Post Construction Cleaning Tips
What does a newly renovated office and a newly constructed home have in common? Dusty walls and ceiling, dull floors, rooms smelling of fresh paint, powdered table tops and scattered sand in the toilet. Post construction cleaning may not be part of your contract with the contractors so when the construction workers leave, everything seems to be far from how you imagined it or from that presentation given to you by the architect, or even worse, leftover hazardous materials and debris are still either all over the place or moved to one corner of a room. Sure, it’s easy to have it cleaned by your office cleaners or helper, until you realize that it doesn’t take only one day for one person to do that task, and get the best and shining results.
When you search the web, most results will give you a simple 3-step/phase cleaning process (Rough clean, light clean and final cleaning or so) or a list of vague instructions. Today, we’re going to walk you through on some tips on how to do a post-construction cleaning for your home or office that will really give results.
- Set your team
- Suit up for safety
- Move large debris
- Vacuum dusts and small debris
- Ceiling and wall washing
- Detailed wipe down cleaning
- Toilet and bath cleaning
- Floor washing and mopping
- Deodorizing
- Waste disposal
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Perfect example of a post-construction cleaning done right (click to enlarge)
POST CONSTRUCTION TIPS
Set your team
The number of cleaners needed will depend on the floor area to be cleaned and how soon you want it done. A post-construction cleaning, no matter how small or big it is, cannot be a one-man-show. The more cleaners you have, the faster the task will finish. By a rule of thumb in the cleaning industry, a skilled, professional cleaner can thoroughly clean 15 square meters for 2-4 hours.
Suit up for safety
Due to the fact that there are still dust and debris after your office or home renovations, it is best to protect your cleaning team. Wearing thick rubber gloves will ensure there will be no cuts on fingers. Face masks or respirators to ensure you won’t inhale dusts and micro-droplets that can cause respiratory diseases. Pants and long sleeved shirts are mandatory of course, to ensure that any accidental cuts or bruises will be prevented.
Move large debris
Large ones are usually the heavier ones, and cannot be simply removed using a vacuum or sweeper. Move large debris like chipped off concrete, left over wood and pipes to a place where you could easily collect them later on for faster disposal. This will also lessen the risk of accidents.
Vacuum dusts and small debris
Get your trusty vacuum and power it on to the remaining small debris. Start from the ceiling as sometimes cobwebs start to form when the construction or renovation took weeks or months to complete. Move towards the corners and then to your floor. Vacuum the entire floor and work from room to room. This way, you will prevent the dust from moving from one place to another
Ceiling and wall washing
Using a swiffer with a damp cloth attached, wipe down ceiling and walls. Vacuum cleaners can’t reach and remove all the dust stuck on walls and ceiling, so a swiffer will do the trick. Diluted all-purpose cleaner will help in removing some dust stains as well and help in making this part finish faster.
Detailed wipe down cleaning
Using a diluted all-purpose cleaner and a wash cloth, wipe down overhead cabinets, door frames, table tops and other surfaces which your swiffer can’t go through. Don’t forget the doors, door knobs/handles and closets. Any excess dust and dirt will be removed this way.
Floor washing and mopping
Depending on the floor, you might need them washed to get rid of excess cement and dirt (since you have been walking all over them during the whole time already), and this may be true to concrete or tiled floors. Wooden floors or vinyl tiled floors need to be mopped with water. Adding cleaning solutions might ruin your tiles, so it is best to consult with your contracter regarding that matter. For carpet floors, usually no further cleaning is needed after going over it with a vacuum, but in case of unfortunate circumstances or accidents in your carpet, you may need to have to do a carpet shampoo cleaning.
Toilet and bath cleaning
Cleaning the toilet and bath can really be a challenge, but like any room, it can be cleaned to perfection, especially if it is part of the newly constructed or renovated part of your home or office. It might just need a hard rinse to get rid of excess grout or cement left over from the installation of the toilet bowl and tiles. Just make sure that the tile grouts are already dry and all the bathroom fixtures are set so that they last longer.
Deodorizing
Now that you are done with the cleaning, it’s time to deodorize your place. Strong odors might still be there like paint, varnish, or even the cleaning solution that you used. The ideal way is to ventilate your place for at least a day to ensure that the odors are dilluted by natural air, however, if this is impossible, using commercial air-fresheners can temporarily do this fix, or installing an air-purifier from the start of the post-construction cleaning can offer a more permanent solution.
Waste disposal
To ensure that no dirt or debris goes back, dispose off waste to your outdoor garbage can or have a professional garbage collector handle it. Designating a place within your home or office for garbage cans/waste baskets can also ensure to keep your place always clean and safe.
Doing a post-construction cleaning by yourself can be stressful, and sometimes more time consuming. In case you find the need to hire a professional cleaning company for your post-construction cleaning, contact us today and we will definitely make sure your place shines as you have dreamed and planned.