Exterior cleaning companies aren’t all the same, and the gap between a good one and a careless one is the gap between a clean building and a damaged one. A handful of questions up front tells you a lot about who you’re dealing with. Here’s what to ask before you hire anyone to clean your building, and what a good answer sounds like.
Start with whether they’re licensed and insured for this work. Anyone working on your property at height or with specialized equipment should carry proper insurance, and you want that confirmed rather than assumed. A professional answers this without flinching and can back it up, while hesitation or a vague answer is a warning sign you should treat as one. From there, ask whether they’ve done buildings like yours. Cleaning a low retail strip and cleaning a glass high-rise aren’t the same job, and neither is a healthcare campus or a parking structure, so ask how they’d approach work like yours. Relevant experience means they’ve already solved the problems your building is going to present instead of figuring it out on your dime.
The question that really separates the professionals from the rest is how they decide which method goes on each surface. The right answer is about sizing up the surfaces and matching the method to the material, with soft washing for the delicate surfaces and higher pressure only where it belongs. If the answer is essentially that they blast everything, that’s how buildings get damaged, and you want a company that treats your facade as something to protect rather than just spray. For drone-based cleaning specifically, ask whether the pilots are FAA certified. The people flying should be certified under FAA Part 107, the federal rule for commercial drone work, and the company should handle any airspace authorizations the job needs. It’s a basic mark of a legitimate operator, and it’s fair to expect a clear answer.
Before the work starts, get the scope straight: exactly what’s included and what the quote covers. Which surfaces and areas are covered, what methods are involved, what the timeline looks like, and what the price includes. A clear, itemized quote lets you compare companies fairly and keeps surprises off the table later, since vague pricing tends to lead to vague results. It’s also fair to ask the company to show you references or past work, because a company that does good work can point to it, and examples from similar properties give you a feel for what to expect.
Notice the pattern in all of this: a good operator answers every one of these clearly, doesn’t dodge, and treats your questions as reasonable rather than annoying. That openness is itself a sign you’re dealing with professionals. We’re always glad to answer all of these for someone weighing us, because they’re exactly the questions we’d be asking from your side of the table.
Want straight answers about your building and a clear quote to go with them? Request your cleaning quote today and a member of our team will reach out to put an assessment together.
