Taking care of your parking lot is vital for maintaining the exterior look of your business, but many times it is overlooked. A parking lot needs to be clean, debris free, and smooth to drive on. This means that scheduling parking lot cleaning services is a necessity. To help you keep your parking lot in good condition, here are practical maintenance tips.

1. Start with the Basics

When you start taking care of your parking lot, you should have regular parking lot sweeping services. Having your parking lot swept on a regular schedule helps reduce overall wear and tear resulting in less repairs. It also helps with the overall look of the parking lot since there is no garbage or other debris lying around.

2. Prevent Cracks and Potholes

Over time, pavement oxidizes and asphalt shrinks which causes small cracks to form. These cracks allow water into the pavement, which will freeze and expand creating more damage. Having cracks and potholes in your parking lot does not only cause cosmetic damage to your parking lot, they can also lead to damage to customer’s cars. To help prevent potholes, you can use rubberized crack sealer. The sealer will stop the water from entering the crack and you can pave over it in the future.

3. Protect the Pavement

Glass, rocks and other debris that is left on the pavement will grind into the lot surface unless it is swept regularly. Snow plows also damage pavement, which creates fragments that can break down the pavement over time. This can cause cracks, and other damage to the pavement. Parking lot sweeping services will help tremendously to remove this debris and help extend the lifetime of the pavement.

4. Use a Sealant

Using a sealant every year can extend the lifetime of your pavement because it protects against water and debris. While you could save money in the short term by just patching the pavement, you will pay much more as time goes on. In most cases, it would have been cheaper to have a coat of sealant applied to the pavement, instead of patching it. Depending on your parking lot, you can save up to 50 percent on maintenance by using a sealant.

5. Control the Runoff

High amounts of rain can collect debris and contaminants, and place them on your parking lot. This can also damage your parking lot and create ahazard to your customers. Parking lot sweeping services can remove the debris that prevents the stagnant water from sitting on the surface for a prolonged period of time and which also blocks the drains.

By taking care of your parking lot, you can save time and money on repairs. So, if you use professional parking lot sweeping services, your parking lot will be a clean place to park and a welcome sight for your customers.