If you manage a building with a parking garage, keeping it clean means protecting one of your biggest assets, saving you from major potential expenditures down the line. With winter coming, now’s the time to get your lot in great shape as part of your fall maintenance plan before the weather turns.

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There are some simple things you can do to keep your parking garage in good shape, prolong its life, and protect your budget.

Start by getting the lay of the land with a quick walkover to check on working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, debris, and anything that looks out of place. Beginning with a quick tidy will get the area ready for any major cleaning you may need to do next.

Second, focus your attention on any grease stains. Besides being an eyesore, these stains can be slippery, posing a slip-and-fall risk on your property. It’s best to treat them with a de-greaser to minimize these stains.

Once you’ve addressed the grease stains, use a power washer to remove all the salt, sand, and dirt that gets into all the corners and cracks and embeds itself into the surface of your parking garage.

As all that dirt and debris is released, it tends to collect throughout the lot, so you will need to dispose of that, so it doesn’t get redistributed on your property. Check walls, windows, handrails, and doors, too, to make sure that they got clean during the washing process. Dispose of the sediment in containers to remove it from your property.

It’s a good idea to go through these steps once more, completing the whole process a second time. This way you make sure that all grease stains have been treated, and all the loose debris and sediment have been removed, so you can start fresh for winter.

Follow these steps in the spring and fall to keep your parking garage clean and appealing for visitors, as you minimize the risk of major expenditures in your future.