What high dusting means
High dusting is cleaning everything above normal reach, usually anything higher than about 10 feet, that daily cleaning never touches:
- Steel trusses and open-web joists
- Ductwork, pipes and conduit
- Beams and exposed ceilings
- Light fixtures, lenses and signage
- Ceiling fans and HVAC diffusers
- Ledges, high walls and the tops of racking
Why it matters
- It comes down eventually. Dust and cobwebs fall onto stock, equipment, shelving and, in food businesses, prep areas.
- Lighting. Dirty fixtures and lenses give off noticeably less light.
- First impressions. Customers, auditors and inspectors look up. A dusty truss line suggests the rest of the building is kept the same way.
- Grease. In kitchens and some industrial spaces, overhead dust mixes with grease and becomes a sticky layer that only gets harder to remove.
How often should it be done?
| Type of space | Typical frequency |
|---|---|
| Offices and retail | Once or twice a year |
| Warehouses and distribution | Once or twice a year, more near dock doors |
| Gyms, arenas and churches | Once a year, or before events |
| Restaurants with exposed ductwork | Every few months, with the kitchen deep clean |
| Food handling, woodworking and other dusty operations | More often; based on how fast it builds up |
These are starting points. The right schedule depends on how the space is actually used.
What to ask a contractor
- How will you protect stock and equipment below?
- Do you work top-down, so nothing lands on surfaces already cleaned?
- Can you work outside business hours?
- Are you WCB covered and insured for work at height?
- What do you use where dusting isn't enough? Anything sprayed overhead ends up below, so it should be non-toxic.
See high dusting and high ceiling cleaning for how we handle it.