Clean Up After Renovation And Minimize Mess During Construction

When you are getting ready to renovate your house, you are most likely focused on what materials you need, the cost of labor and finding a good contractor. These things are important and form the basis of your renovation project. It is also important to not forget plans for prepping the site that you want renovated. And arranging adequate protection so at the end of this long journey, you can lay back and relax. Learn all these tips to clean up after renovation and minimize mess during construction.

Remembering all of these things can prove to be a tedious business. That is why we have compiled a bunch of tips and tricks for you to minimize your mess. And prevent damage to your valuables by sound renovation planning and preparation. And don’t forget to look for professional help to do a post-construction cleaning on your home after it all ends. We listed the benefits of hiring a professional post-construction cleaning service.

Guidelines For Minimizing Construction Mess and Cleaning Up After Renovation

Depending on what you are getting renovated on your residential property, you can ask your building contractors to clean as they go. Especially if you are living in the house while it is being renovated. Moreover, you can also hire post-remodeling cleaners to do the clean up after renovation.

A Seal to Heal – Clean Up After Renovation

You can seal the area where you need remodeling to be done with paint tarps. These inexpensive sheets are a great way to prevent any paint or varnish spills on your newly made floor. You can also use them to minimize the dust in the air, on the furniture and floors. By isolating the place using tarps, you save a lot of time that would have been otherwise spent cleaning the house.

Try sealing the area under renovations to the best of your ability, ensuring that no spaces are left in between. Leaving behind small gaps can cause dust to accumulate. Which may seem harmless in the start but can become a headache later after several days of build-up. You can also customize your tarps by adding zippers to eliminate gaps. But even when you need an exit or entrance. You can attach the tarps to the floor using duct tape which you can easily find at any home depot store. So it’ll be easier to do clean up after renovation.

Learn How To Seal Furniture

Apart from sealing floors and nearby areas, it is also important to keep furniture in mind. Furniture needs to be sealed as well so that you do not have to clean your sofas later one by one. You should wrap any furniture near the construction area in old sheets and then lay plastic covers over them. Thickly-woven linen and cotton are the best for capturing even fine dust that usually seeps its way in despite the plastic covering. You also have to make sure to remove the covers very patiently when the house renovation is over.

If you do not unwrap and lift them properly, all of the dirt and dust will stick to the fabric. It is also a good idea to seal any gaps in the cabinets as well. As this will save you the hassle of washing your clothes afterwards and help you when clean up after renovation.

Make a Path and Clear the Area

Talk to your contractors to open a path which family members can access safely. This is normally not necessary if only one part of the property is being renovated. But in the case of remodeling happening in a commercial building, it is always a good idea to have a clear path which employees know when to take. Installing the necessary signs of tarps ensures that your employees are safe from any falling debris when construction is going on during office hours.

Also, posting necessary warnings such for wet paint or wet tiles. Or even for falling debris will help the staff avoid unnecessary accidents. This will ensure your contractors do not need to repeat their work. Which in turn makes them more productive with any other tasks that need to be dealt with.

Clean As You Go

Asking your contractor to clean as they go allows for less clutter to remain behind after renovation is complete. This will enable everything to go smoothly and will ensure that the workers do not leave the construction site in a mess. Even if you are doing a DIY project, it is important to have the tools in their right places. Along with sweeping the floor and piling any bricks or wood you might have used.

Although this can be a time-consuming task, it is still better than having a whole pile of mess to clean after you are done remodeling. For commercial buildings or if you have hired contractors, having good communication with the people working for you can do wonders. As some contractors prefer to leave things where they are so that they can easily resume with work the next day.

Create a Routine

Even if you have hired contractors to work for you, it is also important to take some of the chores into your own hands. It is your house at the end of the day and you know it better than anyone else! Vacuuming or cleaning any excess dust after the day’s work does wonders in not only lessening your workload after renovation. But makes your contractor’s job easier as well. This is why having your own cleaning routine is super important. You can work on the problem areas of your house to give them a good cleaning that an outsider would have no idea about.

Have You Tried an Air Scrubber?

Air scrubbers are useful to get rid of wood shavings, leaves, dust or any other form of tiny debris. They are more useful than conventional cleaning methods because they are faster. Helping you to save time and energy. Compared to fans, air scrubbers blow a more dense and concentrated amount of air. Thus making the job of drying or cleaning a lot more efficient. They are also a heaven-sent in getting rid of any odors left behind from paints or vanishes. You can also use an air scrubber to stop dust from reaching other areas of the house. Although air scrubber rentals can be costly.

What To Do After Your Renovation Is Done?

