Clean & Polish Building Solutions Blog

Why Don’t My Windows Look Clean?

If your building's windows look streaky and/or dirty after they've been thoroughly washed, the issue may be more complex than you first thought. Unlike pollen, smoke, pollution, dirt or other surface substances, these stubborn whitish streaks could actually be caused by the substrate surrounding the window rather than an outside factor. Learn about what could be creating these problems for your building.

What You Need To Know About Tuckpointing

Facilities made of brick and stone are particularly attractive for building owners because they require relatively little maintenance. In fact, brick facades can last hundreds of years without requiring major repairs. But building managers should keep in mind that even the sturdiest brick structure will require upkeep from time to time.

What Should You Do When Your Facade Fails?

Your facade is the face of your building. It should enhance the look of the rest of your structure, welcome tenants and impress passersby. In addition to improving the appearance, some facades are load-bearing and are critical to the structural integrity of your building.

What Is Efflorescence And How Can You Get Rid Of It?

There are few things more frustrating than spending time, money and effort keeping your building in good shape, only to show up one day and find that your work has been undone. If you’re a facility manager and you notice an unsightly white residue forming on your windows and building exterior, it can feel like your maintenance and custodial efforts are being undermined right under your nose.

What Is Your Building Envelope And How Can You Improve It?

The term "building envelope" gets thrown around frequently when discussing energy usage and building security. Although it's become a common term, many people don't know exactly what it encompasses. However, the building envelope is an increasing important aspect of any commercial or residential building. As the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions noted, commercial and residential buildings such as offices and apartments make up about 40 percent of the energy usage in the U.S. Within this energy consumption, heating and cooling make up the largest portion, especially in residential structures.

Want To Improve Your Energy Efficiency Look To Your Building Exterior?

With winter in full swing, all of a sudden energy efficiency is jumping to the top of the list of major concerns for facility managers and building administrators. Few aspects of a building’s operation cost as much as power consumption, and if you aren’t proactive, you’re likely to find yourself facing some enormous utility bills.

Tips For Cleaning And Maintaining Your Exterior Stone

Stone can be an excellent exterior material for a professional office building or a residential structure. If your building is in the middle of the city, a stone exterior or facade can help separate it from all of the steel and glass structures nearby. In more suburban business parks, stone can be a nice touch to help your building complement its natural surroundings better.

Time To Spring Clean Your Building

With the weather in the eastern U.S. finally warming up and winter officially gone, it's time for building and facility managers to do a little spring cleaning. While the practice of spring cleaning usually refers to tidying up at home, it can absolutely apply to commercial properties.

The Risks Of Waterproof Coating On Your Building

Keeping water outside of your building is a critical part of any building or property manager’s job. If water leaks through your walls or windows it can quickly lead to water damage or mold. These dangers can then create expensive repairs, mold or mildew, and tenant discomfort.

The Importance Of Facade Sealing And Cleaning

The facade is the face of your building. It's one of the only aspects of your structure that isn't designed for function – it's purely there to enhance the look and appeal of your building. However, when left alone, the facade can quickly fall into disrepair.

The Benefits Of Exterior Building Maintenance

Maintaining the exterior of a building can pay off in more way than one. With regular maintenance, thorough cleaning and strategic repairs, you can add years to the life of your building, keep tenants happy and prevent more costly damage. Explore some of the specific benefits that different forms of exterior maintenance can have on your building.

Should You Repair Or Replace Your Buildings Windows?

Windows are a critical part of the look, feel and structure of your office, commercial or residential building. However, over time, any building will experience damage to its windows or frames. Whether through wear and tear or because of an accident this window damage needs to be addressed swiftly and thoroughly.

Save Your Owner Money Caulk Your Building

The Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Star and the Department of Energy all recommend that home and business owners have their buildings sealed and caulked because it’s a low-cost process that will help save money and energy over the structure’s lifetime. Here are a few ways that caulking can help your business save money and operate more smoothly.

Security Advantages Of Window Film

In addition to regular window cleaning and structural maintenance, making upgrades to your building can have a significant impact on your ability to protect your building's exterior, interior and tenants from damage. One of the building upgrades that offers the best protection is window film.

Save Energy And Money On Your College Campus

Colleges and universities face a unique set of circumstances when it comes to controlling energy usage. Campuses often have hundreds of buildings varying drastically in size and function, with many built decades apart from one another. Some buildings are large and house classrooms or offices, while others are designed to hold thousands of students who might stay up all night working on term papers.

Is Now The Time To Install Snow Guards?

Snow may not be top of mind when the weather’s warm, but spring, summer and autumn are all fantastic times to consider installing snow guards on commercial buildings. Not only does warm-weather installation mean your building is properly safeguarded against dangerous snow slides well before the first snowflakes appear, but the installation will be a breeze when roofs are clear of ice and snow.

