So you have a dirty building façade in need of some serious TLC, but it's difficult to know where to start. Does that sound familiar? Sometimes speaking to service providers can Fensterreinigung throw up all sorts of questions; how do you know what the pros and cons are of different cleaning methods and how do you know you can trust in what someone is telling you?

With this in mind, I have put together 3 handy tips for you to consider when you're beginning your building cleaning project:

1) Money, money, money

The budget is an unavoidable consideration, but unfortunately, cheaper short-term solutions can be abrasive & expose the building substrate to higher levels of weathering. Allowing the budget to overrule everything may impact on the long-term sustainability of the building and your ultimate ROI. After all you have to speculate to accumulate, right?

There will always be pros and cons to different cleaning methods, but it's important to realise that short-term solutions may compromise the long-term integrity of the building. If a jet wash makes your building look fabulously clean, it's likely that it may also have damaged the substrate! It's ABSOLUTELY imperative you consider the building material before your employ an abrasive cleaning method... it's the only way you can avoid sky high costs in the future.

2) Holistic not prescriptive

One of the worst mistakes you can make is failing to consider the project as a whole: no matter what the building function, it needs a tailor-made solution that takes into account the soiling issues, the local environment and sustainability. One of the ways in which you can be reassured about this is if a site survey is conducted. I will talk more about that another time, but suffice to say that over-the-phone prices are probably not the best way forward.

A site survey enables you to speak to the prospective service provider and work with them to highlight your concerns about the building. This is not a guarantee that they're the best people for the job, but they will be better placed to advise you if they've looked at the building properly and conducted some test to demonstrate what can (and can't) be done to get rid of your building soiling.

3) The ultimate litmus test

Speak to the service provider and test them: do they have client testimonials available and are they happy for you to approach their former clients? Do they have strong relationships with their clients or any repeat buyers? This can be an invaluable litmus test to ascertain whether the company is the right one for your building. Anyone that dismisses your need for clarity and transparency within their process is simply not worth your time and money.

Reece Wood is an author, thought leader, façade condition consultant and innovator of specialist property façade and investment protection solutions working within the Fensterreinigung commercial property sector throughout the UK, Europe, Middle East & South-East Asia.

Working alongside commercial building owners, asset management companies, architects, surveyors and property management companies Reece Wood inspects, designs and implements unique façade management and protection solutions, which increase the property investors' ROI, building performance and brand value.