After construction has been finished in your home, you may be left with quite a mess to clean up. A lot of construction crews may clean up some but not all of the debris they left behind. Even fewer will sweep up after themselves and get rid of all the dust and dirt they left behind.
You may want to start by hiring a local cleaning service to handle the post construction tidying for you. It’s a lot of work handle on your own, but if you want to do the tidying up after the remodel for yourself, here’s how to do it:
1. Cordon off the area.
Start by making sure that the area to be cleaned up is separated from everything else. You can hang the plastic sheeting to keep dust from going into other rooms of the house. You also want to keep doors closed and limit or eliminate traffic in the area where construction had been going on. What this does is keep the dust from spreading around and limit how much cleanup you have to do.
2. Remove the debris.
Next, you need to pick up and move all of the large pieces of debris left behind. Some construction crews clean up well after themselves and get rid of the debris, and others will leave it all for you to handle. It often depends on how busy they are and what their reputation is like. Anyhow, you may need to do some of this heavy lifting yourself. Getting the big stuff out of the way is a priority since it makes it easier to get at the rest of the area and do the remainder of the cleaning to be done.
Watch for nails, screws, glass, and sharp edges as you clean up the debris. It’s best to wear heavy work gloves to keep yourself safe.
3. Sweep up the dust and dirt.
You may be able to vacuum most or all of the dust up, but if you are sweeping, be careful about how much force you are using. Sweep gently to keep dust from flying up into the air ad spreading around. Try to sweep small section at a time and clean up your piles of dust as you work to minimize any spread.
If you have any allergy symptoms or sinus sensitivities, make sure there is plenty of ventilation. Open windows and doors to air the place out, but don’t set up a fan (since that can blow dust around). Consider wearing a dust mask and taking breaks as needed to get some fresh air.
4. Fix scuff marks
The construction crew may have damaged some of your home while working, and you might not even notice it until you start cleaning up. Look for damage and try to remediate as best you can. Some of the scuff marks and other issues may be able to buff out. Some scratches may need some fresh paint for the touchup.
