Here’s a question for you: what are two things that tend to get gross and messy fast in New York City? If you answered “my building’s trash chute” and “the entire city during winter”, you were right. Trash chutes tend to be the bane of a property manager’s existence, and for good reason. They’re huge, their purpose is to contain trash, and they attract pests like crazy.

No matter the time of year, your building is probably overdue for a good trash chute cleaning. In fact, fall is an especially good time to get it taken care of. Here’s why:
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It prevents odors from spreading.

In winter, your building is going to be a lot more closed off than usual. You’ll open the windows less frequently, keep the doors closed more often, and freshen the air up much less. That means foul odors like rotting garbage will hang around longer. The longer these odors hang around, the more pests they’ll attract.

The only way to prevent odors from accumulating all winter long is to stamp them out right now. The only way to do that is to clean your building’s trash chute. Remember – trash chutes deal with everything. That includes wet paper, food waste, bathroom garbage, regular garbage, and every gross thing in-between. These things stink. They stink even more when they’re left to sit and mingle. They stink even more during the fall and winter when fresh air doesn’t circulate into the building. No property manager wants to field the complaints that come with a closed-up, smelly building. Clean your garbage chute now and you won’t have to.
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Make your building less appealing for creatures looking to overwinter.

During fall, many pests instinctually start worrying about where they can hide safely for the winter. That’s why so many infestations start in fall. It’s also why your dirty garbage chutes will be such a big problem for you right now.

Trash chutes are an oasis for pests all year. They’re everything the average unwelcome visitor loves: a quiet, dark, damp, and filled with accessible food. Some pests, like rats and cockroaches, can even use trash chutes to travel from floor to floor. Their gross pest “elevator” infest an entire building much more easily and quickly. Long story short: you want to keep your trash chute is clean. Fall is the most important time to make sure it is.
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It’ll help prevent your co-workers or building-mates from getting sick.

As everyone knows, it’s much easier to get sick in fall and winter. It makes sense. Like we mentioned before – there’s less fresh air. People stay bundled up in coats and sweaters, and wash them less frequently. Germs spread.

Trash chutes perpetuate these health problems. When a lot of organic trash sits in a small space, mold grows in it. As mold keeps growing, its spores and toxins keep spreading. Eventually, the mold will spread outside the confines of the garbage chute. Mold spreads even faster in winter when you close off your building to keep warm. If left you don’t clean it out, your trash chute could easily cause a building-wide epidemic. The longer you leave garbage chute germs alone, the harder they’ll be to remove. That’s why it’s so important to invest in regular garbage chute cleaning.

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Fall should be about pumpkin spice shenanigans and enjoying the changing weather with loved ones. Don’t let it be ruined by a stinky trash chute and the pest problems that come with it. Call Assured Environments today instead – we can help.