Chewing Gum Removal at Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station – Working While Newcastle Sleeps

Chewing Gum Removal at Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station – How We Clean Busy Public Areas Overnight

Chewing gum is one of those things you barely notice when there are only a few pieces on the pavement. On a busy town-centre site, though, hundreds or thousands of old pieces quickly make the whole area look tired and dirty.

This is exactly the type of work we carry out at StokeJetwash Ltd.

One of our commercial projects has been cleaning at Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station for Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. The area involved is approximately 1,118 square metres, so this is very different from cleaning a normal driveway or patio.

The biggest challenge isn't simply getting the paving clean. It is doing the work safely in a busy public area, removing old chewing gum without unnecessarily damaging the surface, dealing with water supply and completing as much work as possible while the town is quiet.

Why chewing gum needs hot water

Old chewing gum can be surprisingly difficult to remove.

Once it has been walked over for months or years, it becomes compressed into the surface. On block paving, concrete and other hard surfaces it can almost look like part of the pavement.

Cold-water pressure washing alone often isn't the best way of dealing with it.

We use professional hot-water and steam-capable pressure-washing equipment, with water temperatures typically between around 90°C and 150°C when required.

The heat softens the chewing gum so it can be lifted from the surface much more effectively.

Pressure is then adjusted to suit the material being cleaned. Our equipment is capable of very high pressure, but that doesn't mean maximum pressure should automatically be used. The surface always comes first.

This is particularly important around worn paving, joints, damaged concrete and areas of tarmac where excessive heat or pressure can cause damage.

Working while Newcastle is sleeping

For a location such as a bus station or town-centre pedestrian area, working during the daytime would create unnecessary problems.

There are buses, pedestrians, shops, deliveries and members of the public constantly moving through the area.

For this reason, much of our commercial town-centre cleaning is carried out late at night and in the early hours of the morning.

By working mainly when the area is quiet, we can establish a proper working zone, manage hoses and equipment safely and clean larger sections without continually stopping for pedestrian traffic.

It also means that when businesses begin opening in the morning, a large part of the work has already been completed.

Water supply for large commercial cleaning jobs

A job covering more than 1,000 square metres requires a serious water supply.

StokeJetwash Ltd is set up for this type of work.

Where authorised hydrant water is required, we use a rented, metered standpipe and follow the required water-company procedures. Our operative is trained for the correct use of this equipment and hydrant wash-out procedures.

This is an important difference between a small pressure-washing job and larger council or commercial work.

We can plan the water supply before arriving on site rather than turning up and expecting the client to somehow provide enough water for industrial cleaning equipment.

Depending on the job and location, we can also work with alternative water-supply arrangements.

Cleaning more than just the chewing gum

Although chewing gum is one of the most visible problems, it isn't the only contamination found in a busy public area.

Paving around bus stations, shopping areas and town centres can collect years of general dirt, traffic pollution, food and drink residue, bird droppings and organic contamination.

Our aim is therefore not to simply go around removing individual pieces of gum.

The surrounding surface is cleaned at the same time so the whole area looks noticeably better when the work is complete.

On this type of job, hot water does much of the hard work. We prefer not to use chemicals unnecessarily. If a cleaning product is required for a particular type of contamination, it can be introduced as part of the cleaning process, but it isn't automatically used on every surface.

Protecting the public while we work

Even during the early hours, public areas are never completely empty.

That means health and safety remains a major part of the job.

Before cleaning starts, the working area is separated using barriers, warning signs and clearly defined exclusion zones.

Hoses are managed to reduce trip hazards and the team works through the site in controlled sections rather than spreading equipment everywhere.

Hot-water equipment also creates its own risks, so suitable PPE is used and the equipment is operated by trained staff.

We also pay attention to drainage and runoff, particularly when working in public areas where water can travel outside the immediate cleaning zone.

For commercial and council work, StokeJetwash can provide the required RAMS and supporting health and safety documentation before work starts.

How much can we clean in one night?

Every site is different.

On relatively open, accessible surfaces we can cover a considerable area during a night shift. On more heavily contaminated areas, particularly where there is a large amount of chewing gum, progress is naturally slower.

As a general guide, our commercial setup can clean approximately 600 to 1,000 square metres during a night, depending on the surface, level of contamination, access and the amount of detailed gum removal required.

We would rather give a realistic figure after seeing the site than promise an unrealistic cleaning rate simply to win the work.

Some chewing gum has been there for years

There is another point worth mentioning.

Not every black mark left behind after years of chewing gum contamination is necessarily removable without damaging the surface underneath.

Most chewing gum can be removed extremely effectively with heat and controlled pressure. However, very old gum on worn, cracked or porous surfaces can leave staining or become deeply embedded.

Tarmac needs particular care because aggressive heat and pressure can damage it.

Our approach is to get the best possible result while protecting the surface. Destroying the paving to remove the last tiny mark isn't a sensible trade-off.

Commercial exterior cleaning isn't just pressure washing

Jobs like Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station are a good example of what is involved in larger exterior-cleaning projects.

The cleaning itself is only one part of it.

There is also water supply, traffic and pedestrian management, working hours, access, drainage, equipment, RAMS, PPE and planning the work so the site can continue operating normally.

StokeJetwash Ltd is based in Newcastle-under-Lyme and provides commercial exterior cleaning for councils, facilities-management companies, property managers, retail sites and other commercial clients.

Our services include:

- Commercial pressure washing and hot-water cleaning

- Chewing gum removal

- Town-centre and pedestrian-area cleaning

- Shop-front and retail-park cleaning

- Car park and hard-surface cleaning

- Graffiti removal

- Commercial gutter and exterior cleaning

- Out-of-hours and overnight cleaning

For larger projects we can assess the site first and recommend the most practical cleaning method, expected productivity and water requirements.

Need a public area or commercial site cleaned?

If you manage a town centre, shopping area, bus station, retail park, commercial property or other heavily used public space, send us some photographs and an approximate area in square metres.

For larger projects we can also arrange a site visit.

StokeJetwash Ltd

Commercial Exterior Cleaning

01782 899 999

07539 903 925

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