Remodeling your home is always a great idea, regardless if you’re trying to increase the resale value of the home or add more functionality to it. One thing that is sure about any remodeling project is that, by the time you’re done, you’ll have so much work to do in order to clean everything up. Drilling, sawing, sanding and scraping, as well as installations of all kinds, cause particles of dust, sawdust and other materials to spread across the room. Other than this, you have debris of all sorts spread across the place and you need to get the place in order as soon as possible.
Get the necessary materials
Removing the so-called construction dust is probably your biggest concern after a remodeling project. It is something that you should do in more than one step. First, you should throw away all the bigger debris. Second, you need to get yourself the necessary materials and equipment. You’ll need a broom, a vacuum cleaner and a mop. Ideally, you would be able to clean the place with just one of these items but in this scenario, all three are mandatory. Keep in mind that a regular vacuum cleaner won’t do the trick, which is why you should go for something stronger. It’s either that or emptying up the bag more often.
The next thing you need to focus on is the right cleaner for every surface. Just when it comes to floor types, there are so many different kinds of floor cleaners. What you need to do is pick the right type for your floor. If you have an air conditioner, you need to understand that its air filters are probably clogged quite heavily. This means that you’ll need to replace them and the first step in doing so is to buy some new ones.
Pro tip: Every cleaning process should start with stocking up your inventory for the project.
Wiping everything down
The biggest problem regarding cleaning necessary materials is the fact that not all of the dust will fall down. This means that you need to wipe virtually every surface that it has touched. This starts with your furniture and proceeds to your walls. Now, cleaning walls is not a simple matter. You need to start with a soft, damp towel. To simplify the handling of this improvised tool, you should wrap it around the broom. In order to make handling even easier, you should definitely try to tape it. Keep in mind that this is not something that you should do right after the wall painting.
Before you start wiping your walls, it might be a good idea to try vacuuming them first. Brushing them might just additionally rub in the dust into the pores on the wall. The solution that you use for the wall needs to be carefully chosen, as well. You want something simple and non-acidic, seeing as how you don’t want to risk damaging your paint. A combination of water and dish soap should do the trick. Focus on any visible stains and, later on, rinse the walls. This way, you’ll truly get the most out of this.
Pro tip: Learn how to properly clean your walls. Make your own solution and choose your tools carefully.
Another point that you need to address is the ventilation system. Dust and debris will infiltrate it during the remodeling phase and it will all find their way back into your lungs unless you’re particularly careful. For starters, you should replace the air filters in both your ventilation system and your AC unit. This usually doesn’t take that long but you do need to know how to disassemble and reassemble the system. You also need to order fitting replacement filters. While this is neither difficult nor much work, it’s still something you should address as soon as possible.
You start by removing all the grids and cleaning them with soapy water. Then, you replace the air filters and let the grids dry out. Keep in mind that you can never remove all the dust from the filter but the leftover dust is so fine and in such small traces that it shouldn’t pose a real problem. On the other hand, just because a grid looks clean, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore the dust buildup. In order to avoid allergenic reactions, do your best to be as thorough as possible.
Pro tips: Set aside some time to clean your ventilation system since this is pivotal to your health.
Hire professional help
For those who aren’t confident in their ability to thoroughly clean everything, there’s always a solution. You can hire someone else for the job. You see, there are some agencies that specialize in end of lease cleaning. Seeing as how some tenants leave a proper mess before they move out. This is why these cleaners are specialists in removing stains from walls and furniture, as well as thorough cleaning of all surfaces on your property. While the situation may not be identical, this type of specialization is more than welcome.
Having professional cleaners in your home also means that you will be able to solve this issue a lot quicker. There are a lot of areas that have to be thoroughly cleaned and it might either take you a whole day or you will have to split this work into several days to wrap things up. With professional cleaners on your side, the issue will be resolved rather quickly. The cost of hiring professionals is not that great in comparison.
Pro tip: Hiring specialists can make your life a lot easier. The cost of outsourcing this task is worth it.
Pay attention to details
There are so many critical areas that you aren’t even aware of. For instance, your light fixtures will gather and slowly emit dust unless they’re thoroughly cleaned. Your chandeliers, lampshades and electronic devices are also hotspots for dust gathering. The biggest problem is the ceiling fan. This is due to the fact that it will actually spread this dust across the room if you leave it running for too long. Decorative items of all sorts (picture frames and vases mostly) are also quite risky and need your immediate attention.
The key thing is that you’re thorough and clean every single item in a decorated room. Sure, this will take quite a bit and while dust accumulates, either way, regular dust and construction dust are not one and the same. Remember, construction dust is something that there’s a finite amount of in the room. By thoroughly removing it, you will actually solve the problem for good. You just need to be patient and pay attention to detail.
Pro tip: Your home will be construction dust-free only when the last of its items are cleaned. So, make sure that you’re as thorough as possible.
Floors
The majority of people will instantly think about wiping their floors when talking about cleaning the place after remodeling but the fact is that the floor should be the last thing you actually clean. Why is that? Well, first of all, the floor is the element of your household that gets dirty as you clean the rest of the room. For instance, when you wipe your cupboard, not all dirt will remain on the rag. Some of it will be pushed down to the floor. Cleaning the floor before you wipe and scrub the rest of the place will mean that you have to double-down on your work.
When it comes to wiping the floor, a combination of methods is advised. Ideally, you would start with a HEPA certified vacuum cleaner and finish by washing the floor. Once you are done with this, the floor should be completely clean, as well as the rest of the place. The choice of cleaner depends on the type of floor (the material that it’s made of).
Pro tip: Clean your floor last and be as thorough as you can while doing it.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, this is not something that you’ll be doing that often. However, skipping this cleaning will leave you vulnerable to allergies and all sorts of health issues that you can easily avoid. The key thing to remember is that cleaning your home after remodeling is something that you can also outsource. In other words, you need to do the calculation of the availability of your time and resources before making up your mind on how to proceed.
- This is a guest post not written by the websites’ owner