News & Media

Winter is not the time to do anything outdoorsy in the mid South region. Parking lot sweeping in Tennessee is something of an exception.

Here are three reasons why:.

Safety

First and foremost, sweeping your lot any time of the year improves safety conditions for you, your employees and visitors to your property. Winter storms have a definite tendency to drop branches on trafficked roads and pour down cold rain that leaches oils up from the asphalt, where they’ve been building up all summer and fall. By dragging those obstructions away and pressure washing the residual grease off, your sweeping service helps keep the lot outside your store, rental property or office block clean and safe for public use.

Cleanliness

With a clean lot, how can customers stay away? Actually, customers care a lot about how your grounds appear, as they care about easy parking and clear markings in the lot. Clean Sweep can help with all three of these issues. We can clear debris out of your driving and parking areas, pressure wash surfaces to clear away ground-in grime and old paint, and then stripe your lot with fresh, reflective high-visibility markings. The effect of these actions, which may be separately booked if only one or two services are needed, is to create a pleasant, clean-looking space people want to shop in. This effect is magnified if you have competing businesses nearby with dingy, branch-strewn lots that contrast with the attractive cleanliness of yours.

Fewer Problems Later

The essential act of parking lot sweeping is the sweeping, which powers off old dirt and grease. Frequent power washes also help address problems before they begin, or at least before they get worse. A pile of dropped leaves, for instance, starts out as a loose heap, but as cars and pedestrians’ feet repeatedly crush the pile, those leaves can get compacted and release their oils. In the rain, this tannin seeps into the cracks in the pavement and speeds the process of erosion on the asphalt or concrete. Just as letting cobwebs accumulate on your building’s exterior causes a faster accumulation of grime and dirt, so letting waste pile up in your lot during the winter months makes it harder to sweep away in spring.

Winter is not the best time to go outside, and it probably doesn't feel like the best time to do maintenance to your lot. It is important to realize that waste, litter, debris, and harmful chemicals are still accumulating and some types of debris pile up faster in winter than at any other time.

To learn more about what a professional parking lot sweeping in Tennessee in winter can do to help your commercial property, call for a phone consultation with our trained Clean Sweep staff today.

Details

Hits: 1920

On Wednesday October 2, 2019, Tennessee Clean Fuels certified five new fleets for their emission reductions via the “Tennessee Green Fleets” Certification Program. The fleets including the BNA bus and shuttle operations fleet managed by ABM Aviation at the Nashville airport, Oak Ridge National Lab’s (ORNL) fleet in Oak Ridge, Waste Management’s compressed natural gas fleet operating out of Jackson, TN, the Tennessee State Parks’ fleet of electric golf carts across the state at state golf courses, and last but not least Clean Sweep, Inc.‘s fleet of propane-powered street sweepers in Chattanooga - the first fleet in Chattanooga to become TNGreenFleets certified.

The fleets were recognized at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville during the fifth annual Sustainable Transportation Forum & Expo , which is managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and TNCleanFuels. Two of the fleets utilize CNG as their primary alternative fuel (WM, ABM Aviation), two fleets have electric vehicles in their fleet (Tennessee Golf Trail, ORNL), one uses propane autogas as its primary alternative fuel (Clean Sweep), and one fleet utilizes both of the biofuels E85 ethanol and B20 biodiesel as its primary alternative fuel (ORNL). They are an excellent representation of the diversity of alternative fuels that are used across Tennessee.

The Tennessee Green Fleets Certification Program was developed jointly by Middle-West and East Tennessee Clean Fuels. It utilizes performance-based metrics to analyze any fleet’s vehicle and fuel-use data and compare new actions they have taken to what their footprint would have looked like without those actions. A points-based, three-star system allows for certification at the 1-, 2- or 3-star level.

The Program's goal is to reduce petroleum usage and its associated impacts in the US transportation system.

