How to Keep Your Asphalt Parking Lot Clean

First impressions are vital for attracting tenants and building loyal relationships with them. When managing commercial properties, you can make a valuable first impression with the condition of your asphalt parking lot. A pleasant smooth ride into the property without stains, debris or potholes creates a remarkable difference in how others view the property.

If you want to see these same benefits for your managed properties and are wondering how to clean an asphalt parking lot, look at the following tips and tricks for parking lot cleaning.

Asphalt Parking Lot Cleaning Checklist

A dirty parking lot can result from day-to-day activities around your managed property. Strangers walk through parking lots, employees or renters drive in and out multiple times a day and trash flies in from every direction. Over time, your asphalt parking lot can show signs of use, impacting its visual appeal.

Messes are natural, and, luckily, cleaning them can be simple and benefit the state of your commercial parking lots. See how the following commercial parking lot cleaning checklist can make your managed properties look brand new with a few easy steps.

1. Remove Trash and Debris

Littering, flying debris and trash that seems to have come from nowhere are factors that can impact the condition of your asphalt parking lot. Although it is relatively unpredictable when waste and debris can end up in your parking lot, you can take a few steps to ensure your spaces look as clean as possible.

If you manage a maintenance team for your commercial properties, encourage your team to take a few extra minutes walking around the parking lots in the morning or afternoon to clean up any littered trash and debris. Doing a sweep of the property before visitors or tenants arrive at your location can have a lasting impact.

You can also install outdoor trash and recycling bins around the parking lots to encourage others to do their part in protecting the environment. Adding more recycling opportunities around each property can improve your bottom line, decrease disposal costs and increase their value.

2. Treat Surface Stains

Stains can appear when you least expect them. Whether a vehicle was leaking oil or spilled drinks have stained the parking lot, it’s difficult to prevent the parking lot from soaking up these messes.

In some cases, water and a bristled brush can scrub away spills before they seep through the asphalt to create permanent stains. When the stain has been on the asphalt for longer periods, cat litter and soda can show remarkable results. Litter is an excellent solution for absorbing oil stains. Simply leave the litter on the stain for 20 minutes before scrubbing the asphalt surface. If the stain still remains, pour a can of cola onto the oil stain and leave for a few hours before scrubbing with a bristle brush.

3. Pressure Wash

Messes that don’t soak into the asphalt can be more evident to visitors. Spilled foods, sticky substances and pesky bird droppings can be more challenging to clean than stains or removing trash. Luckily, a reliable pressure washer can do the trick to make cleaning parking lots quick, easy and pretty satisfying.

You can typically find pressure washers from your local hardware store that your maintenance team can use to take care of your parking lot. If messes are challenging to scrape up or wipe, encourage your team to use the pressure washer to rinse the affected area slowly.

Be careful not to use the pressure washer in one spot for too long. The strength of the water’s streams can loosen granules of asphalt, so use this tool sparingly to preserve your parking lot’s condition.

Tips for Keeping Your Parking Lot Clean

Cleaning parking lots is rarely a one-time occurrence. Regular maintenance is vital for keeping your parking lots looking tidy for every visitor to your locations. With a few tips on commercial parking lot cleaning to add to your and your maintenance team’s daily to-do list, your properties will look brand new and admirable for your tenants and their customers.

Practice the following parking lot cleanup tips for vibrant and healthy-looking spaces:

Install proper drainage: Flooded parking lots can make visiting your locations more challenging for visitors and renters. Take some time to evaluate the lowest elevation point for each parking lot and install a drainage system to funnel rainwater. Easy access for driving through the lots is essential for you, your maintenance team and anyone else who uses these spaces daily.
Fill cracks and potholes: Age and natural damage can impact your parking lots’ conditions, creating potholes and cracks that can damage vehicles driving around your managed property. To keep asphalt cracks and potholes from becoming bigger, choose a trusted repair service to patch these damages.
Provide trash cans for tenants: Tenants likely have trash to discard daily. You can encourage effective trash cleanup by providing trash and recycling bins around your parking lots. This simple step can help avoid littering at your locations and satisfy your tenants, who won’t have to dispose of their trash at a separate location. Providing trash bins can go a long way to maintaining a positive relationship with tenants.
Schedule regular cleaning and maintenance: A trusted maintenance team can provide additional daily support while you manage commercial properties. Since maintaining the condition and visual appeal is key to building strong relationships with renters and visitors, scheduling your maintenance team to clean your parking lots is essential. Provide your team with the proper tools, including a pressure washer, and information on the best cleaning practices to maintain your parking lots.
Sealcoat the surface: Preserve your parking lot’s clean condition with asphalt sealcoating. This service fills any remaining cracks and potholes while providing an extra sealant layer to maintain a clean parking lot. Sealcoating your asphalt parking lot offers numerous benefits, including increasing the lot’s life span, reducing maintenance costs, improving curb appeal and reducing potential damage to vehicles.

Find Trusted Asphalt Services With ToriTom Services

If maintaining your parking lots is at the top of your to-do list, ToriTom Services is here to help. We offer services that help you keep your parking lots clean and provide longer life spans for your managed properties. Our team of trained professionals uses their knowledge and experience of commercial asphalt lots to assess the best route for your location. Whether your parking lot needs asphalt repair, sealcoating or striping for visitor use, ToriTom Services can provide it all.