In the UK, just under 15% of the population smoke, which works out to around 7.2 million people. In recent years, there has been a massive decline in the number of smokers, but it is still important that businesses adhere to health and safety regulations. By providing a smoking shelter, they are taking steps to ensure the safety and comfort of employees, visitors and patrons on the premises.
Of course, one important thing to think about when it comes to your shelter is the maintenance and cleaning of it. No one wants to go and stand in a shelter that is dirty and poorly maintained, and it can be detrimental to the wellbeing of the people that use it. In some cases, it can cause the smoking shelter to be dangerous. It is also important to keep clean because any visitors to your business premises that see a dirty smoking shelter will immediately form an opinion – and probably not going to be a particularly positive one.
But, how do you go about managing smoking shelter cleaning and smoking shelter maintenance? Here, we take a look at some of the things that you will need to do and think about.
Smoking shelter cleaning
So, you have had your smoking shelter from Shelter Solutions installed, and you are wondering how to keep it clean, right? As we mentioned above, it is important to do this to make sure it is comfortable for anyone who is using it as well as making a good impression on any visitors to your business premises. You might be frustrated though – you have enough to keep clean as it is, and smoking shelter cleaning is just another job to add to the already long list.
Well, fortunately, the smoking shelters from Shelter Solutions require very little in the way of maintenance. A quick wash down every so often with soapy water or a quick blast over with a hose will keep your smoking shelter looking as good as new for many years after purchase. You do not need to worry about the smoking shelter rusting either, as our smoking and vaping shelters are made from 100% aluminium extrusion so that they will never rust. We offer a fifteen-year guarantee with all our smoking shelters because we know how important it is for them to pass the test of time.
If you choose to have a bench installed in your smoking shelter to give users of it a little more comfort, that will also need a wipe over regularly.
Of course, you will still need to give it a sweep out every so often, as, by law, a smoking shelter has to be at least 50% open, to allow the smoke to disperse. This means that leaves, stones, gravel, twigs and any rubbish may be blown into the shelter, particularly in windy weather. Sweeping this out regularly will make sure that the smoking shelter is clean, safe and tidy underfoot as well.
It is a good idea to provide your employees and visitors that use the smoking shelter with a bin to dispose of any rubbish that they have. Many bins have a built-in ashtray on the top, giving smokers a place to stub out their cigarettes and dispose of their cigarette ends. Of course, this is not mandatory, but without one, you will almost certainly see a sea of butt ends on the floor and potentially cigarette marks all around the shelter. A smoker needs somewhere to extinguish their cigarette safely and dispose of it when they have finished with it, and if there is no ashtray, many will simply drop them on the floor. This not only looks unsightly but could also be dangerous. It only takes for someone to slip on a stray butt end and you could find yourself hit with legal action!
Other things you will need to watch out for are blobs of chewing gum and in some unfortunate cases, graffiti. Of course, you would hope that the people using the smoking shelter on your premises would not do wilfully deface a smoking shelter provided for their comfort and needs or drop chewing gum, but sadly, there is always going to be someone. You can buy specialist graffiti cleaners for this problem, and chewing gum can usually be dissolved with various cleaning fluids and/or a good scrape. A pressure washer is usually a good call for this task as well. Again, the materials that the smoking shelters from Shelter Solutions are constructed from makes cleaning even these off much easier.
Smoking shelter maintenance
Smoking shelters from Shelter Solutions are designed with minimum maintenance in mind. After all, business owners have enough to do without having to think about the upkeep and maintenance costs of a smoking shelter as well. As mentioned above, our shelters are designed and made so that they will not rust, and can be kept clean with just a quick scrub with soapy water or hosed down once in a while. If you are worried about vandalism, we can make and provide you with vandal-proof shelters, made with perforated aluminium panels instead of the standard toughened safety glass and polycarbonate, and aluminium cladding on the roof instead of the standard 40mm polycarbonate.
Despite a reduction in the number of smokers, there is still a need for a good quality smoking shelter in most business premises. However, you will want to make sure that smoking shelter cleaning and smoking shelter maintenance is kept to a bare minimum, while still looking great and being safe and clean for employees, patrons and guests to use.
To sum up
– Choose a smoking shelter made from low maintenance materials
– Clean down with soapy water occasionally
– Sweep out leaves and debris regularly
– Provide a bin and ashtray for smokers to discard finished cigarettes
– Choose vandal-proof shelters if you are worried about vandalism
For more information on smoking shelter maintenance and smoking shelter cleaning, get in touch with us at Shelter Solutions today.