What we clean

We clean the whole chute. Top to bottom. Baffles too.

A chute is more than a metal tube. Scroll down and the brush works its way through the building, part by part. Or tap any part to jump to it.

Illustrative cutaway. Building systems vary.

  1. 1Intake doors & baffles

    Every intake (hopper) door gets degreased inside and out, and so does its baffle, the vinyl piece along the bottom of the door that keeps smoke and odor in the chute and out of your hallway. Many crews skip the baffles. We don’t.

  2. 2The shaft, top to bottom

    We work from the roof down through every floor, cutting the grease and buildup off the walls of the chute, then sanitize and deodorize. Brick pre-war chutes and metal post-war chutes each get the method that suits them.

  3. 3Sprinkler heads, checked

    Chutes have sprinkler heads for a reason. We work around them carefully and note any head that’s caked over or damaged, so your fire safety isn’t left to chance.

  4. 4The compactor room

    The chute ends at the compactor, where most of the smell lives. We clean the discharge area and the room, and you get photos of the job when we’re done.

Why property managers call us

Thirty-two years of word of mouth

Marshall picks up

No call center. The man on the logo answers the phone and runs the job.

Baffles included

We clean the baffle on every intake door, the part most crews skip.

Pre-war specialists

Brick chutes, old incinerator flues and post-war metal: 32 years of all three.

Insured, COI-ready

Insured in partnership with Select Exterminating. Certificates on request.

How it works

Five steps, no runaround

  1. 01

    Call or send the address

    Tell Marshall the building, the floors and what’s going on with the chute. He picks up.

  2. 02

    Quote per building

    You get a clear price for your building based on floors, chutes and chute type.

  3. 03

    Tenant notice

    We set a date that works for the building and give you the timing to post for tenants.

  4. 04

    Clean, degrease, sanitize

    Top floor to compactor room: the shaft, every intake door and baffle, and the compactor area.

  5. 05

    Safety check and photos

    We note any intake door that won’t close or sprinkler head that’s caked over, and show you the results.

Meet Marshall

Est. 1994. New to the internet. Not new to your chutes.

Marshall is a born-and-raised New Yorker who has cleaned building chutes since 1994. He and a small crew of local New Yorkers have done more than 5,000 cleanings, for some of the biggest landlords in the city, all on word of mouth. This website is how the rest of the tri-state area finds him.

Marshall’s story

Service area

Wherever the buildings are

All five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester, plus New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

FAQ

Questions supers ask us

How often should a trash chute be cleaned?

It depends on the building. We recommend cleaning quarterly for hospitals, hotels and heavy-use buildings, twice a year for most apartment buildings, and at least once a year for everything else. NYC rules don’t set a frequency, but they do require chutes to be kept clean, sanitary and free of vermin and odors.

Source: NYC Buildings rule 1 RCNY §24-01

How much does trash chute cleaning cost?

Every building is quoted on its own. The price depends on the number of floors and chutes, whether the chute is pre-war masonry or post-war metal, how long since the last cleaning, access and scheduling, and add-ons like graffiti. Call (646) 391-7620 or send the address and Marshall will price it the same day.

What is a chute baffle?

A baffle is the vinyl piece along the bottom of a chute’s intake door. It seals the gap so smoke, odor and debris stay inside the chute instead of drifting into the hallway. Grease and grime build up on it fast, and many cleaning crews skip it. We clean the baffles on every job.

Why does the trash chute in my building smell?

Because bags leak. Food, liquids and grease run down the walls of the chute and coat the intake doors and baffles, and that film rots, worst in warm months. Deodorizer only covers it. The fix is cutting the grease off the chute walls, doors and compactor area, then keeping a cleaning schedule.

Can you clean old brick or incinerator chutes?

Yes. Pre-war buildings often have brick or masonry chutes, many of them flues that once fed the building’s incinerator. Rough masonry holds grease and residue in its surface and joints, so it needs more degreaser, more passes and a closer look than a smooth metal chute. Marshall has cleaned both since 1994.

Who is responsible for cleaning a building’s trash chute?

The owner. NYC’s chute rule requires chutes, refuse rooms and hoppers to be kept clean, sanitary and free of vermin and odors, and makes the owner run a treatment program for them. In practice the super handles daily upkeep and a contractor does the deep cleaning. Tenants bag their trash and follow the chute rules.

Source: NYC Buildings rule 1 RCNY §24-01

What areas do you serve?

All five boroughs of New York City, Long Island and Westchester, plus New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. If your building is in the tri-state area, call and ask. Marshall goes where the work is.

Are you insured?

Yes. Chute Cleaning Division is insured in partnership with Select Exterminating, and we can send a certificate of insurance for your building or management company on request.