It’s not just about being shiny

Escalators. What a great invention. Just stand and these moving stairs take you up or down without having to do a thing. No more having to walk the stairs.

Escalators. What a great invention.

Just stand and these moving stairs take you up or down without having to do a thing. No more having to walk the stairs.

They’re in airports, convention centres, shopping centres, hotels, train stations to name a few, helping make it easier for people to move around. They can also be used to add appeal to a building.

At first, they are new, shiny and look great, but if they aren’t cared for, they can get incredibly dirty from dirt, dust and spillages. You can quickly find that the shine is replaced with grime. There’s nothing worse than your feet sticking to an escalator!

Think about an escalator ride you’ve taken recently. Whilst looking at the stairs, were they clean or dirty? If they were dirty, what was your next thought? Did you make judgement of the facility you were in due to the state of the escalator? It’s natural if you did. If we see something dirty, like an escalator or floor, it tarnishes our perception of the space we are in. Dirty, grimy things giving us a negative impression whilst shiny, clean things give us a positive impression.

Ensuring your escalators are kept clean and shiny is incredibly important from a reputational point of view. However, what is even more important than how they look, is that they are safe..

We have already ascertained that grime build-up on escalators looks bad, but grime also poses a safety risk.

Escalators are complex pieces of machinery, and like any other machinery requires regular maintenance and cleaning. If specialist cleaning doesn’t occur on a regular basis, the escalator can malfunction. This can keep them out of service for hours, days or a lot longer if there’s a problem in getting the right replacement parts. Worst case scenario is the replacement of the entire escalator itself!

Corrosion can also occur if your escalator is left un-cleaned. Oil, grease and dirt will eventually impregnate the actual aluminium and compromise the integrity of the metal.

So, the moral of the story is: Shiny escalators not only look good, but reduce safety risks to your customers and your business. So make sure you regularly clean and maintain them.