• Cleaning

The construction project can create a lot of mess once the renovation or building construction work is over. Due to the accumulation of dust and dirt on the construction sites, most homeowners or people staying in the building move to a temporary place. It is not only about the dirt accumulated on the floor, but construction work creates a lot of noise. 

You can’t expect the workers to clean the site after they are done with the construction. That’s because the mess will keep building on the site until the project is over and the area is cleaned thoroughly. Besides, cleaning the site while executing the construction job is not possible for the employees. So, they recommend the post-construction cleaning phases to clean the building, declutter the area and remove dirt and debris from the site.

What is Post-Construction Cleaning? Is it Important?

The clutter you will find on the construction site is not something you can clean on your own. Giving the new site a good wash with your daily-use detergent will not deep-clean the area. You need to hire professional cleaners to wash your space and make it look neat and 100% spot-free. 

After all, it is not only the floors and the walls that need cleaning. Once the workers are done with the construction, you will spot dirt and dust in every nook and cranny of the building. The corners around your doors and windows, walls, ceilings, floors, exteriors, bedrooms, kitchen, cabinets, and almost every area need to be cleaned.  The professionals clean your building from top to bottom. Now depending on if you have a home, commercial building, or apartment complex being cleaned will determine how many phases you need. Typically homes and small commercial buildings will just require a main final clean as contractors should remove these items for you. A larger-scale project will require all 3 phases. 

Let’s take a look at the three phases of post-construction for your building.

1. Rough Clean

You don’t call the cleaners once the construction workers are done with their jobs. Instead, these professionals need to be present on-site for the three cleaning phases. The first is the rough clean, which is done after plumbing, wiring, and framing. The cleaners pick up solid debris, remove wet debris, and sweep the dirt off your floors to prepare the area for further renovation. 

At this point, the cleaners only pick the garbage that’s making your floors look crammed with the plumbing and framing waste. There’s no point in deep cleaning at this stage since the site will accumulate dirt as the workers will resume the construction work. Still, rough cleaning is important to remove dust, waste, and solid waste materials that might be in the way of having floors and appliances placed. You don’t want to have material or a dirty floor under those. 

Once the rough cleaning part is over, the construction workers can move on to painting the walls, placing the floors, and cabinetry. Rough cleaning includes removing the leftover items that can’t be vacuumed. The cleaners may also remove stickers from the walls, doors, windows, cabinets, and other places.

2. Light Clean

Also known as touch-up cleaning,  takes plenty of tools, strong cleaning equipment, and a considerable amount of repetitive cleaning. Though it’s only a light cleaning phase, the professionals are supposed to give the cabinets, windows, toilets, sinks, and other such freshly installed items a deep clean. 

It is also one of the reasons why most homeowners and architects consider professional post-construction cleaning companies so that the areas like air ducts, roofs, and other hard-to-reach spots are taken care of.

This is also the stage where the cleaners clean the areas they removed the stickers from in the first step. Once this part is done, there is only one step left for cleaning before the homeowners can finally move in. 

3. Final Clean

Also known as the touch-up cleaning, this is the ultimate post-construction cleaning phase. It’s the most challenging and time-consuming part of the post-construction cleaning job. Almost all areas are cleaned during the second stage, so the final or touch-up cleaning is performed a few days or 1 to 2 weeks after the construction work is over.

This allows the cleaning crew adequate time to prepare for the final clean. They check the air ducts, roof, walls, ceilings, interior & exterior floors, bedrooms, kitchens, washrooms, toilets, sinks, doors, windows, and each corner of your building to remove the remaining debris. 

The company might send only a couple of cleaners for the final clean, as the tough part is already over in the second stage. This is the dusting part where the cleaning staff removes the fingerprint marks, smudges, and other spots. As soon as the touch-up cleaning is over, you are all set to move into your new home.

Can the Construction Contractors Perform the Post-construction Cleaning?

Construction contractors have a lot on their plates already. They may not have time to do the cleaning part. Having your contractors clean your space after construction is not a good idea, as that’s not their normal job or speciality. Only a professional cleaner has the best cleaning tools and the right products to perform a post-construction cleaning that’s ready for you to move into.

You can ask the contractors to recommend the best cleaners for post-construction cleaning or search for a post-construction cleaner in your area on your own (whatever works for you). It is best to hire a cleaning company during the final phase of the construction project, as you are going to need them on the site during and after construction. Do not attempt DIY. You don’t want to miss out on the hidden corners that accumulate a large amount of dust.

Leave the task to a professional cleaning company and enjoy a spot-free and tidy building. Research the top cleaners, compare their services, get a quote, and book them in advance!