If there is anything that can take away the happiness of a newly renovated place, it is the mess you eventually have to clean up after renovation. No matter how good of a job your contractor does, it is inevitable that dust does collect in places that we least expect it to. Fortunately, there are many simple and easy steps you can follow. This ensure you can fully enjoy your new place without worrying about any extra cleaning baggage attached to it. Things you will typically need include:

• A face mask
• Vacuum
• Soft towels
• Dryer sheets
• Mops
• Brooms
• Specific cleaners for different material

Pick A Place To Start And See How To Clean Up After Renovation

Starting from the top is always a smart idea when trying to make sense of the mess surrounding you. Start the clean up after renovation by vacuuming as much of the dirt as possible. Dust can shift from one place to another as well as small wood shavings. Which can prove difficult to clean up with a broom. So instead opt for a high power vacuum cleaner. Starting from the ceiling and working your way down to the board bases. Do not forget to clean the air vents along with any fans and windows present in the area. You can book online cleaning services online, we clarify how here.

After you are done with the vacuuming, you can go over these areas with a mixture of soap and hot water. Damp towels or tissue papers can be used to wipe away any excess dirt that your vacuum might have missed.

Floor Safety

When it comes to cleaning floors, it is important to determine what kind of flooring you have installed. Carpets tend to hold more dust and debris from the renovations. So you have to go over them with a vacuum or a steam cleaner. For wooden floors, using a wet mop can cause tiny scratches on the floor. It causes to look dull in the long run. In order to ensure the longevity of your wooden flooring, use a vacuum along with a broom and dryer sheets for those pesky edges. Moreover, you can also go over the floor with a damp but not a wet mop with the appropriate surface cleaner. You can finish the job with a quick polish to your hardwood floors, or tiles.

Do Not Forget About the Ducts

Air conditioning ducts or air filters tend to catch dust and debris overtime. Which can significantly decrease their efficiency. It is also important to change the filters because the dust trapped in these filters can circulate throughout the house. And can be harmful for anyone suffering with respiratory ailments. Do not be scared to get in your vents and clean them from the inside out after a home renovation project. You can remove all the grids, wash them with soap and water and let them dry before you install them back in again.

Hire Cleaning After Renovation

Whether you stayed put in your home or moved out during the remodeling process, you will have to arrange for a post-construction deep cleanup once the final coat of the paint is applied and that last light fixture is installed. Homeowners can choose to do the deep clean themselves or outsource it to any one of the companies that focus on this service. Not only do cleaning services know how to clean up after renovation professionally. But hiring someone to do the work for you saves you a lot of time and effort that would have otherwise been put into cleaning yourselves. 

When you are trying to decide whether to hire help or do the work yourself, it is important for you to ask the following questions

• Do I have the time and energy to invest in this?
• How long do I think it will take me to finish cleaning up?
• Do I have the finances to afford a cleaning company after the remodeling budget?

Different circumstances determine who does the job

Getting a thorough cleaning is crucial. All sorts of particles are released inside the house during renovations. Including various types of molds, toxins, spores, silicates, and ultra-fine dust that can damage your health. Freshly applied paints, primers and lacquers also have the tendency to give off fumes. Given the possible dangers to your mental well-being and health, the hefty price for a proper cleanup may be worth it!

A Quick Clean-Up Checklist

1.  Make sure you clean the walls, including the mold. If your walls are newly painted, your best bet is sticking to dry cleaning. If you had no work done on your walls or if the paint is dry, then you can wipe them thoroughly with a damp towel. You can also try wrapping the towel around a broom or a duster to reach high hard-to-reach places. If you have walls covered with a natural material like grass cloth or textured wallpaper, vacuuming them along with a brush attachment always does the job well. For other types of wallpapers, you can wipe them with a damp cloth, remembering to spot check first.
2. Vacuum! You can go over your floors a couple of times if they are carpeted. If they are made with wood and have tiles or linoleum, you can vacuum followed by a quick mop.
3. You can use your vacuum along with its upholstery attachment to clean your upholstered furniture like mattresses that were covered during the renovation. You can also use fabric window treatments as well as accessories
4. Unless you had new light fixtures installed, it is highly recommended that you take down your light fixtures. And clean them as they can accumulate the most amount of dust when it rises. Cleaning the blades of a ceiling fan also helps in giving the room a cleaner look.
5. Unscrew your vent and go over them with water and soap.
6. Use a damp rag to wipe away any wood or metal furniture as well as knickknacks that you might have lying around.
7. Check and change the air filters in your home. Oftentimes, painters remove filters when they are painting and forget to put them back in. A missing filter can potentially damage your furnace. If your filter stayed up during construction, it might have gathered a lot of dust so it is always a good idea to replace it with a new one.

If you’re looking for a more complete post-construction cleaning checklist, go look on House Ace blog post. You can find the link here.

Hire My Cleaning Angel For Your Post-Renovation Cleaning

A post-construction cleaning is hard to do by yourself. If you don’t have time or don’t want to clean by yourself, book now your post-construction / post-remodeling cleaning with My Cleaning Angel. We are the best cleaning agency in Florida.