Dirty windows negatively impact occupant performance, increase heating costs, reduce the expected life-span of window panes, harbor mold, and reduce the professional image of your facility.
The Importance of Regular Window Washing Services
Rain, snow, and high winds pushing dirt all carry chemicals that can damage windowpanes if they are allowed to build up over time.
The buildup can lead to mold growth, which can penetrate into buildings with worn-out stucco or through poorly maintained frames, and into the walls of your facility.
Additionally, grime buildup on windows reduces the amount of sunlight penetrating into the classroom or office, which will lead to an increase in heating bills in the winter, and has a demonstrably negative impact on occupant mood and performance all year long.
Finally, dirty windows present an unprofessional appearance and detract from curbside appeal--reducing the overall value of your facility and repelling potential customers.
Dirt and Window Damage
Windows are made of porous glass.
Over time, dirt will damage them in several ways, including abrasion and damage to the seals, resulting in poor to non-existant efficiency and insulation.
What many people don’t realize is that dirt and grime left in place can wear down the glass over time.
Window glass is a porous surface that absorbs the elements from the environment.
As such, glass can become permanently stained and damaged, inside and out, from exposure to everything from saltwater spray, oxidization, airborne pollutants, dirt, rust, and minerals.
Window Damage and Mold
Damage to windows and seals will allow dirt and condensation to seep through, ultimately resulting in the buildup of mold--typically starting at the bottom and working its way inside and upwards.
The mold is not only an eyesore to occupants and prospective students and customers, but it also represents a significant health hazard, often leading to illnesses, including:
- Aspergillosis.
- Blastomycosis.
- Histoplasmosis.
- Coccidioidomycosis.
- Paracoccidioidomycosis.
- Sporotricosis, and;
- Systemic candidiasis.
Symptoms of mold-related illness include:
- A headache.
- A sore throat.
- Difficulty breathing.
- A runny or stuffed up nose.
- A cough.
- Sneezing.
- Eye irritation.
- Asthma attacks or asthma-like symptoms in individuals who previously exhibited no signs of asthma or asthma-related issues.
- Lung infections, including pneumonia and bronchitis.
- Chronic sinusitis.
- A rash or hives.
- Fatigue.
- Depression, and;
- A weekend immune system.
Dirty Windows and Occupant Health
Mold growth is not the only byproduct of dirty windows that negatively impacts occupant health.
Reduced sunlight can contribute to additional mental health issues--negatively impacting occupant mood and, ultimately, performance, especially during the fall and winter seasons.
According to the findings of a recent study on sixteen thousand Brigham Young University students;
Sunlight has a profound impact on your mental health.
Out of 19 environmental factors, the only one correlating to higher levels of distress was the amount of time between sunrise and sunset.
An estimated 20 percent of Americans are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) each winter.
What differentiates SAD from regular depression is that full remission occurs in the spring and summer months.
The complex stimulus of sunlight can affect your mood and mental health through a number of mechanisms, including affecting your vitamin D, serotonin, endorphins, nitric oxide levels and mitochondrial energy.
Dirty Windows and Curb Appeal
Dirty windows reduce the curb appeal of your facility, resulting in decreased property value, and will turn away potential customers and discerning parents and students who view the lack of property maintenance as an indicator to the attention and care provided to the students and curriculum.
While the reduction in property value in business has a direct impact on your organization, it will also affect neighboring businesses who, depending on the severity of the issue, are entitled to take legal action in many states against you and force you to make repairs, and potentially pay out damages.
References & Resources
Takeaway
A facilities' outward cleanliness and maintenance is a form of marketing.
If a prospective student or customer knows nothing about your school or business, their first impression of your organization is going to be your office or classrooms.
If they are well maintained and professional in appearance, the assumption will be that your organization is as well.
If they are not, the financial consequences will likely be immediate and dire.
Further, poorly maintained windows lead to a host of mental and physical health issues for building occupants that will decrease productivity and cognitive performance.
Regular window cleaning services are significantly less expensive than replacement, or the long-term consequences of ignoring the issue.
Only experienced professionals should clean windows in commercial facilities to ensure the safety of the workers and occupants, as well as to protect against potential damage to the property.
Contact us today and discover why Vanguard Cleaning Systems® is the Standard of Clean® for businesses throughout Northwest Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, dial 918-960-4450
In Arkansas, dial 479-717-2410
In Missouri, dial 417-812-9777
