Weekly Communal Cleaning in Wallington

The property

Two blocks on one Wallington estate, a generation apart. The first is a period house conversion with decorative wall mouldings, an arched hallway with plaster corbels, a mahogany handrail over white turned spindles, and woven carpet: mustard in the ground floor hall, grey on the stairs. Its entrance hall doubles as the post area, with a fire alarm panel and Fire Action notice by the door. The second block has been refurbished to a modern spec: grey-brown carpet tiles, metal stair nosings, timber handrails mounted on both walls, acoustic ceiling tiles and long corridors of fire doors. The refurbished block is the larger of the two, with corridors of fire doors on each floor.

What the managing agent needed

The estate needed one contractor who could handle both finishes properly. Decorative plasterwork and moulded wall panels in the older block hold dust and need a soft brush, not a damp cloth; the refurbished block needs carpet tiles and metal nosings treated as the different materials they are. The managing agent wanted both blocks on one schedule and one point of contact.

What the clean covers

Vacuum all carpet and carpet tile on the stairs, landings, halls and corridors of both blocks
Dust the decorative wall mouldings, plaster corbels and arch detailing with a soft brush
Dust the turned spindles individually and wipe the mahogany handrail along its length
Wipe the metal stair nosings and both wall-mounted handrails in the refurbished block
Clear and wipe the post table, leaving residents' post tidy and in place
Wipe every fire door face and handle; fire doors are never wedged open
Wipe the fire alarm panel, call point and Fire Action notice, keeping them readable
Clean internal stairwell windows and sills
Dust the acoustic ceiling tiles and bulkhead lights on a periodic rotation

How the clean is delivered

Both blocks are cleaned weekly on the same fixed day, by the same cleaner where possible, with the period block given longer because its detailing takes longer to do properly. The two blocks are quoted together but specified separately, so neither is treated as an afterthought.

We inspect both blocks on each visit. Fire doors, signage and escape routes are checked as part of the round, and anything wrong is reported to the managing agent the same day.

Inside the block

Photographs taken at this property. Select any image to view it full size.

Entrance hall of the first Wallington block with a post table and panelled walls — The entrance hall. The post table is cleared, wiped and the post left tidy rather than moved elsewhere.

Arched hallway and carpeted stair in the first Wallington block — The arched hall. Decorative plasterwork holds dust and is done with a soft brush, not a damp cloth.

Grey carpeted stair with white spindles and a mahogany handrail in the first Wallington block — The stair. Spindles are dusted individually and the mahogany handrail wiped along its full length.

Moulded wall panels and post table in the first Wallington block's entrance hall — Moulded wall panels. Each recess is dusted. It is the detail most often skipped.

Entrance door, fire alarm panel and Fire Action notice in the first Wallington block — The entrance. Fire alarm panel, call point and Fire Action notice are wiped and kept readable.

Looking down the stairwell of the first Wallington block towards a flat door — Down the stairwell. Winder treads take longer to vacuum properly than straight flights.

Ground floor hall and stair of the first Wallington block seen from the entrance door — The view from the front door in. It is the first thing a resident sees, so it is finished last.

Carpet-tiled staircase with metal nosings and timber handrails in the second Wallington block — The second block. Carpet tiles and metal nosings, cleaned differently from the woven carpet next door.

Long carpet-tiled corridor with fire doors in the second Wallington block — A corridor of fire doors. Each door face and handle is wiped; the doors are never wedged open.

Stairwell window above the carpet-tiled stair in the second Wallington block — Stairwell window. Internal glass is cleaned to a streak-free finish on a set rotation.

Half landing with a wrought iron balustrade in the second Wallington block — Ironwork at the half landing. Gloss black shows every fingerprint.

Carpet-tiled communal corridor under acoustic ceiling tiles in the second Wallington block — A finished corridor. Ceiling tiles and bulkhead lights are dusted periodically rather than weekly.