Contents

• Introduction
• What is an after builders clean?
• Why have an after builders clean? 
• What are the benefits in using an after-builders cleaning checklist?
• What are typical after builders cleaning prices?
• Important questions to ask providers when comparing cleaners to work through your after builders cleaning checklist
• Conclusion

Introduction

Cleaning after building works is often a task that we overlook or underestimate. If you have had to deal with cleaning up the mess that builders leave before, you will understand that even after multiple vacuums and wipes, you will still find remnants of building works around the house. Brick dust and debris just seems to get everywhere, no matter how careful you have tried to be to contain it during the building works. Builders cleans are not for the faint hearted so consider letting the professionals take care of the hard work, and get your house feeling like a home again.

Cleaning after building works helps to restore your home and lets whatever building work you have had done shine. From cleaning up those tiny little paint splatters to mopping the well-used floors, an experienced after builders cleaning team will be able to deal with every aspect of the job. 

Whether you have had a brand-new extension or just minor refurbishments and repairs, cleaning the mess leftover can be a huge task in itself! There is always an abundance of dust, debris, smudge marks, and many other unwanted leftovers. Not to mention the frustrating lingering paint, varnish, and plaster splashes that harden quickly, feeling like a new permanent addition in your home. This mess requires the help of a professional after building cleaning team. These people can help turn your property from a building-site, back into a home again and enable you to enjoy the benefits of having the home improvements done.

What is an after builders clean?

There is a big difference between a domestic clean and an after builders clean. While one is a light clean to a domestic property to keep up with the domestic jobs, the other is a one off thorough clean at the end of a building project (which is usually a little messier!). An after builders clean can really rid your property of any signs that the builders have even been there recently by providing a one off thorough clean for your entire home and enable you to begin to enjoy your renovations.

Even the best builders will create dust and mess inside a property even if all precautions have been taken. However there are many that may be great builders but may not have done the best job at keeping the place tidy, whether that be because they didn’t bring protective equipment, or because they simply couldn’t help it due to the nature of the job. An after builders clean will help you ensure that after the building works are complete, your whole property is left looking as good as new.

Why have an after builders clean?

Most cleaning company employees are experts when it comes to cleaning after building works and have and offer a quick, effective, and thorough clean-up that will leave your property sparkling and ready for living in again. Organising an after builders clean may initially seem expensive and take up additional time, especially when you have spent hundreds if not thousands of pounds on the building work itself.  Using an after builders cleaning checklist will help to streamline this process so you can be sure you know what you want and what to expect from a cleaning company offering this service. 

Most companies that offer after builders cleaning will have their own state of the art tools and equipment, to clean your home from top to bottom. Removing dust is often the priority, which means using different types of brushes, mops, and attachments. This level of detailed work can take several cleans on surfaces, fixtures, and fittings to remove dust completely, but we will explore what to expect in each room as we go through the after builders cleaning checklist. This will offer you not only some advice that will help you select the correct after builders cleaning company for you, but also ensure that you know exactly what will be covered by the cleaning services offered. 

What are the benefits in using an after builders cleaning checklist?

The following checklist identifies what a typical after builders cleaning should entail. Obviously, this is not a definitive list and individual companies’ offerings will differ however, it should give you a good feel of what to expect from this type of deep clean in all rooms of your property. It will also give you a checklist to help you to decide what you would like to include in the cleaning you are requesting and provide guidance for you to compare the services offered by each individual company.

The Hallway

This is often the area of the home that has received the greatest amount of building traffic and footfall during the renovation with builder’s debris often being carried out through this area of your home. The following after builders cleaning checklist is what you should expect for the cleaning of this area of your home:

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Deep clean of all entry doors and passages inclusive of any loft hatches
• Deep clean of all light fixtures
• Deep clean all surfaces
• Deep clean all furniture
• Wipe down, dusting and polishing of any architrave and skirting including behind furniture
• Deep clean all window interiors, panes and frames
• Remove all labels from windows and doors, taking care not to damage or scratch glass
• Clean and polish all hand railings and balustrades 
• Deep clean of all remaining fixtures – switch plates, smoke alarms, skirting boards, plug sockets etc.
• Carpeted areas will be vacuumed including any stairs
• Remove any fingerprints and paint splashes from the walls
• Hard flooring will be mopped and dried
• Blinds to be dusted

The Bathroom

The after builders cleaning checklist for your bathroom should ensure that your bathroom is spotless after a home renovation. After all, there’s no use trying to clean yourself in a dirty bathroom.  This checklist is what you should expect for your bathrooms:

