Cladding Panel Cleaning, Hatfield
External cladding panels cleaned by reach and wash across five student accommodation courts in the summer break, with a clear report on the construction residue that water alone will not shift.
Overview
A student accommodation provider asked us to clean the external cladding panels across five accommodation courts on a university campus in Hatfield. The work was done in the summer break, with the buildings empty. The panels had recently been refitted after construction work.
The scope covered every elevation that could be reached from the ground, plus removal of bird fouling from named elevations. Roof areas without a man-safe system, and panels above pole height, were outside this scope.
Signing it off was the easy part. We showed the client which panels had not responded, and why.
The work
Between 14 and 25 September 2026 we cleaned the cladding panels on every elevation that could be reached from the ground, using reach and wash: purified water through carbon-fibre poles, with no ladders and no detergent. Bird fouling was removed from the named elevations as far as the poles could reach.
Before starting we surveyed all five courts and photographed the panels as we found them, so the client had a clear record of the starting condition.
Purified water removes the normal build-up of dirt very effectively. On some panels, though, nothing moved, whatever the pass. We cleaned the worst of them a second time and filmed the result. The residue appears to be construction dust that bonded to the panel face while the panels were off the wall, and differences between neighbouring panels suggest some were not refitted in exactly their original position, so they have weathered differently.
The results
We completed the scope we quoted on programme and issued a certificate of completion.
Signing the job off was the smaller part of the work. The completion report set out, with photographs and video, which panels had not responded and why, and recommended a builder's clean: a chemical wash matched to the residue, applied by hand from a MEWP at close quarters.
The client now has evidence-based documentation to take to the contractor responsible for the construction work, and a clear next step for bringing the panels back to a uniform finish.
Rated excellent for communication by a student accommodation client
"Good comms, great team."
We offer everything you need to keep your facility clean, safe, & efficient.
Cladding & render cleaning
Reach & Wash
MEWPs
Rope Access
Eyebolt testing
Commercial decorating
Roof repairs
Bird-proofing
Solar panel cleaning
Gutter cleaning & rainwater clearance
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