Over the years of being in this industry, we’ve seen several reasons why companies transition from using their staff for cleaning to using our company instead. One of the reasons is because of the time and difficulty many areas take to clean.
Areas that are most difficult to clean in a post construction project are usually because the crew isn’t using the correct products or aren’t specialized in PCC cleaning, and can cause unintended damage to the property. Our goal for this article is to help you understand what to expect for a post construction cleaning and what are some of the most difficult areas to be prepared for.
Window stickers
Most residential and commercial window installs will have stickers from the manufacturer on the glass, which become a pain to remove. If you’re using soapy water and a razor blade, you can plan on spending a good 15 to 20 minutes on each window alone. If you have 20 windows on a residential property, that comes out to be 5 - 6 hours of time.
Whatever you do, do NOT use any kind of scrubber to remove these, as they will leave permanent damage on your windows. If you’re going to use a razor blade, make sure the incline is more parallel with the surface than it is diagonal (about a 5% grade) to ensure the blade doesn’t scratch the glass.
Wall dust
If possible, try hanging a Protective Plastic Construction Film on all the walls before any kind of fixture building begins. This should happen after the drywall, crown molding and baseboard are installed. For example, cover all the walls with plastic film before you allow your contractors to install any cabinetry, counter tops, showers, etc. You should also hang plastic film if you’re using any of the rooms for sawing or sizing materials.
Many project managers will skip this step in order to save time and money, but it really has the opposite effect.
If for some reason you’re not able to drape exposed walls and flooring with film, then consider using a brush tool vacuum to remove the first layers of dust and wet cotton rags to remove the second layer. Avoid microfiber cloths for removing dust, as their fibers are too small to properly pick up bigger grains of saw dust, drywall particles, cement, etc.
Showers
Particularly newer showers that have any kind of granite or stone finishing tend to be more difficult to remove material debris. If the surfaces aren’t sealed, they are more porous which retains more dust.
We’ve heard stories where crews will try removing dust from showers starting with the traditional method of sponges and Comet, which is normally effective at removing soap scum and killing bacteria, but not so much when it comes to removing dust particles from the tile. In fact, using this amateur method of cleaning actually pushes the debris down more.
Instead, make sure the surface of the shower is dry first, then, use your vacuum brush attachment to loosen up and remove any surface dust first. If the shower has a hand held attachment, use that to spray water down from top to bottom and rinse any left over dust down the drain.
Floor debris
We’ve found floors are more technical and time consuming to clean than all other surfaces, including walls. While walls and other fixtures tend to attract loose dust that settles from the air, the floor captures bigger, sharper and heavier materials that require careful removal and will cause damage to the floor if not properly cleaned.
For hardwood or stone tile floors, always pick up larger pieces of debris by hand instead of using a push broom to collect. Pushing chunks of wood, rock or nails across a floor with a broom will leave noticeable scratches on the floors that your customers will address.
Once the more noticeable items are picked up, instead of using a push broom, use the floor brush attachment of your vacuum to make gentle strokes across the surface. The difference between a push broom and vacuum brush attachment is that the vacuum simultaneously sucks the dust off the floor, while a broom tends to spread dust even more.
If you’re not sure which vacuum to use for your post construction cleaning, the Pig Portable Vacuum is a highly rated industrial vacuum and trusted by many PCC services.
For the finishing touches, We tend to use the Prolux 13 or 15inch floor scrubber with a neutral pH cleaning solution to take care of residual grout haze, paint trips and/or overspray as well.
Consequences of not being prepared
The post construction cleaning process is the last stretch and one of the most important parts to completing a new construction project. Understanding the potential complications and risks will help your company better prepare for a successful cleaning, while jumping into a cleaning with no awareness of what’s ahead can cause major issues such as delays due to damage, inefficient cleaning practices or wasted time due to inefficient training.
If you’re looking to make your cleaning process more effective, our team would love to connect with you and get an idea of where you’re currently at with your post construction cleaning, and see how we could help strengthen your cleaning process more. We have years of experience and many happy clients who trust us with their PCC services.
Call or email us today to schedule your FREE consultation!