Texas Xtreme Clean

The Ultimate Guide to Post Construction Cleaning

by invisibledomination - December 18, 2021

The Ultimate Guide to Post Construction Cleaning

If you’re in the middle of renovating or building a new home, then you’re in for some exciting times ahead as you move into your new space and begin decorating and making it your home.

Unfortunately, before you can move into that space, it needs to be properly cleaned. Construction leaves a home full of dirt, debris, and waste, and these things require special attention and equipment when cleaning because they can be hazardous to your health if not cleaned properly.

At Texas Xtreme Clean, we specialize in post-construction cleaning and getting people back into their homes as quickly as possible. If you’re looking to clean your post-construction mess yourself, then our step-by-step guide will help you learn what’s required to get your home in order and move-in ready. 

What is a Post-Construction Cleaning?

A post-construction cleaning is one which is performed after construction of a renovation or a new home build. Dust, dirt, and debris will inevitably find their way into the nooks and crannies of your home due to the nature of construction. These consist of things like silica, wood, gypsum, screws and nails, and even glass or metal shards, all of which are hazardous to your health in different ways. It’s important to ensure the home is cleaned thoroughly so that these hazards do not cause any health issues. 

While a construction company may do a general clean and remove large pieces of waste, performing a detailed clean which fully removes these things from the smaller areas of your home is not part of their job. That’s why you will either need to clean the home yourself or hire a professional cleaner for the job.

What Areas Should a Post-Construction Cleaning Cover?

A good post-construction cleaning job should thoroughly address every area of your construction site, making it sanitary and move-in ready. Here are the main things that need to be accomplished with a post-construction clean:

  • Proper disposal of waste and debris
  • Plastic and sticker removal from windows, doors, appliances, and furniture
  • Dusting ceilings, light fixtures, fans, and HVAC units
  • Cleaning inside and out of appliances, cabinets, closets, and shelves
  • Cleaning walls, baseboards, windows, frames, and sills
  • Vacuuming, mopping, and polishing floors
  • Touch-up cleaning including detailed check of all surfaces, including corners and inner surfaces

Should You Hire a Post-Construction Cleaning Company or Clean It Yourself?

When making the decision to clean your post-construction mess yourself or hire a professional cleaning company, it’s important to understand the effort, time, and materials required. A post-construction cleaning is a detailed and thorough cleaning which takes a lot of time and elbow grease. While some of the cleaning tasks may seem like regular tasks, such as vacuuming and dusting, keep in mind that you’ll need to be more detail-oriented than usual and you’ll need specialist equipment like a wet/dry vacuum.

Consider the following questions as you decide the best course of action for your post-construction clean:

Do You Have the Necessary Skills?

Sure, anyone can clean a home, but we’re not just talking about a regular home cleaning here. During a post-construction clean, you’ll need to make sure you know how to clean things like silica dust without damaging your newly built space. You’ll also need to make sure you don’t miss a single space because these things are so hazardous to your health.

Professional post-construction cleaners are trained in the best methods to address these specific types of dirt and debris, and they know what places people tend to overlook. 

Do You Understand the Safety Requirements?

During your post-construction clean, you need to be aware of the health hazards facing you, such as stray nails, glass or metal shards, and extremely dangerous construction dust. Because of these things, you’ll need to take appropriate safety precautions and make sure you have the personal protective equipment (PPE) that you’ll need to wear to avoid injury or developing breathing difficulties. 

Professional cleaners are aware of these issues and know exactly how to deal with them. They already have the required PPE, and they also know what to look out for, how to spot it, and the best way to handle it.

Do You Have the Required Equipment?

When dealing with post-construction mess, your usual cleaning equipment will not be enough to get the job done properly. You’ll need specialized equipment like a wet/dry vacuum, a shop vacuum, a carpet cleaner, or even a floor polisher. Since you probably don’t have these things lying around, you’ll need to rent or buy them. The cost of renting all of these items can add up quite quickly. Plus, you’ll need to learn how to use them.

Professional post-construction cleaners already have these things and will arrive with all of the equipment needed for the job. They’ll also be trained in how to use them, meaning they can get straight to work and deliver faster results.

Will It Actually Help Your Budget?

Although most people clean their own post-construction sites to save money, you may not actually be saving as much money as you think by cleaning your construction site yourself. After you factor in the cost of cleaning materials, equipment hire, trash disposal, and the amount of time you’ll be spending, it can actually be quite expensive. Plus, if you damage any of the expensive equipment you’ve hired, your costs could unexpectedly skyrocket in a matter of moments thanks to repairs or replacements.