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Remove manufacturers labels etc. by soaking from sanitary ware, not using abrasives.
• Polish and buff all wall tiling in the bathroom including removing all excess grout from tiles and walls
• Deep cleans of all bathtubs
• Deep clean of all showers
• Deep clean of all sinks
• Deep clean of all toilets, including disinfectant in the bowl and seats wiped
• Deep clean of the bathroom floor
• Deep clean all window interiors, panes and frames
• Vacuuming of the floor
• Mopping of the floor
• Drying of the floor
• Deep clean of all remaining fixtures – walls, lights, toilet roll holders, towel racks, 
• Clean and Polish mirrors along with any other glass fittings
• Remove any fingerprints and paint splashes from the walls

Bedroom

Using this after builders cleaning checklist for your bedroom will ensure that as perhaps the most important room in the house, your bedroom is absolutely spotless and thoroughly deep cleaned after any building renovations. This after builder’s clean checklist for the bedroom will ensure you are able to sleep easy:

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Deep clean of all entry doors and passages
• Deep clean all window interiors, panes and frames
• Remove all labels from windows and doors, taking care not to damage or scratch glass
• Deep clean of all light fixtures
• Wipe down, dusting and polishing of any architrave and skirting including behind furniture
• Deep clean of all shelves and wardrobes, internally and externally
• Dusted light shades
• Deep clean of all remaining fixtures – switch plates, smoke alarms, skirting boards, plug sockets etc.
• Deep clean of all doors

• Vacuumed carpeted areas
•  Hard flooring will be mopped and dried

Kitchen

Having a new kitchen can be an expensive investment and can create a large amount of dust and debris. Ensuring your kitchen is a clean and safe environment for you to cook and eat in, is a priority for any after builder cleaning service. The after builders cleaning checklist for the kitchen should include:

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Deep clean of all entry doors and passages
• Deep clean of all light fixtures
• Deep clean of all the kitchen cupboards. This is both internal and external surfaces
• Clean all large kitchen appliances – oven, fridge, microwave, washing machine etc
• Wipe your small appliances – toaster, kettle, microwave, etc.
• Remove all labels from all appliances, taking care not to damage or scratch the surfaces
• Deep clean and sanitise all worktops and surfaces
• Deep clean all window interiors, panes and frames
• Remove all labels from windows and doors, taking care not to damage or scratch glass
• Deep clean of all remaining fixtures – switch plates, smoke alarms, skirting boards etc
• Vacuuming the floor
• Mopping the floor

• Drying the floor
• Polish and buff all wall and floor tiling in the kitchen area including removing all excess grout from tiles and walls
• Blinds to be dusted
• Remove any fingerprints and paint splashes from the walls

Everywhere else

Any other rooms you have in your home should be included on the after builders cleaning checklist to ensure that your whole home has received a thorough deep clean. Any other areas within the property that have not been specifically identified should have a cleaning checklist which includes: 

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Deep clean of all entry doors and passages
• Deep clean of all light fixtures
• Deep clean all surfaces
• Deep clean all furniture
• Deep clean fireplace and chimney breasts
• Deep clean all window interiors, panes and frames
• Deep clean of all remaining fixtures – switch plates, smoke alarms, skirting boards etc.
• Vacuum floors and stairs
• Blinds to be dusted

Living room

A living room is one of the most used rooms within a home that’s used for entertaining friends, talking, reading, or watching television. You might also call this room a living room a lounge, a sitting room or a front room, This is the one room in the house that is used by the whole family and ensuring it is clean and free from builders dust is vital to ensure you have a space to unwind and relax.  The after builder’s checklist for the living room should include: 

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Deep clean of all entry doors and passages
• Deep clean of all light fixtures
• Deep clean all surfaces 
• Wipe down, dusting and polishing of any architrave and skirting including behind furniture
• Vacuuming of all soft furnishings
• Deep clean fireplace and chimney breasts
• Deep clean all window interiors, panes and frames
• Deep clean of all remaining fixtures – switch plates, smoke alarms, plug sockets etc
• Vacuum carpeted areas and rugs
• Hard flooring will be mopped and dried
• Blinds to be dusted

Exterior and Garden

Depending whereabouts in your property the building works have taken place it may well be appropriate for the after builders clean to include the exterior of your home and the garden. Usually, cleaning firms do not include cleaning of outdoor areas like balconies, patio, veranda or garage during “after builder cleaning services”, so get a clear agreement about areas that are included in cleaning services manifesto before engaging their services and what the cost of these services are.  The after builder’s checklist for the outside of your property should include:

