What is Post Construction Cleaning? A Complete Guide To Refer

Have you recently completed construction or repair work and now have a mess on your hands? Going through a construction process is already hard enough, but this is not the end of the process. Post construction cleaning is the last step before owners can move in. Let’s discuss almost everything related to post construction cleaning in this blog.

What is Post Construction Cleaning

As the term suggests, post construction cleaning is about all the cleaning after the construction work. Without it, it’s not possible for the owners to move in. The remaining dust will not only look dirty, but it will also damage the interior and affect your health.

That’s why post construction cleanup is considered to be an essential part of the construction. One thing that a person can think of is that since it is the post construction part, then it must be handled by the construction agency. But this is not the case. There is an entire agency available that deals with post construction cleanup.

This form of cleaning involves more than just sweeping the floor and washing the carpet and other visible areas.

Importance of Hiring Professional Cleaners

Construction contractors are already preoccupied with constructing the structure, so adding the task of cleaning up their mess is a huge burden. As a result, employing expert cleaners, whether through a construction contractor or on your own, is highly recommended.

Often when the construction company does not provide further cleaning services, some clients decide to avoid hiring professional cleaners and instead handle cleaning on their own, which is not advisable.

Let’s look at the following points to briefly understand why it is important to hire professionals rather than do the work on own:

• The first and the most important point is the safety of the house members. If people are choosing to do post-construction cleaning by themselves, there are high chances of injury. However, professionals will take care of everything without missing even a single nail in the house.
• If cleaning is done by clients rather than professionals, inner and hidden portions of the building that most people are unaware of may be missed. Professional cleaners have the relevant skills and equipment. Therefore they are likely to deliver professional results, such as no paint splatters, unremoved stickers, or dust.
• Professional cleaners will determine the top place that requires extra attention based on their years of experience and training.
• The post construction cleaning will be done on time so that you don’t have to wait much before moving into your house.

Now that we have understood what post construction cleaning is, let’s have a look at the checklist of it.

Post Construction Cleaning Checklist

Each area of the structure should be covered by your post-construction cleaning checklist. It should be used as a guide to assist workers in inspecting all parts of the construction, from the flooring, windows, and ceilings to external features and garbage and rubbish clearance. Here’s a list of things to include. If you are an entrepreneur and looking for entering into post construction cleaning business, then go through this checklist.

1. Living Room

   The living room is the communal area in the house that should be free of construction debris, clear, clean, and well-lit. Following are the things that need to be checked while cleaning the living room:
   

   • Every electric connection in the room is working properly.
   • The floors have been swept, vacuumed, or mopped.
   • Clean doorknobs and light switches.
   • Clear doors and doorframes.
   • There should be no scuff marks on the walls or paint drops on the floors.
   • Cleaning and dusting of windows, window sills, and window tracks.

2. Entrance and Exit

   The first thing the owner notices when moving into their building is the entrance and exit point. All the entrances should be cleaned, this includes:

   • Ensuring all the light connections are working fine.
   • The door, door frames, and doorknobs are clean.
   • Exterior lights are dusted.
   • Sweep entrance/exit ways.

3. Bed Rooms

   In order to have a clean and complete bedroom environment, trash must be removed, light fixtures must be dusted, and the floor, walls, and windows must be clean. Other things to keep in mind while assessing a bedroom are:

   • Grates and vents dusting.
   • Ceiling fans and light fixtures dusting.
   • Cleaning the inside of the closets.
   • Baseboards should be wiped down.

4. Bathrooms

   Irrespective of how big or small your bathroom is, proper cleaning is needed to ensure proper hygiene. Following are the things which must be cleaned in the bathrooms:

   • Wipe down mirrors, cabinets, and counters.
   • The sink, tub, and shower have all been cleaned and sanitized.
   • Cleaning of light fixtures, door frames, baseboards, doorknobs, and windows.
   • The floors have been swept, vacuumed, or mopped.
   • Cabinets and drawers are cleaned on the inside and trash bags are removed.

