Commercial cleaning: Finally completing the construction of your new building or renovation of your old one is an exciting time for anyone. But painting the last wall or grouting the final tile is hardly the last step of the process! As you walk around your brand-new facility, you’ll encounter dust and debris everywhere—from the floor to the walls, ceilings and everywhere in between. As a property manager or owner, you don’t want your tenants walking into their new facility expecting to find a spotless facility ready for them to use only to leave coughing and sneezing due to the copious amount of dust everywhere. Your tenant also doesn’t want to deal with taking away boxes and organising hard rubbish collections for months after the facility is completed!
This is where you may want to use the assistance of a commercial cleaning company that specialises in post-construction cleaning. The builders you hire may be masters at constructing buildings from the ground up, but they may not have the time or the necessary training to conduct expert post-construction cleaning that meets the required industry standards. Several steps must be taken once a facility or office has been constructed to make it safe to inhabit.
Post-Construction Cleaning Checklist
The construction of a building involves the use of several chemicals and materials that may be hazardous to the health of an individual if they are not cleared out properly once construction is complete. For immunocompromised individuals or those with asthma or other respiratory problems, breathing in paint fumes, sawdust, drywall dust and cement particles can be a recipe for disaster. The professional cleaners you hire will follow the checklist below to ensure the property is safe for all inhabitants before it is cleared for use:
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Phase One: Initial Rough Clean
This phase involves removing the larger pieces of debris such as cardboard boxes, leftover construction material, tools and any trash left behind by the construction workers. The property will still be covered in a film of dust and stains, but this step will remove any major obstacles from your cleaners’ path.
In the next step of this phase, your cleaners will first block any vents with plastic sheeting to protect the HVAC system, then take a soft-bristled broom to sweep the floors as best they can. It’s always a good idea to start from the farthest part of the house from the front door, so the construction dust is being swept outside rather than in. Then, with a wet/dry vacuum, go over the area again to remove any fine particles that may have been left behind.
It might make more sense to clean the floors after all the other cleaning has been done, but it’s better for your cleaners’ health to get rid of the dust beforehand to prevent stirring it up too much and breathing it in. They will also conduct another thorough sweep, vacuum and mop before handing over the property to you.
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Phase Two: Deep Clean
This is the longest and most laborious part of post-construction cleaning. In the second phase of post-construction cleaning, the cleaners will tackle any stains and spots left behind, such as finger or other marks on windows or glass doors, paint and caulking splashes and adhesive residue. They will also remove stickers from appliances and windows, wash down walls, door frames and baseboards, dust light fixtures and wipe down bulbs, wipe down all faucets and tapware, clean inside cabinetry and appliances, vacuum vents and HVAC filters and give your floors another sweep, vacuum and mop.
Some facility services are now using special technology to analyse the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of every building they clean to ensure the levels of particulate matter are not hazardous to the inhabitants of the building. This is especially important in post-construction cleaning as fine dust from sawdust, drywall debris and metal filings can linger in the air long after construction has ceased.
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Phase Three: Touch-Up Clean
A week or two after the deep clean, the commercial cleaning service will inspect the building once again to ensure no space or surface is left unclean. This gap in movement will also allow any floating dust to settle, allowing cleaners to thoroughly complete the final touches to make the property ready for inhabitation. In this stage, the professionals may also clean the exterior of the building, including a powerwash if required, going over the grounds with a magnetic sweeper to pick up any loose screws or metal debris and wiping down all exterior light fixtures and bulbs. The property is now ready for use.
As you can see, a post-construction cleanup involves several steps before the property can be considered ready for use. A commercial cleaning company will train all employees in the correct use of chemicals, what products to use for what tasks as well as the industry safety standards they may be required to meet. This will ensure a more thorough and safer clean for all parties involved.
