Renovation projects are one of the most complicated and nerve-racking tasks that homeowners undertake. Whether the goal is increasing the value of a property or just a general ‘facelift’, the work, unfortunately, doesn’t end with waving goodbye to the builders.
Booking an after builders cleaning service is a quick and effective way of dealing with the thick layer of dust that covers what seems even the lightbulbs. But if you’re short of money, you may want to clean it all yourself.
Luckily, we know all the ins and outs of dust cleaning and we’ll be sharing our secrets with you today.
Preparing to Clean Your Home After the Builders
If you happen to be this one in a million people who planned beforehand and covered all surfaces with plastic sheets prior to any construction work, we congratulate you. You won’t need our tips.
But if you’re just like everybody else and didn’t think about how much cleaning there is after a renovation, you’ll want to squeeze out every last bit of cleaning wisdom we have. And we advise you to not wait for the builders to finish. If you’re lucky, your builders will be working clean and will throw the rubbish after it piles up. But if not, start clearing up the area each day after they leave the construction site to prevent the dirt from building up and ingraining into cracks and crevices.
How to Sweep Builders’ Dust Properly
Here’s the problem with sweeping dust: most people just end up moving the mess from one spot to the other, achieving nothing but getting covered in dirt themselves. It’s the definition of time and effort wasted. And plaster dust, as we all know, is a health hazard.
To clean the dust properly, you need to equip yourself with a good face mask and protective glasses. This is actually a mandatory requirement for every builder cleaner – safety comes first!
Only then you can proceed and spray the area you’ll be sweeping with a fine water mist. This will help the dust settle for a short time and will make the sweeping much easier and safer. To keep the fresh air flowing, make sure to open all windows. While at this step, don’t forget to sweep the walls as well because they are the main dust gatherers.
Vacuuming Up Your Home
The bad news is that builders’ dust gets everywhere, so you’ll need to clean it up from the rest of the surfaces around your house. Use the top-to-bottom method and start with light fixtures, moving down to doors and light switches, and finishing with furniture. Use a vacuum cleaner* with a properly sized nozzle to clean surfaces such as shelves, windowsills and inside vents. Make sure to get into the corners as well and hoover as much of the dust as possible.
*Our cleaners recommend you use a vacuum cleaner which utilises HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters because they are the only ones that can trap the tiny dirt particles. Ordinary hoovers fail to achieve that and simply blow the builders dust back into the air, effectively spreading it all over the place.
Mopping and Wiping Any Residual Dust
Now that the raw work is complete, it’s time to polish your Oxford home. Literally. Again, the top-after builder cleaners advise using a damp cloth for furniture, windowsills, doors and light switches and only then proceed with the mopping of the floors.
Don’t forget about the walls as well. To wipe them off easily, moisten a small-sized towel and wrap it around the bottom of a broom, then wipe the walls with it. However, skip the wall cleaning if your walls have been recently painted or else you risk damaging the paintwork.
Depending on how well you’ve managed to pick up the dust before, you might need to mop your floors a couple of times before achieving that satisfactory shine. Nevertheless, once you’re done with this, you’re all set!
All in all, after builders clean of dust, is all about being diligent and patient. Picking up the tiny dust particles isn’t easy and might take you a few attempts. But by following our tips, you’ll be able to shorten the time and soon enough you’ll be on top of things, ready.