What are the most important tasks to include in maintenace programs? What's your least favorite task?

Well, I gots to tell ya, my LEAST favorite thing in the maintenance world is cleaning roll-up doors! It's never easy, it's time consuming, and I can't stop sneezing.

Next would have to be cleaning and mopping hallways on an indoor building!

Any ideas for the former?

(*_*)

What do you think HAS to be done regularly--whether or not you like, but for the sake of keeping customers coming back?

...you've got to keep the site frontage, office, and display units on the top of your daily maintenance routine. Second, the best managers clean all vacant units on a regular basis, which helps to prevent the embarrassment of opening up a space full of trash to a new customer. At AAA Storage, we also maintain a list of 'certified' sub-contractors who are available on short notice to repair doors, do electrical work, etc. The two-part goal of our maintenance program is #1- to create an appealing environment for our customers, and #2- to enhance the value of the asset.

John Roser

Well, I know how important it is to have a strong and inviting curb appeal. When it comes to the interior of a building, very clean, shiny floors appeal to everyone, but dusty doors can put people off. I just think that doors are the most difficult to keep up on, and I wonder if anyone has any good ideas...

Thank goodness, we have a full time maintenance man! We are very fortunate. He cleans the doors as he cleans the vacated units. When he has time, we have him clean the doors of our good customers for customer retention. Beyond that, we pray for rain.

This has been the one thing that has been driving me crazy. From time to time, we get the hose out and wash a row of doors. We've had a professional who comes along with his machine and cleans the doors, but it doesn't get the grit off, so we have stopped that.

There was conversation with the professional guy about adding something to the water to get rid of the grid, but he advised against it because the solution would leave marks on the concrete.

I look forward to a solution for this problem. We even tried waxing them, tried using a (too) expensive cleaner specifically for the doors. I wondering if we wax them when they are new and hose them frequently if the is the solution. Door manufacturers, what's the answer?

If the roll up doors are inside, and the problem is dust do the following: use a very soft bristled push broom (you don't have to use the handle) and a lambs wool duster. Used in combination, they work fairly well. That is what (achoo, excuse me) I am using now.

As for the sneezing, maybe a dust mask. If it is outdoor roll up doors, eithr=er a steam cleaner or cheap labor with soap, water, and rags.

Astro

How many of you take the time to clean the inside of your roll up doors? Check it out some time - go inside the unit and close the door - see the dirt and dust -- clean it for a longer lasting door.

The previous managers here never did, so now every time a unit vacates I make sure to clean the 20+ years of dust that has built up on the inside. Not a fun job, but needs to be done.

__________________
Wayne Docktor
Manager
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.
webmast@all-americanselfstorage.com
www.all-americanselfstorage.com

Shaekirk - two words, 'face mask.' I too, sneeze a lot when cleaning units.

For inside doors, this is time consuming once a year, but makes cleaning a breeze afterwards.

Grab the Pledge (yes, the spray furniture polish) and do your hallway doors, headers, the walls and such. Might I suggest using a webster first to clean the tops of sprinkler pipes and cobwebs before polishing the doors. Work from the top down on everything. Spray the cloth, NOT the doors and be careful about inadvertently overspraying and waxing the floors. You don't want to slip.

The doors will sparkle and dust brushes off easily after one application. We also clean each door inside and out as a unit is vacated. Usually we start with a fresh webster and it takes on a form of its own after cleaning a few units.

Using brushes usually leaves brush marks of cleaned areas, so best thing we do is use a cloth on the outside of the hallway doors.

For the hallway floors, an old fashioned dust mop works nicely and we mop as needed which as you know varies dependent upon foot traffic.

Outside doors we too pray for a nice sideways rain storm, but you can't count on Mother Nature to do the work. Each May we bring out the power washer and do a building or so a day. We wait until May to be sure we won't have a light shower spot up what dust may be there so the cleaning job lasts longer.

The power washer has a tube to drop into a bucket for incorporating into the spray nozzle. We use this for a bucket with Dawn liquid dishwashing soap in it. It is the best thing to get rid of the grit and it won't harm your concrete or asphalt driveways.

With a power washer you do need to watch the angle & intensity of the spray. You want to stand back a bit and make sure you're not spraying up into the units over the top of the rollup and under the header boards.

We do follow up by washing down the driveways, in our case it is asphalt. All the dirt from the buildings is now there and we want the whole place to shine when we're done.

To answer Drew's post - "What do you think HAS to be done regularly--whether or not you like, but for the sake of keeping customers coming back?"
Maintain EVERYTHING!

Our favorite part of meeting each new customer is hearing, "Wow, this place is brand new, it's so clean, (or shiny or some other adjective)." We are then able to respond "Thank you, actually this part of our facility is over ten years old. The second phase is over seven years old." or something along these lines. I confess, we do feel a lot of pride from those comments.

My least favorite task is repainting the red curbs. I finally located a man who does them all extremely cost effectively. That's how I solved that unpleasant chore.

we had a mortgage broker in the other day (trying to refi the loan) and he was shocked when I told he the place was over 20 years old. He said that he had been to newer facilities (less them 10 years old) that didn't look this good. I told him all it takes is an ongoing and aggressive maintenance program.

__________________
Wayne Docktor
Manager
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.
webmast@all-americanselfstorage.com
www.all-americanselfstorage.com