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When Liam Wildish started scrubbing road signs in Maidstone, England, his objectives were two-fold. “It’s a community give-back and a little bit of PR for my business as well, so it kind of works hand in hand,” the 21-year-old told the Nottingham Post.
A window cleaner by trade, Wildish is a recent resident of the largest city in Kent County where he relocated to live with his girlfriend. While he had a few initial clients, Wildish was looking for a creative way to generate more business for himself.
Dirty Surfaces Don’t Reflect
When he noticed that the reflective surfaces of some of the city’s street signs were covered in dirt, he realized that his window cleaning tools were perfect for gussying up the signs. The long-handled high-pressure water spray and scrub brush can reach the tallests signs and really make a difference to their appearance.
“At this time of year people are driving after dark more, and when they're dirty the road signs aren't as reflective,” Wildish explained to KentOnline. “When they're cleaned they're nice and easy to see.”
Traffic signs, whether permanent or temporary, are designed to withstand the stress of the elements and other environmental hazards, according to Traffic Safety Zone. This makes them strong, durable, and, typically, long-lasting pieces of equipment. However, even these products require some level of maintenance over the years in order to perform effectively.
Thick layers of dirt and grime can block the reflective material underneath. This reduces a sign’s ability to reflect light back at a driver and decreases their likelihood of seeing it in time.
Facebook Famous
Wildish has been pulling off on the side of the road to clean signs whenever he can, and he’s up to more than 20 signs. The before and after effects are truly inspiring! Often he’ll film himself cleaning the signs or engage his girlfriend Tamzin Court, to film him.
With more than 2,000 Facebook and Tik Tok followers, Wildish is gaining the good graces of his new community and growing his business.
“Cleaned a few of the dirty signs that I came across on my rounds in Aylesford village the other day…makes the area look a bit cleaner and hopefully improves road safety a little during the long winter nights. Also makes for a fairly satisfying video,” Wildish posted on Facebook. “Stay safe out there from Clean Scene Window Cleaning.”
Charming the Community
Speaking to KentOnline, Wildish explained why he felt his efforts had sparked such a response.
“I think given my age and having a business at a young age, people like to see someone my age giving back. Aesthetically it makes a massive difference when it's cleaned up, so it improves the area, and there's the safety aspect too.”
Wildish is adamant that he’s not making any political statement with his free sign cleaning.
“I do it for free because it makes a big difference and a positive impact – it benefits the community and it benefits my business,” he continued.
Though not responding directly to Wildish’s activities, the Kent County Council website states: “We are responsible for more than half a million road signs across the county. Our highways team follows an annual programme to clean and cut back vegetation from road signs based on priority. Residents can also report signs which need cleaning through our fault reporting system.”
With Liam Wildish on the job, the residents of Kent County can count themselves lucky.
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