If you own an apartment building, hospital or other large-scale establishment containing trash or laundry chutes, your building is vulnerable to suffering “respiratory” problems just like people. Imagine if you were constantly forced to inhale grimy, greasy particulates and choking dust without ever being allowed to clean your lungs regularly by inhaling clean, fresh air. It wouldn’t take long before your lungs would become clogged with choking filth and toxic bacteria. What do you think would happen next?

That’s right– your lungs would stop breathing for you. No more stopping to smell the roses!

However, in the case of dirty chutes that aren’t professionally cleaned on a regular basis, the consequences could be worse than simply missing out on smelling roses. Much worse.

Preventative Medicine for Your Building’s Chute System

Buildings constructed prior to 1970 are usually airtight so that the any kind of natural fresh air flow is inhibited. Because furniture, carpeting and curtains readily absorb and exude odors, chute systems require regular cleaning to prevent the building’s interior atmosphere from developing musty, sour smells that repel customers, renters and guests.

Although dirty lungs won’t catch on fire, dirty chutes can and will burn, especially in apartment buildings or multi-story restaurants where air is often heavy with grease and grime molecules. When temperatures inside dirty chutes reach a certain degree, items tossed into the chute contain something slightly smoldering and enough friction is created to ignite a spark–that’s a recipe for an instant fire. In fact, the 1987 fire at the Schomberg Plaza in Harlem originated in the building’s compactor chute and resulted in several deaths.

Attack of the Mold Monster!

Moisture, warmth and darkness is all mold needs to thrive and conquer a building’s chute system–and eventually the entire building. Mold spores float in the air and spread throughout a building within several days of developing in a dirty chute. Serious, allergic reactions to mold may affect people living in the building while others may experience asthma, sinusitis, fatigue, nausea and chronic cough.

Delaying Chute Cleaning is risky and dangerous.

New Jersey trash chute cleaning specialists Assured Environments wants to keep your building “breathing” as safely as possible by thoroughly cleaning your dirty trash chute and/or laundry chutes to eliminate any fire or mold risks.