Once the builders leave your premises, the real work begins. More often than not, you’ll be left with a huge mess on your hands – there will be dust, dirt and debris practically everywhere! And if you’ve opted for the do-it-yourself approach and decided to tackle it all on your own, it might seem a bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, this article has you covered! Keep reading and, by the end, you’ll have a firm grasp on how to best tackle your after-builders cleaning situation.
If you’re impatient, here’s a quick rundown:
- Sort your tools out – make sure that you’ve got everything you need before you begin
- Give your premises and initial sweep – get rid of the larger debris before you dig in
- Start at the ceiling and clean your way down to the floor – avoid getting dirt on already cleaned surfaces
- Vacuum it all up – your trusty vacuum cleaner has your back
- Mop the floors – eliminate any residual dust
- Tackle the fine details – window sills, tables, shelves and the likes
Get your stuff together
Before you begin, do a quick inventory check. Make sure that your vacuum is emptied out, take out a few pairs of rubber gloves and see if you’ll need a refill on your cleaning solutions. A quick note here – it’s recommended that you avoid using commercial domestic cleaning products and instead go with their eco-friendly alternatives. Finding effective green cleaning recipes online will take a few minutes of your time and will protect you from a variety of dangerous toxins and chemicals!
Mind the furniture – before you get to work, make sure that all furniture and electric appliances are either fully covered up or out of the way – you don’t want to get them any dirtier than they already are!
One last thing before we being – make sure that your windows are open. This will help you deal with the dust faster and easier, all the while saving you from breathing it in.
Start with a sweep of your entire home
Go room by room, removing the larger debris and following up with a quick sweep. Remember – you aren’t trying to remove every last speck of dust, you are merely preparing the grounds for the work to follow. Allow yourself no more than 15 minutes per room, and after you’ve dealt with the worst in every room, you can move on to the next step.
Start at the ceiling and work your way down
Here’s it’s once again best to clean room by room. Starting at the ceiling, slowly clean your way down to the floor. Using this approach, you’re ensuring that you aren’t getting dust on already cleaned surfaces. Once again, you aren’t trying to remove everything and make the place shine just yet. Walls are usually best-taken care of by using a damp cloth unless they were recently painted.
Vacuum the place up
The time to deal with the smaller dust particles has finally come! Fire your trusty old vacuum cleaner up and eliminate every last bit of dust and dirt lurking about in rooms. If the mess feels worse than you initially thought, you might want to check your filter – excessive amounts of dust and dirt can clog even the best of filters, and you might need to change it. After you’re done with the vacuuming process, you can safely proceed to mop.
Mop up the floors
Wrap your after-builders cleaning session with a good mopping. Following the same principle as above, carefully go through your premises room-by-room and ensure that the floors are well taken care of. If you notice any leftover smudges after you’re done with a room, do not be afraid to repeat the procedure – sometimes getting rid of the after-builders mess can take a couple of tries.
The finer details
After a major construction or renovation project takes place in your home, everything will be covered in dust and dirt. And yes, sadly this includes the window sills, difficult to reach corners and other tricky to deal with places. Best left for last, these problematic locations should be dealt with by using your delicate upholstery attachments or other specialised tools. Try to remove as much dust and dirt and finish by wiping them with a clean damp cloth.
If you’d like to learn more after-builders clean-up tricks, or if you’d like help with your domestic cleaning chores, you can quickly and easily reach our team by calling 020 7156 7853 or by visiting our website.