It is the last day of a long and exhausting renovation process, and you can’t help but feel happy. Soon you’ll get to enjoy the magnificence of your improved home! Still, when you look around you, all the tools, dust, and construction material are lying everywhere. Thus, there is just one more not-so-small step to take before you can put your feet up and relax. There are building, cleaning, and maintenance tips to prevent excessive dust and clutter piling up, but have in mind that no matter how well you protect the construction site, there will always be heaps of dirt to clean afterward. In such cases, follow the ultimate guide to post-renovation cleaning. That way, you can efficiently transform the sticky, dusty mess into spotless heaven.
Optimize Management: Clearing Pre and Post-Renovation
It’s imperative to declutter the space when cleaning. Having fewer things in your home during and after renovation will make your life much easier. While upgrading the place, it’s essential to re-evaluate your furniture and interior design. Think about the best option for available space that can bring out the full potential of your home. Maximizing the use of space is a vital thing if you live in a small apartment. In such cases, going with minimalistic and modern designs might be a great idea. Such concepts exploit hidden storage spaces, open floor plans, and they’re easier to clean. Plus, if you optimize it properly, you can visually get more space in your home.
Post-renovation DIY cleaning toolkit checklist
Very often, after more minor home improvements, we do the cleaning ourselves. Still, we forget that such a thing will take a lot of our time and even require some investment. And knowing how time is precious, you might want to reconsider doing the job yourself. Any successful business person knows the importance of commercial janitorial services and would pick the companies that provide them for their house as well. But, if you’re confident you can do the work yourself, make sure to have the required tools. Many homes already have the essentials for keeping the living environment clean, but here are some things you shouldn’t start without:
- a face mask and rubber gloves,
- a broom and dustpan,
- duster,
- garbage bags,
- microfiber cloths, sponges and dryer sheets,
- a vacuum cleaner,
- cleaning solutions (remember not to treat all surfaces with all-in-one solutions, especially glass and wood),
- disinfectant,
- empty spray bottles (optional).
All the things mentioned above make up the essential toolkit for cleaning your apartment at any time. Depending on the size of your renovation project, you might need extra stuff for deep-cleaning some areas.
Protect yourself
When starting your work, it’s crucial to protect yourself from potential health hazards such as air fumes, dust particles, and toxic chemicals. The first rule of the ultimate guide to post-renovation cleaning is to use a face mask and protective gloves.
Out with bulky debris
Naturally, your post-renovation cleaning will start with removing big piles of junk and debris out of the way. Protective floor and furniture covers, styrofoam remains, paper, tools, boxes, and any other materials from your real estate improvement should go out before you start cleaning the place.
Start with sweeping
The amount of dirt will depend on the size of your renovation project. However, thoroughly sweeping the whole place will help the dust settle on the surfaces before moping them. If the work included some particular dusty home upgrades, like fixing or demolishing drywall, you might want to repeat the sweeping a few times. Remember, the more of these particles you gather now, the less work you’ll have when vacuuming and mopping the place.
Dust everything from top to bottom
Windows, furniture, and any other surface require the same treatment when it comes to dust – starting from the top. Treat your walls with a dry mop to remove any debris. Depending on your wall paint base, you might even be able to do it with a wet mop. Wallpaper deserves the same treatment, and only after you’ve done your walls correctly move on to dusting the windows and the rest of the surfaces.
Vacuum every part of your home
Vacuum cleaners are a blessing of the 20th century. They come in different shapes, sizes, and strengths, but their priority is always the same – getting rid of harmful particles from our lives. A good vacuum will suck the debris from basically any surface and make sure our floor tiles stay undamaged by stray particles of wood, rock, or metal during mopping. You need to vacuum everything meticulously from floors to upholstery and any other textile surface in your home. If necessary, repeat the operation a couple of times until there is no more dust.
Sometimes these particles can be pretty persistent. In such cases, the best way to deal with them is to use a vacuum with HEPA filters. They will remove dust mites, dirt, and every other allergen with 99.97% efficiency! However, not every home has this option available. Still, you can always rent these vacuums or, even better, hire professional post-construction clean-up services to do the work for you.
Don’t forget to treat dust grates, vents, and air-conditioning.
Vents and air-conditioning are some of the most overlooked areas in post-renovation cleaning. Since we usually focus on the areas with the visible mess, we often forget to “look under the surface.” By removing filters from the air-conditioner and kitchen hood to clean them with water and soap, you can be sure dust particles won’t come back to haunt your lungs or clog the system in the future. Many people don’t realize the importance of cleaning and sanitizing the place now and then. However, while doing it, there are some mistakes we need to pay attention to, especially when using the wrong cleaning solutions for treating different surfaces.
Wipe every surface
Needless to say that nothing beats a good wiping. Cleaning needs to happen everywhere, from the bathroom and kitchen surfaces to all appliances, counters, cabinets, and shelves. Remember when you moved into your home and deep-cleaned everything? It might be a good idea to do the same after the renovation. Wiping and sanitizing are the two most important things you need to do if you want to live in a safe and clean environment.
And since this is the final step of the process, double-check if you got to all the surfaces. Try mopping the floors last since all the dust and dirt will eventually end up there. Also, if the renovation work happened in your kitchen area, make sure to wash all pots, plates, and utensils.
Be prepared for exhausting work in front of you
After reading all this, think about all the work ahead of you. The ultimate guide to post-renovation cleaning will only explain the best and most efficient way to cleans your home. But if you don’t have the time to do it, call the pros to finish the job. This option will cost almost the same since the cleaning service would match the prices of all the necessary cleaning solutions and the equipment to get everything spotless. Also, this option will save your time since hiring professionals is always the best and fastest way to get things done.
This is a guest blog post written by our friend Betty White at Moving Offices San Diego. betty@movingofficessandiego.com