• All rubbish and packaging will be removed and disposed of
• Guttering and drains will be free from debris
• Surfaces will be free from paint spots and excess mortar
• Deep cleaning and removal of plaster and dust from walkways
• Deep clean all window exteriors, panes and frames
• Deep clean of all exterior doors and passages
• Remove all labels from windows and doors, taking care not to damage or scratch glass

Obviously, your builders cleaning can be personalised to meet your needs and those of your particular property.  It may be that you decide that you do not need the entire house cleaning for example. Equally, if you have any special requests that are not listed here then all you should discuss these when you get in touch with your cleaning company, it is more than likely that they will be able to accommodate your needs.

What are typical after Builders cleaning prices?

So, you now know what an average builders cleaning involves it is time to get down to the most important question, how much will all this cost me, and how do I know I’m getting a fair price?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this as there are several factors that could affect this. The main variables are:

• which rooms in your home that you decide would benefit from an after builders clean. 
• The extent of the building work and how long the building work has been going on for will impact on the cost due to the both the area and amount of cleaning required.
• The type of building work that has been undertaking. Has it been small refurbishment, or has it been a full remodelling of your home which will create much more dust and debris?
• Geographical location will also have an impact on builders cleaning prices, so this also needs to be considered, costs are likely to be much higher in the London and the South East of England than anywhere else. 

Most after builders cleaning companies have their own state of the art tools and equipment, to clean your home from top to bottom and are experts in dealing with this type of deep clean. You should remember that they are experts when it comes to cleaning after building works and have and offer a quick, effective, and thorough clean-up that will leave your property sparkling and ready for living in again but that this expertise does come at a cost. 

Please be aware that there is usually a minimum spending requirement with most builders cleaning companies. This is quite usual within the industry and this is because it is not economically viable for a builders cleaning company to travel to your location and set up all of their equipment to just clean one small room. So although the minimum cost for a room may be as little as £20 the majority of builders cleaning companies will have a minimum charge based on five hours labour for one cleaner or three hours for two cleaners and these cleaners will be experienced in this type of deep clean. 

The following are guideline figures only but should give you a rough indicative figure for an average after builders clean.

Generally, prices are quoted on an individual basis as no two after builders cleans are the same, as the building work you have had undertaken is usually specific to you and your property. A good after builders cleaning company should explain all of this to you in advance and you should expect them to undertake a visit before providing your quotation. 

It is one of the hardest cleaning prices to provide unseen estimates for as a new kitchen for example, may have had only access point through the back of the property or the only access may be through a hall and other rooms. In this example the second scenario would need more time, and therefore more cost for the same sized room as the debris will have been trudged through more rooms. Additionally, the size of the rooms needs to be considered along with how much furniture and soft furnishings there are that will require cleaning as well.

Most builders cleaning prices will be calculated by the hour so the best way to compare costs is to get several quotes. For example, a company may have a low headline cost of only £17 per hour but quote twice as many hours to complete the work. Obviously in this instance if their competitors charge £25 per hour and complete the task to an equal standard in half the time then the total cost for the first company does not become as cheap as it initially seemed.

Expect hourly rates to be between £17 and £25 per hour per cleaner, additional charges may occur if specialist equipment is required.

Important questions to ask providers when comparing cleaners to work through your after builders cleaning checklist.

You have had the builders in, they have done a great job, but there is just one big task remaining – the final clean-up! Thankfully, there are many cleaning companies that offer expert teams of cleaners to take care of the leftover mess. 

Conclusion

After the stress and upheaval of renovations and building works in your property, after builders cleaning can help to return your property back into a home. 

The cost and amount of time it will take is completely dependent on multiple factors, including the size and condition of the property and the professional cleaning company’s reputation and the products they use. However, using the after building cleaning checklists provided here will ensure you know exactly what to request and what to expect from the cleaning company you chose to use.

The best advice when looking to hire a pre-tenancy cleaner would be to do your research, find a reputable company, ensure you know the cost and exactly what will and won’t be covered by their cleaning service. 

This guide has provided you with after builders cleaning checklists for your home after renovations or building works and answered some of your questions about hiring an after builder cleaner  cleaner, so hopefully now you can research and book an appointment with ease and the knowledge to guarantee that your home receives a thorough, professional clean.