The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how a lot of people view the world, and especially so how they view the place they call home and it’s immediate surroundings. In the case of condominium and apartment common area janitorial, this can get tricky, as such properties have tens or hundreds of units and residents, and within each there can be any number of common areas that have different purposes.
From lobby areas to lounges, trash rooms to gyms, and outdoor patio spaces, the availability and use of communal areas in apartment complexes have become a place of tension – at least for the time being. With most now open, some residents still feel uneasy about using the spaces and amenities afforded to them at the time of their move-in. This makes your apartment complex’s common area janitorial service very important! Here are some tips to help make your tenants feel at home:
HOA and Apartment Common Area Janitorial: Dirty Floors & Carpeting is Discouraging
Nothing is more discouraging to residents of an apartment complex than dirty floors. Whether the lobby, hallways, communal rooms and common areas are tile, hardwood floor, or carpet, a dirty floor deters residents. The floor is the most used and seen of all aspects of a complex – it’s how residents get from point A to point B!
Make sure to sweep or vacuum tile and hardwood floors daily, and spot-clean and polish semi-frequently as well. In the case of carpeting, be sure to vacuum at least twice a day, and whenever the need arises. Also, consider steam-cleaning your carpets seasonally to keep them looking fresh and inviting.
HOA and Apartment Common Area Janitorial: Same for Windows & Mirrors
Just like flooring, your apartment complex’s windows and mirrors are used and looked at countless times throughout the day by residents. Looking at a dirty, dusty, spatter-filled glass surface will have them suspecting the rest of the building they live in is dirty and contaminated.
A simple maintenance schedule and checklist should help your janitorial employees examine the building’s glass surfaces regularly, and perform the requisite cleaning (which we recommend doing at least twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening).
HOA and Apartment Common Area Janitorial: High-Touch & High-Traffic
High-touch surfaces include door bells, door knobs, door frames, mailboxes, light switches, desks, table surfaces, chairs, elevator buttons, and more. These surfaces need to be disinfected hourly!
Just about every area outside of residential units constitutes high-traffic areas. With that said, a rigorous cleaning and disinfecting schedule should be applied to almost every common area with a focus on those high-touch surfaces!
HOA and Apartment Common Area Janitorial: Disinfect Elevators & Stairways
Elevators and stairways are perhaps the tightest-quartered, communally used parts of an apartment complex. Apart from masks and social distancing, the way to make residents feel at home in either is to disinfect frequently, but to make sure to also make the interior of each flawlessly clean. That means no smudges, smears, dirt and debris on the floor, and smelling fresh!