Pressure Washing for Apartment Complexes
Building siding, sidewalks, entrances and dumpster pads at apartment communities around Louisville, on a schedule instead of one big cleanup. What we clean, how often, and where the water goes.
The short answer
We wash apartment building exteriors, sidewalks and walkways, entrances and dumpster pads, and we would rather do it on a regular schedule than once every few years. The National Apartment Association's own curb appeal guidance calls for pressure washing building exteriors every year. We keep wash water out of the storm drains by blocking them and sending the water to soak into the ground.
What the industry itself recommends
The National Apartment Association, the trade group for rental housing, publishes a curb appeal checklist for its members. It calls for “pressure washing annually to keep building exteriors free of cobwebs, dirt, pollen and other stains,” and says to “spend extra time on walkways, porches, doors and fences because residents will spend more time there” (National Apartment Association).
It also says why it matters to the people who run the property: a first impression “affects the leasing process, overall community occupancy and bottom-line net operating income.” A prospect walking from the leasing office to a model unit reads the sidewalk and the siding before anything inside.
What we clean at an apartment community
- Building siding. Vinyl and painted siding on the buildings, the same work as our house washing, just more of it.
- Sidewalks, walkways and entrances. The NAA notes that “walkways are one of the first places that show signs of wear and tear.”
- Dumpster pads and enclosures. The spot that smells, stains and draws pests. More on that on the dumpster pad page.
- Concrete around the buildings. See driveway and concrete cleaning.
A schedule, not a once in a while cleanup
We want recurring work, and for an apartment community it is the better deal too. On a schedule, the property stays clean between visits instead of slowly going green until the next big cleanup. We set the schedule with you, area by area, because a dumpster pad and a north facing wall do not get dirty at the same speed.
Working around residents
Commercial jobs are booked as their own visit and scheduled around your hours, not squeezed in between houses. Tell us the days and hours that work for your residents, and we plan around them.
Where the wash water goes
Louisville’s sewer district, MSD, does not allow wastewater “or other polluted waters” into storm drains “except where suitable treatment has been provided” (MSD Wastewater and Stormwater Discharge Regulations, Section 2.13.3). Property managers get asked about this, so here is what we do: we block the storm drains and send the water onto the ground to soak in.
Insurance
We are insured on every job, and we can send a certificate before we start.
What cleaning will not fix
Washing does not fix cracked sidewalks, peeling paint or rotted trim, and green growth comes back on shaded buildings every season, which is why a schedule beats a one time clean. Old oil and rust stains in parking areas often lighten rather than disappear.
Want it looked at?
Free estimate, a same day response, and the price before we start.