Commercial properties sometimes undergo remodeling or major construction. Unfortunately, construction crews do not include deep cleaning in their services. So when all the tools are collected and the trucks pull away, someone else needs to clean up the mess left behind.
Your typical business or industrial cleaning provider shouldn’t have any problem with remodeling or construction messes. Hiring professional cleaners might even be part of the deal a company strikes with its general contractor. But when cleaning is left to a company’s janitorial staff, there may be concerns.
Here is a basic rundown of how to clean up after remodeling or construction projects:
1. Come Up With a Plan of Attack
The first and most important step is to come up with a plan of attack. When you begin developing that plan is entirely up to you. We have seen cases in which cleaning plans began at the same time as construction. We have seen other cases in which cleaning crews waited until construction was fully completed before doing anything.
Regardless, a cleaning plan dictates what will be cleaned, how it will be cleaned, and the order in which it will be cleaned. Not having a plan means attacking the job haphazardly, thereby making things more difficult than they need to be.
2. Assess and Gather Supplies
An important part of the planning stage is assessing the cleaning supplies you will need. Remodeling and construction cleanup can be quite different from day-to-day commercial cleaning services. You may need special equipment and cleaning solutions, depending on what you’re looking at.
Be incredibly careful about mixing chemicals. Construction may have left behind chemicals or residues that don’t play well with chlorine or ammonia-based products. So be cognizant of what needs to be cleaned from a chemical interaction standpoint.
3. Work From the Top Down
Cleaning up after a minor remodeling project could mean working in a contained area that doesn’t include a lot of surfaces. On the other hand, cleaning up after major construction could have you looking at walls, windows, shelving, and any number of built in structures in larger spaces. Here’s the key to both scenarios: work from the top down.
This is one of the secrets commercial cleaning services employ. Working from the top down takes advantage of gravity so that you do not have to clean spaces twice. Dirt and debris will naturally fall, so once higher surfaces are clean, they should remain that way.
4. Work From the Inside Out
A similar principle applies to cleaning floors. Identify the furthest point in the space and start there, working your way toward the front. That way, you will not be stepping on already cleaned floors while moving about the space.
5. Do It All With a Checklist
Wrapping everything up in a nice little package is a checklist you developed back in the planning stage. Arrange all the items in the order that they will be cleaned and then check them off as you go. Your checklist might include:
- walls and ceilings.
- windows, doors, and frames/sashes.
- furniture and built-in structures.
- countertops and cabinets.
- Baseboards.
- hard floors and/or carpets.
You may want to assign a member of the cleaning crew to inspect each item before moving on to the next. You also might have different members of the cleaning crew who are especially proficient at certain tasks. You can account for all such things in your plan.
Cleaning up after a remodeling or construction project can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. With a good plan and a talented crew, you can handle it.
