What is Power Sweeping? Parking Lot Sweeping 101
Whether you're installing, repairing, or maintaining a parking lot, we're happy to answer all your
Parking Lot Sweeping questions and help you decide if this is the service for you. Truck sweeping is a complicated topic, so we want to make sure you grasp the basics to make the best choice for your parking lot needs!
We currently help hundreds of customers monthly with their parking lot maintenance and achieve a clean look every time, which is why we recommend this method over day porter or janitorial cleaning services.
What is Sweeping?
Simply, it's an efficient, high-quality, and reliable method of cleaning parking lots and garages. At its core, it's the process of driving a truck with a powerful vacuum sweeper attached to speed up the process of collecting small and medium-size debris throughout paved surfaces.
This truck sweeper may utilize various technologies to improve performance, noise reduction, dust suppression, and fine dust particle separation to minimize environmental impact. In the best scenarios, your sweeping service provider will align their service times to minimize any interruptions to your business operations. If your provider cannot service your property day or night, we would highly recommend changing to a different company.
Parking lot sweeping is commonly used in properties like:
- Shopping Centers
- Parking Garages
- Shopping Malls
- HOAs
- Construction Sites
- Special Outdoor Events
- Hospitals
- Colleges
- Private Schools
- Manufacturing Facilities
- Grocery Stores
- Loading Docks
- Airports
- Distribution Centers
When we service a location, we consider traffic flow, noise ordinances, and the types of debris on-site. After all, not every vacuum truck is for the same purpose.
Parking Lot Sweeping Cost
Every property manager will have different needs, expectations, size lots, and other requirements that will change the price to sweep parking lots. Prices usually include costs such as fuel, dumping fees, and labor. Pricing can fluctuate from site to site, so it's always best to reach out to a service provider (like us) for a free estimate based on your specific project.
You can purchase a cheaper trailer-mounted sweeping device at a local dealership if you're looking to DIY a small parking lot. However, we recommend using a professional to get the job done right (and typically at a lower cost). Because non-truck mounted equipment won't have the same high performance as commercial-grade sweepers, your sweeper operator will struggle to get close to curbs. Sweeping your property is also a big-time commitment and a logistical nightmare if your only sweeper breaks down (it can take weeks for a service part to arrive).
When is the best time for parking and garage sweeping?
For 90% of retail properties, parking lot and garage sweep services should be nighttime. Empty parking spaces will allow your service provider to clean your property in a cost-efficient manner and minimize any interruptions to your business. In addition, sweeping during business hours will require the service provider to send a truck with a specialized dust suppression system that increases the cost per service.
If your property does not have access at night or noise ordinances do not permit nighttime services, your service provider should be able to accommodate your needs.
Some types of properties are more time flexible such as:
- Self-storage facilities
- Warehouses
- Business Parks
- HOAs
- Airports
- Commercial Parking Lots
- Apartment Complexes
- Drive-Ins
- Distribution Centers
Why Elite Maintenance?
There are probably multiple choices for parking lot sweeping service providers near you. How do you decide if we are the best for you?
First, let's introduce the contenders.
Company A specializes in street or construction sweeping. They have CDL-licensed drivers and weigh about 18,000 pounds, and their hourly rates would destroy a property manager's maintenance budget. They are not price gouging, but their equipment is over-the-top for daily sweeping needs.
Company B is the Yelp of commercial maintenance services. They will find a qualified contractor (like us) to perform the job and add a markup on top. They generally have little to no sweeper trucks owned by the company but will spend heavily on Google Ads. While their salespeople may be great at their job, requesting any additional services will take longer as they need to contact the actual service provider for the estimate.
Company C is a one-person show. They own or rent a truck sweeper and usually work as a subcontractor for Company B but occasionally service direct accounts. With no employees and only one or two sweepers, requesting additional services is inconvenient, response times are not the best, and it's only a matter of time before they get sick or their truck is down for maintenance.
Usually, Elite Maintenance is the best bang for your buck.
Our company gives you the best of both worlds. It's affordable, efficient, and reliable compared to other Bay Area providers.
Time to Start Sweeping!
Now that you have a solid working knowledge of power sweeper services, you're ready to
contact us for a free estimate. We service accounts from San Francisco to San Jose to Morgan Hill daily.
