1300-ODOURS

Garbage chute cleaning and deodorising

Garbage chute cleaning removes the grime inside the chute, and chute cleaning is an important part of your waste management strategy. But chute cleaning does nothing to stop the odours from the bins at the base travelling up the chute, so it's common that even a freshly cleaned chute, or a brand new one, can smell.

The short answer

A garbage chute smells for two reasons: grime on the chute's walls, and the bins at the bottom. Chute cleaning removes the grime. The odour from the bins keeps rising up the chute and escaping at the chute doors on every floor, until the odour is neutralised at the bins.

No matter how clean the chute is, if the bins beneath the chute smell, so will the chute.

Chute cleaning alone
Chute cleaning alone: a garbage chute rising through two floors above a bin roomOdour rises from the bins and from grime inside the chute. Warm air and the exhaust fan at the top draw the odour up the chute, and the odour escapes at the chute doors. A cleaning head washes the grime off the chute’s walls. That takes away about half the odour in the chute, but none in the bin room: odour from the bins keeps rising up the clean chute and out at the doors.Level 2Level 1Bin roomExhaust fanWashing thegrime off thewallsWarm air rises, andthe fan pulls the airup the chuteGrime on the wallssmells tooOdour escapes at thechute doorsOdour risesfrom the binsThe walls are cleanBut odour still escapesat the chute doorsOdour stillrises from thebinsWarm air rises,and the fan pullsthe air up thechuteGrime on thewalls smells tooThe walls arecleanOdour escapes atthe chute doorsBut odour stillescapes at thechute doorsOdour risesfrom the binsOdour stillrises from thebins
Chute cleaning with Garbage Doctor®
Chute cleaning with Garbage Doctor: the same chute, with the machine on the bin room wallThe same chute and bins, with the Garbage Doctor machine running the whole time. Ozone travels through conduit to the bins and into the chute and breaks the odour down, so only a little rises from the grime. Once the same cleaning head has washed the grime off, the odours in the chute are neutralised.Level 2Level 1Bin roomExhaust fanWashing thegrime off thewallsWarm air rises, andthe fan pulls the airup the chuteOzone breaks downmost of the grime’sodourOzone travels throughthe conduit to the binsand the chuteOzone breaksthe bins’odour down asthe odourrisesThe walls are cleanOdours neutralised inthe chuteWarm air rises,and the fan pullsthe air up thechuteOdoursneutralised in thechuteOzone breaksdown most of thegrime’s odourThe walls arecleanOzone travelsthrough theconduit to thebins and the chuteOzone breaksthe bins’ odourdown as theodour rises
Before cleaning

Both chutes have grime on their walls. On the left, odour rises from the bins and the grime and escapes at the chute doors. On the right, Garbage Doctor’s ozone breaks most of the odour down.

Cleaning washes the grime off the chute's walls, but odour from the bins below keeps rising until the odour is stopped at the bins.

How is a garbage chute cleaned?

Chute cleaning needs specialised equipment, and chute cleaning is almost impossible to do well without the right equipment. In most buildings, a chute cleaning company lowers a high-pressure cleaning head down the chute from the top, washing the sludge off the inside walls on the way down. A good company also cleans around the chute doors on every floor, and cleans the bin room itself.

How often should a garbage chute be cleaned?

As a guide, most chute cleaning companies recommend cleaning a garbage chute 2 to 4 times a year. How often depends on how many apartments use the chute, the climate in your state and the building. Some buildings book more of their cleans in the warmer months, when odour is at its worst.

Why does a garbage chute smell after cleaning?

A garbage chute has two sources of odour. The first is grime on the chute's walls, and cleaning helps with the odour from the grime. The second is the bins at the base of the chute, and cleaning does nothing to stop their odours travelling up the chute. This is why even brand new chutes can still smell.

The air in the bin room is the air that travels up the chute: warm air rises, like a chimney, and on many chutes an exhaust fan at the top pulls the air up too. Because that air comes from the bin room, the air carries the rubbish odours up the chute and out at the chute doors on every floor.

Can you recommend a chute cleaning company?

Yes. We know the reputations of many chute cleaning companies across Australia, in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and we're happy to recommend a trusted one in your area where we can. Call 1300-ODOURS (1300 636 877).

What's the difference between the Duo and the Ozone?

Our explainer video compares our most popular systems: the Garbage Doctor® Duo, with ozone in the bin room and a fragrance in the chute, and the Garbage Doctor Ozone, for a neutral bin room and chute.

See the DuoSee the Ozone

What works instead

The Garbage Doctor neutralises the odour at the source, without masking the odour. UV lamps inside the machine turn a little of the air's oxygen into ozone, and PVC conduit targets the ozone as close as possible to the odour sources, such as the bins and the inside of the chute, 24/7. There's nothing to refill, and the ongoing maintenance is very low.

Using both together. Keep cleaning your chute as usual: chute cleaning is an important part of your waste management strategy. Alongside the cleans, the Garbage Doctor targets ozone at the bins and into the chute, 24/7, so the odour is neutralised before rising, and the Duo adds a fragrance to the chute once the odour is neutralised. On cleaning day, the chute cleaner or the building switches the machine off while the chute is being washed. See the Duo
Ask for a quoteSend photos of your bin room and chuteCall 1300-ODOURS

Questions

Do we still need chute cleaning with the Garbage Doctor?

Yes. Cleaning removes the grime and residue that build up inside the chute. The Garbage Doctor neutralises the odours from the bins at the base of the chute between cleans, 24/7.

How does the Garbage Doctor connect to the chute?

A stainless steel fitting goes into the side of the chute, and our technicians run the PVC conduit from the machine to the fitting.

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