5. Kitchen

   The kitchen is among the most active areas of a house and can have various types of structures. Follow the following steps in order to clean your kitchen.

   • Appliances should be clean on the inside.
   • Check to see if all of the cabinet hardware is clean and secure.
   • Wipe down all fixtures and finishes with a damp cloth.
   • All shelves and counters should be dusted.
   • Make sure the sink and backsplash are clean.
   • Windows, window sills and window tracks should all be clean.
   • Floors should be swept and vacuumed/mopped.
   • Cabinets and drawers should be clean on the inside.

6. Outdoor Spaces

   Once you are done with the house’s interior, all there is left is to clean the outdoor spaces.

   • Clean the paths with a broom or a power washer.
   • The garage door and mailbox should be clean.
   • All porches, decks, and patios should be swept.
   • Remove all garbage from the area.

However, in order to do all the cleaning as mentioned above, there should be a proper checklist of the cleaning tools as well. Following are the tools which you will need during the post construction cleanup:

• A vacuum cleaner with a variety of nozzle attachments for professional use.
• Dusters.
• Glass-cleaning products.
• Disinfectants and cleansers for bathrooms.
• Clothes made of microfiber.
• Degreasers.
• All-purpose cleaners (mops).

Once the checklist of the tools and areas to clean is made, all there is left is to go through post construction cleaning through different phases. Let’s understand more about it.

Phases of Post Construction Cleaning

All the cleaning requirements as mentioned above are done step by step using the three phases of post construction cleanup.

Phase 1: Rough Cleaning

This is where the first phase begins, once all of the necessary electrical, plumbing, and framing has been completed. The removal of large things, such as construction debris, trash, leftover materials on the construction site, and other items that cannot be vacuumed, is the first and most important task in this phase.

Once the above step is done, the next thing to do is sweep and vacuum. This phase also includes the removal, but not the cleaning of stickers off doors and windows.

Phase 2: Light Clean

The second phase of the post construction cleanup is considered to be the most time-consuming phase of all. It requires a majority of the cleaning and a variety of tools.

Often much attention is given to rooms like the kitchen and restroom since their purpose is unique and a lot of activities happen there. In this phase, sinks, toilets, windows, and cabinets are just a few of the installed components that should be completely cleaned. One of the reasons why people employ a professional cleaning service is during this phase.

Progressive cleaning ensures that the most effective and up-to-date cleaning equipment and materials are used to ensure that these regions, as well as the most inner surfaces such as air ducts, are thoroughly cleaned.

Moreover, cleaning of places with removed stickers from the first step is also addressed here, including windows, glass areas, doors, walls, and other paved surfaces. The completion of this step will bring the client one step closer to moving in.

Phase 3: Final Clean

This is the final phase of the post construction cleanup process, where touch-up cleaning is done. Generally, this last phase is done several days after the completion of the second phase, as this amount of time gives all the dust particles after the cleaning to be settled down. This gives the cleaning crew more time to focus on the final clearing of dust.

Because the common things that are cleared on this point are smudges, fingerprints, and other faults from the places that were cleaned in the previous phases, this phase takes only a short time.

Cost of Post Construction Cleaning Process

Now that we have gone through almost everything about the post construction clean, the last and one of the most crucial things remaining is the cost.

If you are looking for post construction cleaning services, then you must be wondering how much does post construction cleaners cost. Or if you are a post construction cleaning company, then the first question in your mind is how much should I charge for post construction cleaning.

Depending on the scope of work and the construction type, the cost of post-construction cleaning per square foot varies between $0.10 and $0.60. Post Construction clean-up services for homes are less expensive than commercial clean-up services. Larger home cleaning areas may qualify for a discount.

The cost of commercial cleaning is mostly determined by the type of property for which you employ cleaning services. For example, schooling following building sites will have a low cost per square foot, whereas cleaning after erecting a petrol station will be closer to the higher end of the price scale. On average residential projects cost between $375 and $800.