As a manager of a busy restaurant, usually the last thing on your mind is having your ceilings cleaned. Fortunately you are not alone. The most overlooked surface in a facility is the ceiling.
In most cases the ceiling surface needs to be cleaned only once or twice per year, depending on the environment and the type of food your establishment prepares. Some eateries that serve meals heavy with grease like: BBQ, Chinese or pizza require more attention to maintain the ceiling surface. Heavy grease often moves past the hood system landing directly on the ceiling often requiring more chemical and a lot more effort for the person cleaning.
One of the most common assumptions is "well, it doesn’t look dirty". The fact is; mold, bacteria and germs accumulate on the ceiling surface often around the diffusers or HVAC vent areas. This creates and unhealthy and unsightly environment for both your customers and employees. One of the largest issues we face as a ceiling cleaning company is fly feces along the ceiling grid. Often UN noticeable, this issue features several black dots often found along the edge of the tile surface or the grid. Fly tend to migrate to corners of ceiling surfaces and light lenses, creating an unwelcoming appearance in your kitchen. Along with destroying the ceiling surface, the fly’s and other bugs migrate to the light lenses.
Many facilitators or managers try to take the task of cleaning the ceiling surfaces in their own hands. Usually the first cleaning item they choose is a bottle of bleach. Bleach cleans everything. Not so fast! The fact is bleach is one of the worst chemicals you can use to clean. Not only is dangerous, but it often does more damage than good. The surface being cleaned may look bright, clean and "sanitary" but over time the use of bleach turns vinyl surfaces to a pale yellow and in the end ruins the surface. Bleach also releases more water in the surface and creates a barrier, making it more difficult to clean the surface the next time. Use bleach on your white socks, not to clean your kitchen ceiling or walls.
“My staff does all the cleaning.” Many managers feel cleaning the ceiling surface is something the staff should maintain while cleaning the other surfaces within the facility. Unfortunately these same managers are unaware or are oblivious of the danger they are putting their employee and themselves into. The chance of someone falling from a ladder that is inexperienced is immense. As the ceilings grow taller in newly designed facilities the fall to the bottom can reach 8 feet or taller. Unfortunately when an accident does occur, the restaurant has one less staff member, no workman’s comp coverage of the injury and likely a lawsuit, costing the company and investors money.
When making the decision to have your ceilings cleaned in your facility, choose a company that specializes in clean the ceiling surface. This company should be a specialized service that focuses on cleaning ceilings. A great company can make your ceiling surface look brand new! The standard service ceiling cleaning service should include:
- Complete clean of ceiling tile & grid
- Wash all light lenses inside/out
- Detail attached fixtures (exit lights, sprinkler heads, signage)
- Detail diffusers & HVAC vents
- Provide an overall inspection of the ceiling surface
