A garbage chute is one of the most important things in a high rise building. It allows the occupants to easily dispose of their wastes without having to drag them all the way to the ground floor. Failing to take proper care of these chutes leads to serious consequences. The organic matter stuck in the rubbish chute would start emitting odours that would attract various pests such as rats and insects. Additionally, the quality of air within the space would degrade and grease fires may occur. To prevent all that headache, you need to learn how to properly maintain and clean a rubbish chute.

Keep the chute doors shut

You can start by keeping the doors of the chute shut and completely latched at all times. If there's a problem with your latch or the door can't shut properly, ensure you have the latches replaced. Completely shutting the door when not using it also protects you against fires that may try to blow upwards. You could also go for self-latching doors that automatically shut themselves.

Grease the pistons

Trash chutes also have a hydraulic closer and pistons that assist in closing the chute. These pistons need to well-lubricated to prevent any problems resulting from closing the door. Also lubricate any moving parts on your door and wipe the door regularly to get rid of any grease or dirt.

Hire professional chute cleaning companies

The chute cleaning company you choose also matters. Professional companies perform a top to bottom evaluation of the chute to ensure that no potential problems arise. Degreasers and rotating nozzles are used to thoroughly clean the chute, and then sanitisers and odour-eating enzymes are added afterwards. You need to ensure no toxic cleaners are used on the chute. Such cleaners may cause dangerous fumes to move upwards (just the way smoke moves up a chimney) and harm the residents.

Know what to place in the chute

Not everything can be placed in a chute. For starters, items with a dimension larger than the chute's shouldn't be forced through. Also, avoid dumping pet litter or liquids. Even cloths such as sheets are not allowed as they can easily jam the compactor.

Use deodorisers

Apart from using cleaning services, you could also go for deodorising and purification systems to keep the air from the chute clean. You can have automated systems at the mouth of the chute that deodorise and purify the air before releasing it. That way, any pathogens or odours from the chute could easily be eliminated before escaping into the air inside the building.

For more informaiton, contact companies like Qwik Chutes.