By hiring a professional cleaner with a set package price for your home, you can ensure that you remain within budget while also saving yourself a great deal of time.

Equipment and Supplies Required for a Post-Construction Cleaning

If you choose to go ahead and do the post-construction cleaning yourself, you’ll need to make sure that you have the following supplies and equipment before getting started.

Personal Protective Equipment

Keeping yourself safe and healthy should be your number one priority, so you’ll need to make sure that you’re wearing the right PPE. In addition to the items below, we recommend that you wear full-length clothing to protect your skin.

Rubber Soled Shoes
These will help make sure that you don’t slip while also protecting your feet from sharp objects, such as nails and screws, glass shards, or wooden splinters. 

Thick Gloves
Not only will you most likely be using some pretty serious cleaning chemicals, you’ll also be dealing with construction hazards. You’ll need to protect your hands just as you do your feet.

Respirator
Construction dust is unlike regular dust – it contains items that are much more dangerous for your lungs and which can lead to serious illness. Things like silica, gypsum, and wood can all be found in construction dust and will be on nearly every surface of the construction site, so it’s important to wear a respirator which is able to filter these things and protect your lungs.

Safety Goggles
Although you may not realize it, all of the hazards listed above can also damage your eyes, so it’s important that you wear eye protection. As you’re cleaning, you’ll be bound to stir up some dust. It’s also possible that things could fall from higher surfaces while trying to reach or clean below them. 

Hard Hat
You’ll likely be cleaning a finished construction site with workers removed, so this one may not be necessary, but it is worth mentioning if you’re going to be cleaning an area while workers are still present. Protecting your head with a hard hat will safeguard against falling items if construction workers need to revisit the roof or room above you.

Post-Construction Cleaning Equipment 

When it comes to a post-construction cleaning, you’ll want to make sure that you are using high quality equipment. Your usual vacuum cleaner simply won’t cut it. If you don’t have the items below, you should be able to find a place that will rent them to you for a daily rate. 

  • Shop vac (high-powered vacuum cleaner)
  • Wet/dry vacuum
  • Floor polisher
  • Carpet cleaner
  • Power washer (for outdoors only)

You might find that your construction site doesn’t require every item on the list, but it’s important to know what may be required so that you can be prepared. We recommend doing a walk-through of your completed space and examining the mess, considering what materials will be needed for cleaning as you go.

Post-Construction Cleaning Supplies

In addition to expensive specialized equipment, you’ll also need a few basic tools to get the job done properly. 

  • Step ladder
  • Dusters (we recommend a good microfiber one with an extendable handle)
  • Microfiber cloths
  • Cleaning rags
  • Bucket
  • Handheld brush and dustpan
  • Stiff-bristled brush
  • Soft-bristled broom
  • Flat mop or mop and bucket
  • Cleaning rags
  • Sponges
  • Squeegee
  • Large trash bags
  • Plastic sheeting (for sealing off your HVAC system and any rooms not in need of cleaning)
  • Masking tape

And of course, you’ll need good-quality cleaning solutions to make sure your home is sanitary. Here’s what we recommend getting:

  • All-purpose cleaner
  • Floor cleaner
  • General bathroom cleaner
  • Toilet cleaner
  • Glass cleaner
  • Disinfectant

If your home has any special materials such as granite or stainless steel, you may want to purchase specialized cleaners for those surfaces to make sure you get the best results.

Steps for a Thorough Post-Construction Clean

Generally, a post-construction cleaning is done in three different phases: the rough clean, the deep clean, and the touch-up clean. Performing your post-construction clean in these phases will help you clean more efficiently without getting overwhelmed in the beginning. These phases also take into consideration the fact that construction dust remains in the air for about seven days after the work has finished. 

The Rough Clean

During the first phase of post-construction cleaning, known as the rough clean, you should not pay attention to any details. The idea of this phase is to remove as much of the major mess as possible.

  1. Remove large items like debris, leftover construction materials, trash, and anything else that is too large to be vacuumed.
  2. Remove stickers from doors, windows, and appliances
  3. Use a soft-bristled broom to sweep loose dust and dirt to the center of the room (you can lightly spray dust with water to make it stick together and become easier to sweep)
  4. With microfiber cloths, wipe down every surface in your construction site. Yes, every surface. This includes things like walls, door frames, baseboards, windows, window frames, windowsills, blinds, and cabinets.
  5. Vacuum the floors with a high-powered vacuum.