Make Your Building More Energy Efficient

As a building or facility manager, you may not only be interested in going green for environmental reasons, but also to save money for your building owner and its tenants. Here are a few steps you may want to take to improve your building’s energy efficiency.

Maintain Your Buildings Exterior Metal

Exterior metal comes in a variety of styles and chemical compositions. But no matter if you’re using stainless steel, anodized aluminum or other metals, they all need a little care and preventative maintenance. If these surfaces are left alone they’re bound to become damaged. Ultraviolet light from the sun, pollution in the air, rain, snowstorms and other natural forces can wear away at these metal surfaces over time. Damage can manifest as stains, streaks, oxidation, pitting, discoloration, change in sheen or erosion.

Is Your Stainless Steel Rusting?

Stainless steel building exteriors or structural features are resistant to damage from the environment, but they are not immune. This shiny, modern material can rust over time. However, with proper care and preventative measures, you should be able to keep ugly and rusted stainless steel at bay and maintain the professional, clean and contemporary look that stainless steel features can provide.

Is It Time To High Dust?

Dust isn't just a problem in your home. This common substance is also present in commercial and professional buildings, and can represent real risks to tenants and anyone who uses the building. Dust is made from a number of degrading materials or organisms, all of which can negatively impact the air quality and sometimes lead to health problems. As the Consumer Product Safety Commission explained along with the American Lung Association, one component of dust, biological pollutants, can hurt your tenants' businesses and their employees' health.

How To Prevent Common Pests From Entering Your Commercial Property

Pests are bad news for your commercial property. Not only are they an unwelcome distraction, but they can pose a health hazard to staff and visitors. That’s why it’s imperative to not only contact pest control professionals when issues arise, but also implement measures that can reduce the chance of an infestation in the first place.

How To Prevent Salt Weathering On Buildings And Statues

If you’re unfamiliar with salt weathering, it might be easy to compare it to erosion – but the truth is that the two are quite distinct. Erosion occurs when some natural agent, such as water, ice or wind, moves past the stone object, changing its shape or position over time. Extreme examples of erosion would be the Grand Canyon or the stone structures in Monument Valley. Weathering, on the other hand, involves no movement at all. As the name suggests, the damage typically occurs as the result of weather events over a long period of time.

How To Deal With Pesky Pigeons 101

Go to any city or urban area across the country and you’ll likely spot countless pigeons. According to The Humane Society of the United States, pigeons are attracted to built up areas because the rooftops and window ledges make ideal spots to build a nest. And that’s not to mention the abundance of free food that they can scavenge for on the ground below. Without any real predators to keep their numbers in check, the pigeon population has been able to swell to massive numbers.

How The Summer Sun Could Impact Your Building

During a sunny day in September 2013, Martin Lindsay's Jaguar XJ was partially melted by a building. According to Popular Science magazine, the sunlight was concentrated and reflected from the nearby "Walkie Talkie" building that was being constructed nearby. The 37-story mirrored glass structure had a strong curve that focused the sun's light on this one "hot spot."

How Does Pressure Washing Work?

Whether you're having the gum removed from the sidewalk in front of your building or cleaning up grime on your stone facade, power washing is an important part of regular building upkeep. While you may know the basics of this process, understanding how a pressure washer actually functions will give you better insight to how your building solutions company can keep your exterior clean.

How Can Pollen Affect Your Building

If you found yourself sniffling and sneezing through the spring in 2014, this year may not be too different. AccuWeather reported that 2015 will look a lot like 2014 when it comes to spring allergies.

Government Rebates Are Waiting For You

Caulking your building can save you money outright. It increases your building's energy efficiency, helps prevent leaks and improves air quality for your tenants. But aside from significantly slashing your heating or cooling bills, this process can also lead to government rebates.

Get Rid Of Your Buildings Spider Webs

In the spring and summer, spiders can present a number of headaches for building managers. These pests become more active as the weather improves and can create a unique set of problems for your building.

Exterior Maintenance Hazards To Be Aware Of

Your job as a facility manager is to maintain your building’s exterior as well as ensure essential infrastructure runs efficiently – but not at the cost of the safety of your maintenance staff. Efflorescence or cracked brick or stonework may damage your facility’s aesthetic appeal, but injuries to you or your employees should be avoided at all costs.

Don’t Neglect Your Window Cleaning This Winter

With winter in full swing, you’ve likely turned your attention – and that of your maintenance staff – to some major seasonal operations. Ensuring walkways are clear of snow and ice and your HVAC system is operating at peak efficiency are important, but you shouldn’t overlook the smaller yet equally important tasks as well.

