Practical guide9 min readJeddah

A Cleaning Schedule for the Entrance, Stairwell, Lift and Common Areas of Apartment Buildings in Jeddah

The entrance and stairs are the first thing a visitor sees and the last thing planned in a maintenance budget, and in Jeddah they gather dust, sand and damp faster than anywhere else.

Apartment buildings in Jeddah share entrances, stairs, lifts, corridors and service rooms, and often nobody in particular is responsible for cleaning them, so dust and stains build up and the agreement between owners and tenants gets lost. With the dust and sand carried by feet and wind, floors turn slippery and the building looks tired.

This guide gives a practical daily, weekly and monthly schedule for common areas, identifies the most-touched surfaces in the lift, handrails and doors, explains how to clean floors, glass and the entrance, and offers advice for residents and management on agreeing a clear, fair arrangement.

It concerns general cleaning organisation only and does not address the regulatory or contractual side of property management, which has its own rules and authorities.

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Quick Summary

Split areas into daily, weekly and monthly tasks rather than cleaning everything at the same rhythm.
Start with the entrance, since it receives sand and dust before it enters the building.
Wipe high-touch surfaces (lift buttons, handrails, handles) regularly.
Leave floors dry after mopping to avoid slips.
Agree a written schedule on who does each item and how faults are reported.

1. Why they get dirty 2. Schedule 3. Entrance 4. Stairs & lift 5. Shared habits 6. Deep clean

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Sand and dust come in on every foot

The entrance is the gateway for dust and sand: every visitor and resident brings grit on their shoes, which spreads over the floor and then into corridors and stairs. With heavy traffic the floor becomes rough, scratches and loses its shine.

On dusty-storm days fine dust seeps through the gaps in shared doors and windows and settles on handrails and ledges.

Sources of dust

Residents' and visitors' shoes
Door and vent gaps
Delivery staff and goods
Outside dust during storms
Maintenance work nearby

Damp, marks and touch points

Humidity makes floors and handrails sticky, and marks appear around lift openings and at the service-room doors. The most-touched surfaces are lift buttons, door handles, handrails and light switches, which need frequent wiping because they are daily contact points for many people.

Neglecting them leaves fingerprints, stains and stickiness, and weakens the overall impression of the building.

Touch surfaces

Lift buttons and call panel
Door and gate handles
Handrails and ledges
Light switches and mailboxes

Plan

The area and suggested cleaning frequency

A quick table you can adjust to the number of floors and the footfall.

Area	Frequency	What to do
Entrance and shoe mat	Daily	Sweep, wash the floor and shake out the mat
Lift buttons, handrails and handles	Daily or twice daily	Wipe with a microfibre cloth and a suitable cleaner
Corridor floors	Two to three times a week	Sweep and mop with water and a mild cleaner
Stairs and edges	Weekly	Sweep from top to bottom, then mop
Entrance glass and windows	Every two weeks	Wipe with glass cleaner
Garbage room and service lift	Weekly to fortnightly	Wash the floor and ventilate
Ceilings, lights and fans	Monthly or seasonally	Remove dust and cobwebs

Shoe mats and floors

Put a large mat at the door to catch sand before it spreads, and shake or wash it regularly. Sweep the entrance and then mop it with water and a mild cleaner, making sure it dries or putting up a temporary warning sign so nobody slips.

On marble or porcelain floors avoid acidic cleaners and use a soft mop that protects the shine.

Entrance rules

A mat at the door and another inside
Sweep before you mop
A sign on a wet floor
Avoid acids on marble

Glass and the inside frontage

Clean the door glass and the windows beside it with a suitable cleaner and a squeegee, every two weeks usually, with fingerprints removed daily if the entrance is busy. Check awnings and curtains for dust.

Do not forget the bell, mailboxes and name board, which get dirty quickly and are seen straight away by a visitor.

