Tips for successful post-construction cleaning
Post-construction cleaning has its own challenges, and if we're not aware of them, post-construction cleaning can be very time-consuming and unsatisfying. The dust caused by building construction or even renovations is very fine, and it requires specific techniques. This article will inform you about the right tools and equipment, methods, and work organization.
ASP Construction
First, it is important to know that if the construction site is not yet finished, each of your employees will need to have their ASP Construction competency card. For my part, I did it online (4 days x 2 weeks from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) thanks to the CEGEP de Trois-Rivières in continuing education. This training only needs to be done once and after the competency card is valid for the rest of your professional days.
The organization of work
The important thing is to distribute the workload well among employees. I recommend starting with the most time-consuming tasks, so that everyone can complete them at the same time. Then, the group completes the remaining, faster tasks together.
- 1 person on building windows (This depends on the scale of the work. We will have to adapt the number of employees).
- 1 person on kitchen and bathroom cabinets
- 1 person on the walls
First, you need to clean up any debris left over from the construction. Unfortunately, some contractors don't clean up their debris, or only very rarely. It will also be safer for employees and make it easier for them to keep their space free of debris and debris.
Working techniques
Washing building windows
You will need to see the height of these to judge whether you need lifting equipment or a stepladder.
There will be stickers stuck to the windows and a lot of dust on the glass and frames. But the surrounding surfaces (walls) are clean, they have just been painted. So you will have to be careful not to let the liquid drip onto the walls.
- First you will need to remove the window stickers.
- Vacuuming up dust with a wet-dry vacuum cleaner
- Wash your windows using whatever method you are comfortable with. Here is a article about cleaning building windows.
The American or French method of washing windows
The American method implies that you will do the outline first and then continue with an S for the rest of your window.
The French method is simpler. It consists of doing 3/4 of your window and finishing with the last line at the bottom.
Personally, I prefer the American method, which I find faster. However, no matter which technique you use, don't expect to be a pro on the first day; it takes practice. So slow down and focus on just applying the method. You'll pick up speed over time.
Next, wipe your frames. I highly suggest the Vileda PVA Micro microfibre cloths for window washing.
Washing cabinets and drawers
The most important thing is to vacuum first, and then you can clean. If you don't vacuum first, you'll have to start over several times without success.
From highest to lowest
It's important to clean from top to bottom. The cabinets and drawers won't be dirty as such, but rather full of construction dust. So to ensure you don't have to start over, clean the top cabinets and drawers first.
The walls.
A technique I've tried several times has always worked for me at this level. Since the walls aren't dirty, but only full of construction dust, you don't have to wet-clean them. Only dust removal will be necessary. So I suggest you take a v24-36 inch microfiber mop (your choice), clean, covered with a dusting cloth wrapped around. Your mop can be on a frame and Rubbermaid handle or even only with the frame depending on the surface to be maintained.
Start from the top down. Don't forget the wall corners and finishing the baseboards.
Water-dry suction equipment
It's very important to choose a commercial or industrial vacuum cleaner. I suggest Nacecare or Proteam for this. A 4- or 10-gallon vacuum will do the trick.
With that, I hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to ask questions if you have any, or share your tips with us.
