These days, with cleaning and sanitation top of mind, some companies are turning to alternative methods to maximize their efforts and increase safety.
Cleaning drones may seem like a new-age approach, but they’ve been around for quite a while, with Digitaltrends covering this type of technology as far back as 2013. Their application has grown vastly since then, with companies across the globe using drones to clean windows, solar panels, wind turbines, and more. In Louisiana, drones were recently used to clean the dirt from the 165-foot dome in their local arena, and during the pandemic, drones disinfected stadium and university seating.
With applications for indoor and outdoor use, drones are the way of the future for indoor and outdoor facility cleaning. Companies like Drone Wash are popping up to address exterior cleaning, making it easier and safer. The company was launched in 2021 because “window washing is a time-consuming, laborious and very hazardous industry,” said co-creator Andrew Brain. This system claims to be six to 10 times faster than the average window washer, saving labour costs and keeping employees on the ground or indoors. And with a drop in the risk to your workers, you may be looking at lower facility liability insurance.
Many of these companies, like Lucid Drone Technologies, are also focusing on an environmental approach. They have found a softer rinse and biodegradable chemicals that cause less harm to exterior surfaces. Not only that, but some drones have the capacity to climb up to 1,100 feet high, with adjustable pressure from 10 to 500 bars, to accommodate a variety of building heights and needs.
You don’t have to go with an outside company, either. There are lots of options for commercial cleaning drones that are easily operated by someone on the ground, to get the job done without outsourcing.
With drones specializing in everything from floor cleaning to sanitization, the future is bright for this type of technology. Innovation is certainly marching forward, with LG Business currently testing a prototype showing a 99.999 per cent decrease in microorganisms on common materials after robotic UV exposure.
Whether you’re looking for a solution to clean those hard-to-reach areas, or you’re focused on prioritizing your workers’ safety (or both), cleaning drones certainly seem to offer an exciting future for facility management, for a higher cleaning standard, safer work conditions, and less liability.
