Get a Sparkling Oxford House with an After Builders Cleaning Checklist

House renovations are as exciting as they are stressful. There’s always a thing or two that goes wrong but at the end of the day, everything tends to turn out just fine. When all is done, the time for the most exciting part comes – decorating your Oxford house!
The only thing that stands in the way of you spending a little fortune over at the Garden Centre, Argos and John Lewis is the after-the-builders cleaning of your house.
If you’ve chosen not to hire a team of post-construction cleaners to do the job, we’ve got you covered as this article covers everything you’ll need to do in the house once the builders have left.

Although it varies between properties, a typical after-builders cleaning checklist for an Oxford home includes the following points.

Let the Post-Constructional Cleaning Begins

Our Oxford professionals advise you to start from the common areas of the house like the kitchen and living rooms and slowly make your way towards the bedroom.

• Remove the large debris from the area and unwrap any new furniture and kitchen appliances. Throw away the protective covers, labels, and stickers from your doors;
• Gently scrub off any paint, grout, drywall filler or mastic from the areas they shouldn’t be on. Use a flexible putty knife with a light hand to avoid scratching the surfaces. Don’t forget the odd places like the plumbing fixture;
• Wash all doors from both sides and polish their handles;
• Wipe off the light fixtures in all rooms;
• Clean the kitchen cabinets and drawers inside and out, and remember to dust and wipe their tops as well;
• Take care of the exterior and interior of all kitchen appliances;
• Thoroughly polish the worktops and the kitchen splashback;
• Clean the fireplace, air vents, smoke alarms and the ceiling fans;
• Polish well all chrome surfaces as well as the taps and sinks;
• Wash the windows and their frames and sills from both sides;
• Wipe off any other glasswork and mirrors;
• Clean the wall frames and panels, skirting boards, dado rails and light switches;
• Dust all surfaces;
• Wipe the stair rales and spindles;
• Vacuum the furniture and dust your blinds;
• Hover and then mop all floors and stairs.

Clean the Bathroom After the Builders

Be careful when you clean your bathroom and don’t use the shower to wash everything right away. You can clog the drains with various types of debris and leftover construction materials. Every professional cleaner will tell you to leave the shower for last and start with these tasks instead:

• Throw away the large debris, packaging and stickers from furniture, panels and screens;
• Use the same putty knife as before to remove excess grout, paint, mastic or drywall filler from the tiles or other surfaces;
• Wipe the bathtub, shower, sinks, and the toilet;
• Thoroughly clean and polish the vanity from the outside, and then follow up by wiping the cupboards inside;
• Wipe the mirrors, shower cabin doors or windows if you have;
• Wash off the tiles, light switches, brush holders, rails, towel heaters and vents;
• Polish the chrome surfaces of all taps and bathroom accessories;
• Vacuum and mop the floor with your preferred detergent;

What to Clean in Your Oxford Bedroom Once the Builders Leave

Start by the usual removing all large piles and chunks of debris. Then proceed with the following tasks:

• Scrub away any remaining splashes of paint, grout, drywall filler and mastic;
• Clean all door frames and doors inside and out;
• Thoroughly wipe windows, frames, and sills on the inside;
• Wipe off all of the light fixtures and lamp shades;
• Clean all wardrobes, shelves, cabinets, and other furniture inside and out;
• Wash the walls, skirting boards, light switches, air vents, smoke alarms and such;
• Thoroughly vacuum the carpet;
• Clean the rest of the furniture and bring all pieces to shine;

Final Touches

There are a couple more things you can do to make your Oxford house fresh and lay the ground for further decoration work. Don’t worry, you’ve done enough after builders cleaning by now, so we won’t pile on more hard tasks for you.

• Put air fresheners in the hallway, kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Skip the bedroom because you don’t want to overwhelm your senses;
• Have a couple of plants in the rooms around. This way you’ll be able to evaluate the rest of the space better and will spend less on trinkets and other pointless decoration items;
• Place a doormat at the entrance to make yourself feel at home from day one.

And that’s about it! You’re ready for the fresh days that lay ahead, with a newly renovated, clean and empty Oxford home that’s waiting for you to decorate it.