Commercial cleaning... areas that might get overlooked

1/9/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of South Fleming Island / North Bradford County is here to help! We go above and beyond to create happy customers! 904-290-4040

Commercial Cleaning – Don’t forget the Area Above the Ceiling!

It’s a common practice for many hotels, restaurants, and healthcare facilities to plan and budget for hiring a commercial cleaning company for quarterly, semi-annual, or annual cleaning of carpets, floors, and even equipment, to ensure that their guests, residents, patients, and even visiting family members will not only enjoy and provide favorable reviews about their experience, but also that they will not be exposed to any potential health hazards because of the proactive measures that were taken.

At times though, during this planning process, one area that can get overlooked, is above the drop ceiling in the kitchens, dietary, dining, and possibly even patient service areas.  There are several reasons these areas can be so critical.

1. There is typically more heat in many of these areas, due to the equipment in use, as well as moisture from hot water and steam from dish machines, etc…
2. Pests are attracted to these areas because of the smells, food and nesting materials they can find, and the darkness and lack of activity.

Contamination from rodent hairs, urine, and feces, is a concern and not to mention the damage they can do from gnawing on electrical wires and other parts of the structure.

And while it may be a common practice for these types of facilities to require their pest control providers to visually inspect the ceilings during their visits and to document any evidence of any of these issues, there is often a disconnect as to who should be responsible for cleaning up what is found.  Very often the documented issues that are found are not taken care of because the pest provider does not offer that type of cleanup service, and the facility itself does not have the manpower or expertise to effectively address these types of issues.

So, the area could remain contaminated, which could contribute to the possibility of several problems:

1. Any maintenance that requires removal of any ceiling tiles could expose the workers and employees to possible health issues related to rodent contamination.
2. Food safety could be compromised below the affected areas
3. Rodent issues could develop to the point where customers or employees start to see live rodents, because the pest company was unable to determine if there was ongoing activity in the building because the original evidence that was documented was never cleaned up!

So, what does all of this have to do with SERVPRO?  Well, I’ll tell you…SERVPRO not only has a team of service professionals capable of quarterly, semi-annual, or annual cleaning of the floors, carpets, equipment, and even walls, but they also have their own products for cleaning and disinfecting the area above the ceiling. Not only that; they are experts at identifying water damage and mold, so while they are working above your ceiling, they can also determine if there are any areas where mold be growing, or water leaks may be evident.

This is a proactive service that while it may not be visible to your guests, residents, visiting family members, and even your own valued employees; it could be more valuable for the protection of “your brand” than any of the other services mentioned.

Why? Because no one wants to find out after the fact that…

1. You have a rodent issue that is being seen by your customers or employees (and of course, posted on social media), that may have been prevented, because your pest technician noticed new evidence of pest activity, because the old evidence had been removed with the last cleaning.
2. Mold can cause health effects. 

So, while SERVPRO will not provide any type of rodent or pest control/elimination service, nor give any recommendations as to how to prevent such issues, we will proactively provide the cleaning of these critical areas, so that you can

• Get more accurate reporting and better service from your pest program provider because you have provided a clean environment in a key area, where any new activity can be recognized and addressed.
• Proactively monitor this critical area and minimize any damage that might be caused by water leaks; such as the development of mold, weakening of the structural integrity of the building due to excessive moisture, or even ceiling tile replacement due to water damage.

While it is true that many of the services SERVPRO offers are reactive in nature, and that our goal is to be, Faster to any Disaster and to make it "Like it never even happened," it’s also true that, “An Ounce of Prevention, is Worth a Pound of Cure!”  That is especially true when it comes to “Brand Protection.”

YOUR BRAND IS WORTH PROTECTING! Let SERVPRO help you make sure that nothing is overlooked… (904) 290-4040

Not even the area: ABOVE THE CEILING!