The Program encompasses all fuel and technology options including biodiesel, natural gas, propane, electric, ethanol, and hybrids. It also includes idle-reduction and fuel economy strategies such as car share, vanpooling, truck stop electrification as well as non-automotive forms of transportation such as bicycles and scooters. The applicant fleets that receive certification can promote their fleet’s greening efforts and include the certification status in their sustainability portfolio information.

Read the full press release on TNCleanFuels.org

Details

Hits: 3369

Sweeping When Raining?

A rainy day can really put a damper on many activities. During the rainy season, a lot of property managers and city leaders cancel regularly scheduled sweeping services. This is an action that causes more harm than good-not only for your streets and parking lots, but also the environment.

All paved surfaces are covered with waste products, whether you can see them or not. There are a lot of chemicals present on your paved surfaces also. These include oil, fuels, grease, metal particles and many other chemicals. When it rains, this waste is washed by rainwater down the storm drains and into the public water system.

Why is this a problem?

Across the U.S., unmanaged stormwater runoff causes severe damage to streams, lakes, and estuaries, especially where land use changes from rural to suburban or urban activities. For example, stromwater runoff pollution has taken a tremedous toll on Puget Sound. In Washington state, stormwater is resposnsible for roughly 30 percent of the pollution in polluted waterways. An overwhelming majority of the four million people who live in the Puget Sound watershed region unwittingly contribute to this stormwater pollution every day.

The Washington State Department of Ecology estimates that 33% of all polluted waters in the state are polluted by stormwater runoff. Stormwater pollution has contributed to closing thousands of acres of productive shellfish growing beaches. Stormwater runoff pollution can also close beaches and contaminate drinking water supplies.

What can I do?

At Clean Sweep, we always recommend that customers maintain regular sweeping services, even during the rainy weeks and months of the year. We will happily work with you to postpone services if it is going to rain during your normal scheduled appointment. Don't cancel your services. Your customers will thank you, and so will the environment.

Details

Hits: 2374

Parking Lot Sweeping:

Why is it Important?

Parking lot sweeping is a best management practice and a crucial element in positioning your business and brand. Stop and consider how much effort you and your team put into providing positive customer interactions and experiences. Remember that your parking lot is the first interaction customers have with your business. Your parking lot can play a large role in shaping brand perception. An improperly maintained and dirty parking lot can damage perception of your brand before a potential client ever sets foot in the business.

Imagine a parking lot that is full of trash and debris; how would that impact your perception of the business attached to it? If it were a restaurant, would you want to eat there? If it were an apartment complex, would you want to live there? If it were a healthcare facility, would you trust it? If it were a shopping complex, would you buy something there?

Whether or not customers realize it, parking lots can impact how they view the brand, quality of service, trustworthiness, professionalism, cleanliness, attention to detail, and even a business’ stance on environmental responsibility. For this reason, it is imperative to keep parking lots clean and free of trash or debris.

In addition to creating a positive impression for customers, there are a number of other benefits of maintaining parking lots:

• Discourages Littering: People are less likely to throw trash on the ground in a clean parking lot.
• Minimizes Pollution: Removing trash, debris and particles prevents it from being washed into storm drains which makes our waterways cleaner.
• Prevents Erosion: Debris, aggregates, and particles will eventually break down the pavement of your parking lot and plants will begin to grow in the cracks. Asphalt repair is far mroe expensive than a regular parking lot cleaning service.
• Deters Rodents: The accumulation of trash becomes a feeding ground for disease-ridden rodents and other critters.
• Avoid Injuries: Large debris can cause injuries to customers, as well as damage to vehicles.

What Can Be Done to Keep A Parking Lot Clean?

• Add Trashcans: Place trash cans to give customers easy, convenient access.
• Schedule Routine Sweeping: Implementing a regular maintenance schedule for cleaning your parking lot will ensure that your brand image isn’t tarnished by an unappealing parking lot.

How Can Clean Sweep Help?

Clean Sweep creates customized, strategic cleaning plans that are designed to fit customer needs. Whether your business is a shopping mall, strip center, apartment building, healthcare facility, educational institution, or any other building, we will help protect your business’s image by getting your parking lot in excellent condition.

Details

Hits: 2299