When you are finished with this phase, your property will still be dirty. That’s ok. The rough clean is designed to prepare your space for the deep clean.

The Deep Clean

Once you’ve removed the major sources of dirt and dust, you can perform a more thorough deep clean. Because it will take dust some time to settle, you may want to do the deep clean a day after the rough clean, but since you’ll come back for touch-up cleanings later it isn’t necessary to wait if you’ve still got energy in you.

During this second phase, you should spend extra time making sure you get every single surface in your site as clean as possible. Below, we’ve provided some checklists for individual rooms so you can be sure you don’t miss anything.

Kitchen

The kitchen is one of those places you’ll want to rush to use again, but you shouldn’t use the kitchen to cook until a week after your deep clean. Heavy particles will take some time to settle, so you would be breathing in and consuming those hazards.

When performing your deep clean in the kitchen, make sure not to forget the following:

  • Dust all cabinet tops, counters, shelves, ceiling fans, and door and window frames
  • Deep clean inside and out of cabinets and drawers
  • Clean appliances inside and out
  • Scrub sinks and faucets
  • Clean counters, backsplash, and walls
  • Clean light switches and light fixtures
  • Vacuum air vents
  • Vacuum and mop the floor

Bathrooms

This is one of the most important rooms in a house, so its important that you make sure it is sanitary and ready for move-in. Unlike the kitchen, there’s no need to wait for dust to settle before being able to use your bathrooms.

  • Dust all cabinet tops, counters, shelves, and door and window frames
  • Deep clean inside and out of cabinets and drawers
  • Clean toilet inside and out
  • Scrub sinks, showers, tubs, and faucets
  • Clean counters
  • Clean light switches and light fixtures
  • Clean mirrors
  • Vacuum air vents
  • Vacuum and mop the floor

Other Interior Rooms

The remaining interior rooms will be similar, so you can apply this checklist to any other room in the house.

  • Dust any cabinets, shelving, ceiling fans, and door and window frames
  • Deep clean inside and out of closets, cabinets, and drawers
  • Clean walls, windows, and baseboards
  • Clean light switches and light fixtures
  • Vacuum air vents
  • Vacuum floors
  • Mop hard floors

Exterior Cleaning

The final step in a post-construction deep clean is to address the exterior of your home. You may find construction debris such as packaging or tape hanging around your gardens. Take a good look through your home’s exterior areas to ensure you remove all signs of construction.

  • Collect trash in trash bags
  • Dust lighting and wall fixtures
  • Power wash walls, porches, walkways, and driveways
  • Wash windows
  • Clean garage door
  • Tidy up the yard

Cleaning Special Types of Fine Construction Dust

During your deep clean, you may encounter different types of dust which require special cleaning methods. If you know you are working with any of the following kinds of dust, use caution to ensure you clean the area properly.

Spackling Paste
Scrape spackling paste with a plastic putty knife so you don’t damage the surface. If on tile, you can wet the paste and allow it to soften before scraping, then wipe clean. If on wood, you can use wood oil to allow it to soften before scraping. If on carpet, allow paste to dry completely and then break off as much as possible, followed by carpet cleaner.

Drywall and Plaster Dust
Wetting drywall and plaster dust can form a fresh plaster which can damage or stain your home. Vacuum up as much dust as possible. Instead of soap and water, use a vinegar and water solution to wipe plaster dust, then dry immediately. You may need to repeat this several times.

Brick and Mortar Dust
Brick dust is heavier than other types of dust and can easily damage the surfaces in your home. Vacuum as much as possible using a brush attachment, then gently wipe clean, being careful not to exert much pressure. If on carpet, use a brush to loosen the dust and vacuum again.

The Touch-Up Clean 

Once you’ve completed your deep clean, you may want to wait 3-5 days before returning for your touch-up clean. This is because construction dust takes about a week to settle. If you do your touch-up clean too soon, you may find that you have to do it a second or even third time as the dust continues to settle.

Although you’ll see more dust than usual, this phase shouldn’t take very long because you’ll just be dusting, possibly vacuuming (only if a great deal of dust has settled on the floor), and removing fingerprints and smudges from windows and mirrors. 

To remove the final bit of construction dust from your home, you can use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down all surfaces in your home again.

Post-Construction Cleaning Summary

Cleaning up after a renovation or new home build is a lot of work, but it is doable. Using the guide above, you’ll be able to make sure that your home is safe and sanitary for you and your family to move into.

And if it sounds like too much work? No need to despair! Professional cleaning companies like Texas Xtreme Clean can help handle your post-construction cleaning for you.