Keeping your parking lot clean is a responsibility that goes a long way. It helps increase a property’s curb appeal and aesthetics to attract more tenants and customers and protect everyone from rodents. In addition, well-kept and tidy parking lots are durable and don’t require frequent repairs.
A property’s curb appeal entails the building and the environment, such as parking. According to a Magazine Realtor report, homes with an inviting exterior sell for an average of 7% more than houses with less attractive exteriors.
It’s crucial to keep your exteriors tidy to make a property attractive. Unfortunately, this can be a hassle when the parking lot is untidy. So, we’ve put together this guide to show you how to keep your parking lot clean. Let’s get to it!
Why You Should Keep Your Parking Lot Clean
Keeping your parking lot clean has tons of benefits, as we’ve already hinted. Therefore, as a business or property owner, you want to make it a routine to keep this place tidy always. That being said, let’s briefly take a deep dive into why you should keep the parking lot clean.
Promote Safety
A clean parking lot promotes safety in many ways. According to Rabbit Air, Oregon has the worst allergy cases. These allergies are primarily caused by dust and pollen and cause watery eyes, running nose, and discomfort.
One of the best ways to curb allergies in Portland is to keep the parking lot clean. This helps prevent over-accumulation of dust and pollen. Also, keep the space free of twigs and plastic materials that promote slipping.
Helps Save Unnecessary Parking Lot Repair Cost
Concrete and asphalt surfaces take a long time to wear out. According to Paving Finder, Asphalt surfaces last between 25 and 30 years. However, an untidy parking lot can quicken wearing out.
The problem is, if it comes to this, you may have to do frequent repairs to keep the parking space in shape. This can be pretty costly in the long run. However, you can avoid it by cleaning the parking lot regularly to free it from dust, stagnant water, and other debris.
Environmental Protection
Environmental protection and conservation are everyone’s collective responsibility. Unfortunately, untidy parking lots can jeopardize efforts to protect the environment when waste materials find their way into waterways. This is why you want to regularly clean your parking lot to protect the environment in general.
Improve Curb Appeal and Overall Aesthetics
A clean parking lot improves curb appeal and overall aesthetics, making the property more attractive and inviting. This should be your goal if you want to increase your home value.
Create First-time Impression on Your Customers and Tenants
The first impression matters all the time, and a clean parking lot can help you win more customers and tenants. Overall, this will increase your conversions and revenue. As a property manager, you can’t afford to get this wrong.
How To Keep Your Parking Lot Clean
The benefits of a clean parking lot are too many to be ignored. That’s why you want to do whatever it takes to maintain a tidy parking lot. So with that said, below are excellent tips on how to keep your parking lot clean.
1. Conduct Regular Inspections
Regular parking lot inspections for cracks and different stains go a long way. This is the way to go to keep the lot well maintained. For example, smaller cracks can become bigger and costly to repair after a while. In addition, grease and oil stains can also accumulate over time and become a hassle to remove. Therefore, it’s best to spot them on time.
2. Improve Stormwater Drainage
Stormwater drainage within and outside the parking lot plays a crucial role in managing excess water. While water helps keep dust at bay, too much of it can mean more harm than good. For example, a poor drainage system encourages water to collect in pools, damaging parking lot surfaces over time. The best way to prevent this is to ensure the drainage system within and outside the parking lot is top-notch.
3. Repair Cracks and Crevices
When you notice small cracks and crevices on your parking lot, the best thing to do is fill them. This is crucial if you want to stop additional damages to your parking lot. The cracks and crevices are likely to increase in size the more people use the parking lot. This is the reason procrastination shouldn’t be found in your vocabulary list.
4. Regularly Clear Debris, Leaves, and Twigs
Debris, leaves, and twigs make the lot untidy and uninviting. Moreover, too much of them at a parking lot affect curb appeal. This is the last thing you want because it can negatively affect your business.
While customers want to come to the commercial property with a clean parking lot, tenants want to live in a property with a clean parking lot. The best part is commercial sweeping using brooms can take care of these debris, leaves, and twigs.
5. Pressure Washing to Remove Grease and Oil Stains
Grease and oils stains are common in parking lots, and too much of them affect curb appeal. One of the best ways to get rid of them is pressure washing. You also want to use baking soda and bleach if working on an asphalt surface parking lot. However, the concrete surface parking lot can use cola and dishwashing liquids to remove grease and oil stains.
6. Clean Mulch and Leaf Stains with Soap and Vinegar
Leaf and mulch stains may appear insignificant when small-sized. However, the stains grow bigger and damage concrete and asphalt parking lots with time. The good news is you can easily remove the stains using easy-to-find cleaning products like soap and vinegar.
7. Apply Sealcoat on Asphalt Parking Lots
After thoroughly cleaning your asphalt parking lot, applying a seal coat on it is advisable. A seal coat helps restore the surface while protecting it from grease, oil, mulch, and leaves stains. The sealant also protects the parking lot from water damage after heavy downpours.
Best Commercial and Residential Cleaners In Portland, OR
A clean parking lot is beneficial in myriad ways. However, while tidying your parking lot can be a hassle, the truth is it doesn’t need to be. So, if you’re wondering how to go about it, this is where PDXP commercial and residential cleaners come to the rescue. We’re the best in Portland and would love to help you out. So, be sure to contact us here for inquiries!