Don’t Ignore The Energy And Cost Savings Of Window Film

As temperatures continue to drop, many facility managers and building administrators are expecting energy costs to rise. Fall and winter are known throughout the industry for being particularly heavy on operational expenses thanks in large part to increased use of heating and the HVAC system.

Does Your Trash Chute Need To Be Cleaned?

Whether you manage a commercial, apartment or condominium building, there are likely dozens of aspects you’re more concerned about than the trash chute. This convenient tube makes it simple for residents or tenants to get rid of their garbage without having to lug it downstairs. And, unless something gets stuck, the chute operates on its own so you can focus your care on providing a clean, safe and beautiful building to your tenants and residents.

Decoding Exterior Building Stains

Brick and stone buildings are known for their striking exteriors that can look beautiful for centuries. Yet masonry is also vulnerable to discoloration and staining, particularly if it’s ignored or if it doesn’t receive the proper upkeep and maintenance. Everything from outdoor furniture to environmental pollutants to weather conditions can cause unsighlty color changes on the exteror’s surface. For many types of stains, the longer it sits on the stone or brick untreated the more difficult it can be to remove. Facility managers should incorporate routine visual inspections of the building’s exterior into their maintenance schedules in order to ensure that discoloration is swiftly addressed.

Co Ops Condos Apartments Who Cleans What

In many major cities around the U.S. there are a number of different housing arrangements. Within a single block of buildings, you may have apartments, condominiums and co-op housing all next to one another. If you manage, live in or are a member of the managing board one of these buildings it’s critical to know what your responsibilities are and where the tenants need to take over.

Clean And Polish Completes Burleith Call Box Restoration Project

Burleith is a quaint and walkable neighborhood located in Northwest Washington D.C, the Washington Post detailed. Situated adjacent to Georgetown, the area is known for its demographic mix – seniors, young families and college students all call the area home – as well as the quiet leafy streets, abundance of amenities and easy transportation links.

Biography of Clean and Polish President, Larry Green

Our company’s president, Lawrence D. Green BASP, began his career with roles as a chemical consultant and two positions within Rodney Square Engineering. He departed in 1993 to found his own organization, Certified Building Services.

Avoiding Window Mold

Everyone looks forward to when the snow melts and the rain showers arrive that herald the start of spring. However, where’s there’s excess water, there’s mold, and your building’s windows are no exception. Moisture-related issues are one of the most common types of window problems, and there are many ways that moisture can sneak into parts of your windows and building where it doesn’t belong.

Are Construction Defects Affecting Your Building?

When a building is being constructed or renovated, mistakes can be made and defects in the structure are created. Contractors and developers may rush a project or make poor building material substitutions to save money. Over time, the construction mistakes can lead to serious structural damage and costly repairs. Luckily, many construction defects can be fixed with less expensive preemptive work.

Are Birds Really Harmful To Your Building?

Pest birds can be more than a just a nuisance. They can create serious health concerns, damage machinery and harm the structural integrity of your building. Protect your employees and your workspace by understanding the risks that birds present and how you can prevent it.

7 Tips For Avoiding Major Repairs

One of the smartest ways to cut costs as a building manager is to prevent repairs in the first place. Not only are repairs and renovations expensive for the building owner, they can inconvenience tenants and take away from the structure's aesthetics.

6 Reasons To Schedule Window Cleanings Today

With hundreds of responsibilities, a building manager may not always be thinking about the appearance of his or her building’s windows. However, everybody who walks past or goes inside is sure to spot dirty glass and streaked windows. Uncleaned windows stick out in a city skyline of office park to everybody from a casual observer to the building’s owner.

5 Benefits To Pressure Washing Your Building

Ensuring your building maintains a welcoming and professional look can be difficult. You have a variety of factors working against you, such as pollution, birds, mildew, graffiti, gum, grease and dirt that can make your roof, windows, walls and sidewalks filthy.

4 Reasons to Consider Window Films

Whether the building you manage has two windows or 200, adding a specialized film to each can offer multiple benefits to your facility, from energy savings to tenant satisfaction. These window films are also easy to maintain and clean, which makes them an ideal option for a facility manager looking to reap the benefits without investing in ongoing higher costs.

2 Maintenance Musts For The Fall

A few final lingering warm days aside, fall is well and truly upon us, and winter is coming sooner than many would like to admit. While this is great news for pumpkin-spice enthusiasts and winter sports fans, for building managers the changing seasons have their own implications in the form of maintenance operations.

Boutique Hotel Building Maintenance A Key To Social Media Differentiation

Boutique hotels go above and beyond traditional and chain hospitality establishments in terms of customer service. They provide luxury amenities, are often independent and located in central areas of bustling global cities. Boutique hotels also offer a more authentic cultural experience than their chain counterparts.