Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cleaning the inside of a sign

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Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 03-27-2019, 06:46 PM:

What is the best way to clean the inside of that? It has screws on the bottom and a hinge across the top so it opens like a suitcase, but if I just stand on a ladder against the wall and open it up it stretches back over the sidewalk past what I can reach to wipe off, at least without falling on my head.

Many years ago I had new siding put on the front of the building and at that time the sign was dismounted so I took advantage of the opportunity to give it a good clean-out but now it's full of bugs and dirt again and while it looks fine during the day it's really grubby looking at night when it's illuminated.

Is it possible to clean something like that from a ladder or do I have to bite the bullet and rent a scaffold or something?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-27-2019, 07:29 PM:

Maybe you could prop it open somehow and then use a car-wash brush or something similar...?

Did Pepsi put the sign in for you? If so, you might tell them that it needs cleaning and maybe they'd hire a sign company to do it at their own expense. Heck, while you're at it, tell them the Pepsi logo is out of date and you might be able to get a new sign out of them. (I speak from experience on this because we have a painted Pepsi sign on the side of our building and it gets redone about every 6 or 8 years or so, always at their expense. We're on Version 5 of it right now. Your mileage might vary based on your local distributor, but ours is very concerned about their logo looking good.)

Posted by James Wyrembelski (Member # 9037) on 03-27-2019, 08:40 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
Heck, while you're at it, tell them the Pepsi logo is out of date and you might be able to get a new sign out of them

I wouldn't be surprised if this worked.

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 03-28-2019, 08:03 PM:

...and then sell the old one on eBay for a fortune because it's a "classic" or "retro!"

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-28-2019, 08:54 PM:

Are you in the "P" or "M" section of the phone book?

That's a bit ridiculous they put their logo BEFORE your theater's name. Welcome to the Pepsi Melville Theatre!

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-28-2019, 11:43 PM:

There are a lot of soda-sponsored signs around here where it's a rectangular sign, and the top 3/4 of the panel is the Pepsi or Coke logo, and the bottom fourth is the business name.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-29-2019, 10:14 AM:

Store front identity and signage is arguably the most important advertising tool for any business operating a physical space for customers to visit in person. It's obvious why some businesses will let a soft drink company, beer company or whatever provide them a sign with a national logo plastered on it: it's a cheaper (or free) way to get a lighted sign. But what does that lower cost sign do to the image of that business?

There's all kinds of do-and-don't practices with signs. For instance, I hate phone numbers on signs. They waste valuable space, they're instantly forgettable, they add clutter to a sign design and worst of all they make the business look small time. National companies don't stick their phone numbers all over their signs. Most people haul around smart phones these days and can look up a company's phone number by using their business name.

Another "don't" practice is not allowing another brand to dilute your own business name on your primary sign. Major companies don't do that. If they display something like Pepsi or Coke on their building or pylon sign it's going to be in a separate sign cabinet, or they may only flash the brand on a variable message LED display.

With so many people staying home to buy stuff online, watch movies online, order their freaking restaurant food online to be delivered at home and other digital-hermit shit I think it's important for retail and service businesses to step up their game with their store front identities. One terrible thing is a growing number of upper-crust suburbs and other cities and towns are drafting very restrictive sign ordinances. Their idea of a street sign is some little ground-mounted thing not much bigger than a tombstone. It's something easy to miss with all the trees, bushes and other landscaping lining the boulevards. The goal seems to be making a commercial district look like the driveway into a country club. But with businesses not able to sell themselves effectively to passing motorists it just makes it easier for those car drivers to go home and do any purchasing online.

quote: Frank Cox
Is it possible to clean something like that from a ladder or do I have to bite the bullet and rent a scaffold or something?

A scissor lift or portable boom lift would be good for that purpose. Neither are the cheapest thing to rent for just a day or two. They would be safer and more effective than rigging up scaffolding or just trying to use an aluminum ladder.

I would be careful about trying to do DIY service on a building sign. If any of the internal wiring is has excessive signs of wear and tear and/or wasn't built to UL specs it could be dangerous trying to clean the inside of it while power is running to it. Does the sign have an external power cut off switch? When in doubt I would cut the breaker feeding power to the sign. The last thing you want happening it taking a bad shock from an aging sign and then possibly taking a serious fall to the ground.

quote: Mike Blakesley
Did Pepsi put the sign in for you? If so, you might tell them that it needs cleaning and maybe they'd hire a sign company to do it at their own expense. Heck, while you're at it, tell them the Pepsi logo is out of date and you might be able to get a new sign out of them.

That Pepsi logo dates clear back to 1991. The sign cabinet may be almost as old too.. The Pepsi brand went through updates in 1998, 2003 and then the now-current one in 2014. I think the current Pepsi sphere icon looks like an angry eyeball from some kind of comic book character or maybe a giant lizard monster.

If Pepsi is paying for the signage and applying their brand to the theater the very least thing they can do is provide a completely new building sign with updated branding and even cover the installation cost.