Small details

Wipe fingerprints daily
Clean the name board and bell
Remove cobwebs from the corners
Check the entrance lights

Stairs from top to bottom

Start from the top floor and work down so dust does not return to what you have cleaned. Sweep the steps and corners then mop, and do not forget the edges and underneath the handrail where dust gathers.

Remember that wet floors are slippery, so leave one side open for residents or work one side at a time with a clear sign.

Steps

Top to bottom
Sweep, then mop
Edges and corners
Dry and put up a warning sign

The lift

Wipe the inside walls, call buttons and handles with a cleaner suited to metal or glass surfaces, and spray the cloth, not the buttons. Clean the floor and the bottom tracks, where dust collects.

Avoid shutting the lift for long during cleaning, and agree quieter times with management.

For the lift

Spray the cloth, not the buttons
Clean the floor and the grooves
Off-peak times
Report any fault to maintenance

Simple rules for residents

A small notice with clear rules helps: leave very dirty shoes outside the flat when needed, do not leave rubbish bags in corridors and do not store large items by the doors. A clear rule reduces disagreements.

It also helps to have a contact point for reporting leaks, faults and smells as soon as they appear.

What residents can do

Do not leave bags in the corridor
Do not store items by doors
Report leaks at once
Respect cleaning times

Agreeing with management or a company

Management can agree with a cleaner or a company a clear schedule that sets the days, what each visit includes and that it is carried out regularly. Review what each visit covers from time to time to make sure it matches the schedule.

If an area needs a deep clean after neglect or maintenance work, ask for a full cleaning visit first, then start the schedule.

Points of agreement

Visit days and duration
What the cleaning includes
Who supplies materials and tools
How comments are reported

What it covers

Once or twice a year a deep clean is advisable, covering washing floors and walls near the entrance, removing dust from ceilings and lights, cleaning glass from outside where possible and washing the stairs to a clear programme.

If old stains or deposits show on marble or porcelain, dealing with them needs products and equipment suited to the surface.

Seasonal clean

Wash entrance floors and walls
Remove dust from ceilings
Clean lights and fans
Treat accumulated stains

When to contact us

When you need a thorough clean of a building's entrance or parts of it, you can message us with a description of the building, the number of floors and photos of the condition, and we will tell you what can be arranged within our listed services in Jeddah.

We then agree the time and method so as to minimise disturbance to residents.

What we need to know

The number of floors and lifts
The type of floors
How dirty it is
The best working hours

FAQ

Common questions about humidity and mold in Jeddah

Short answers to what homeowners ask most.

How often should a building entrance be cleaned in Jeddah?+

Daily for sweeping, the mat and touch surfaces, and two to three times a week for a full mop of the floor, more often in dust and rain seasons or with heavy traffic.

Which surfaces need frequent wiping?+

Lift buttons and call panel, handrails, door handles, light switches and mailboxes, because they are touched daily by many people.

How do I avoid slippery floors after mopping?+

Mop with little water and a suitable cleaner, then dry the area or work on one side with a warning sign until the floor dries.

What is the best way to protect the floor from sand?+

Two mats: one at the outside door and one inside the building, with regular sweeping, because sand scratches tile and marble underfoot.

Should I spray cleaner straight onto lift buttons?+

No. Spray it onto a microfibre cloth and wipe the buttons so liquid does not seep into the electrical parts.

Who is responsible for cleaning common areas?+

It varies with the contract, the building management and the owners' agreement; it is best to write a clear schedule that sets responsibilities and costs among the parties.

Can we agree a regular cleaning arrangement for a building?+

Yes. Message us with a description of the building, the number of floors and the frequency needed, and we will tell you what can be arranged within our listed services.

How do I treat marble stains at the entrance?+

Start with water and mild soap and avoid acids and vinegar; if stains are old or widespread, consult a polishing specialist.

Do your building's common areas need a deep clean or a regular schedule?

Send us a description of the building, the number of floors and photos of the condition, and we will reply on WhatsApp with what suits your building in Jeddah.