Cleaning the garbage chute is probably the least desirable job in any organisation or building association. We like to forget about our rubbish as soon as it’s been bagged and disposed of. But, the longer you leave the chute without a clean, the worse the task gets. The best way to keep the garbage chute from becoming a source of pain is to keep it clean from the beginning.

Proper cleanliness practices not only help you avoid the muckiness of an unclean chute, but it also comes with some pretty important benefits that are likely to be required for many organisations and much appreciated by the folks that work in them. The primary reasons you want to keep your garbage chute clean are:

Keeping bad smells at bay

Maintaining the cleanliness of your garbage chute is the best way to keep bad smells at bay. Wet garbage is an unavoidable issue that can quickly turn sour. While odour management solutions can help, regular cleaning is the best preventative method to manage undesirable odours.

Eliminating bacteria build-up

Continual maintenance of your garbage chute stops bacteria, fungal pathogens and other microorganisms from building up. Salmonella, E. Coli and other nasty bacteria can cause terrible illnesses. When they’re trapped in the garbage chute, every opening of the door can carry airborne particles out to building residents.

Removing rodent appeal

Smelly garbage is a sweet scent and breeding ground for rodents and other pests like flies, cockroaches, spiders and mice. Keeping that chute clean keeps your garbage from attracting an unwanted community, which can spread disease, spoil food faster, and even cause fires if you end up with a rat or mice infestation.

The benefits are a no-brainer. A garbage chute cleaning schedule is a must.

5 tips on how to clean a garbage chute

You will be thrilled to learn that keeping your garbage chute clean does not always require getting your hands dirty.

Educate all chute users

Every person using the garbage chute in your building needs to know how best to bag and dispose of their garbage to help you keep the chute clean. Introducing this step is one of the easiest ways to drastically reduce the build-up that can form—no need for garbage chute cleaning equipment. A pen and paper (or computer and printer) can help you craft a polite and informative note to encourage all chute users to be mindful and abide by the guidelines.

Free entrances from blockages

One of the most frequent jobs that should be done as a preventative measure should be to go from the top to bottom of the building, checking the chute entrances on the way to remove any debris around the opening. Items that block the entrance can cause bags to rip or things to get stuck. Regularly removing these blockages reduces these instances.

Use a hand scraper for stuck-on debris

Now you’ll want to get out your garbage chute cleaning equipment, which should include a hand scraper, which will help you remove stuck-on debris that forms around the garbage chute entrance. Sticky tape, stickers and other sticky substances tend to build up at the opening. A regular scraping will help to keep that at bay and minimise the bag tearing that can happen when new rubbish bags try to go past these build-ups.

Disinfect inside and out

As you’re going through removing blockages and using your hand-scraper, you should also add in a wipe down with disinfectant to kill germs where people open the chute and enter their garbage. The same goes for the inside. Eventually, this task has to be done.

The inside of the chute will need to be scrubbed and disinfected to keep germs and bacteria from building up. The outcome of which can be as mild as insects and rodents coming to visit or as bad as airborne pathogens making people sick.

Call in the professionals

Even with a regular cleaning practice, garbage chute cleaning companies will sometimes need to come out. This may be whenever you need the internal disinfection, or it could just be for recurring maintenance to ensure the chute is functioning well. The benefit of professionals is that they come with their own garbage chute cleaning systems, like a high-pressure flusher and industrial cleaning solution, to do the big jobs quickly. They can also assess your chute to ensure it is performing at its peak.

Elephants Foot have been providing waste management solutions since 1976. We install chute systems and waste room equipment solutions and maintain, clean and provide ongoing care for our clients and their chutes.

Whether you need a deep chute clean, odour management, an annual check-up or council on a new chute solution, Elephant’s Foot has the expertise and enthusiasm to meet your waste management needs.

Contact our team today to discuss your garbage chute solution and how you’d like it to work for you.