Nowruz, arrives on March 21 and is a time of regeneration, renewal and optimism for Iranians, which includes rituals involving burning, planting, and deep cleaning their houses. In a ritual called called khane tekani (“shaking the house”), the Iranians scour and clean every bit of their homes. Only once the house is shaken can Nowruz – and spring – arrive.
In Jewish custom, Passover (Pesach) is a time of house cleaning as well. For Passover, the Jews adopted unleavened bread (matzah) as a symbolic reminder of overcoming Egyptian subjugation they overcame. In fact, keeping leavened bread (chametz) during Passover is considered such an affront in Jewish culture that even a single crumb is deemed offensive. To prevent accidentally insulting God, Jews scour their homes before Passover to ensure they didn’t miss any bread. Since Passover comes around April, many people consider this custom as the origin of spring cleaning.
Similar to the Iranians, the Chinese clean their homes in anticipation of the Lunar New Year (which occurs shortly after the Gregorian New Year). According to Chinese Folklore, cleaning a house before New Year’s Day will clear the house of any bad fortune that accumulated over the previous year. However, cleaning on New Year’s Day and the following days will clean your house of good luck and wealth that arrived with the New Year. Not only you should avoid cleaning your house during the Lunar New Year, but washing your hair and clothes is also forbidden.
Preparing Your Commercial Property With Spring Cleaning
Many of us know how to do a spring clean for our homes, but getting your commercial building ready for the warmer months can often be a different story. What’s involved with commercial spring cleaning?
Assess Your Property & Identify Safety Concerns
Review the conditions of any walkways, entrances, wheelchair ramps, and outdoor lighting to eliminate potential issues of safety. Cracks on the sidewalk and potholes can often become dangerous as well as a liability. Any fallen tree limbs and leaves caused by winter winds can also become a liability, as well as keep your property from looking its best. No matter what, safety is of utmost importance .
Put Some Life into Your Landscape
As the weather warms, it becomes the perfect time to prune perennials and plant new flowers and shrubs to make your property exude the same charisma and professionalism as your business itself.
- Check existing trees, shrubs and flowerbeds for winter burn and damages. Plan to repair any damage made to any turf in high-traffic areas or areas.
- Checking for diseased plants should also be a priority. Diseased plants can spread their disease to other plants and easily destroy a large area very quickly.
- Make sure to apply a fresh layer of mulch because winter can cause old mulch to break down. Adding new mulch will give your garden beds a much cleaner look, preventing weed growth and accentuating the blooming flowers and plants.
Clear Your Gutters
Spring cleaning is the perfect time to get your roof guttering and downpipes cleared of leaves and debris. By clearing your gutters, you will greatly reduce the risk of flooding and structural water damage that could result from a heavy downpour. Blocked downpipes can potentially cause thousands of dollars in damage to the plaster and interior of your property due to water damage from poor roof drainage.
For most homes and commercial buildings, the roof gutters should only need a thorough cleaning once every 12 months. Be sure to make clearing your gutters part of your spring cleaning schedule.
Freshen Your Property’s Exterior
Spring’s sunny days is the best time of the year to get all your painting jobs completed. The warmer weather helps paint dry, but it is not hot enough that the paint dries up too quickly, leaving unwanted cracks.
Winter rains and winds can leave streaks of dirt across your windows, especially for higher windows in taller buildings. A thorough window clean can clear your windows of any accumulated dust and grime, leaving your building gleaming and giving your employees a clear look to the beautiful spring landscape and warm sunshine outside.
Schedule An HVAC Service
Commercial HVAC systems are used constantly to consistently and reliably provide heating and cooling for a large space. To check that your HVAC system is in good working in preparation for hot summer temperatures after using it to warm your property during winter, arrange to service your system by a knowledgeable HVAC professional every spring as part of your spring cleaning routine. This will improve efficiency, reduce equipment and maintenance costs, and improve indoor air quality.
Maintain any Water Drainage or Irrigation Systems
Winter time can cause damage to water systems, increasing the chances of cracked or burst pipes, rust, and more. A poorly maintained drainage or irrigation system can greatly compromise the safety and integrity of your property, from tripping hazards and flooding to underwatering and/or hardscape damage. Stagnant water can also present a severe risk to virus and disease control as it provides ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes carrying vector-borne diseases.
Make a routine irrigation inspection part of your spring cleaning routine to avoid accumulating issues and risks with your drainage or irrigation systems overtime.
“A clean place is a safe place.” – Anonymous
Feeling Overwhelmed?
Still not sure about how to start with commercial spring cleaning? Let us at Star Property help you with your spring cleaning so that you can rest easy knowing that your property is as ready as it can be as the warmer months begin.