Post-Construction Cleaning near you

Most post-construction cleans happen in stages. Ask which stages a company includes and when each one should be booked relative to the trades, so that competing quotes cover the same work.

Drywall sanding, concrete work, tile cutting and sawn lumber produce particles fine enough to hang in the air and slip through an ordinary vacuum's filter, which blows them back into the room. A broom or a dry duster does the same thing, lifting dust that soon lands again. Crews work from top to bottom with vacuums fitted with HEPA filters, then wipe with damp microfibre, rinsing or changing cloths often so they don't smear a paste of drywall dust across the surface.

Some of that dust is more than a nuisance. Cutting, grinding and drilling concrete, stone, tile and other cement-based products releases crystalline silica, which the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) warns can damage the lungs when breathed in and lists as a known cause of lung cancer. That's one more reason not to stir dust back into the air, and to keep children and pets out of the work area until the final clean is done. Fine dust also collects where a quick clean won't reach:

A forced-air system that ran during the work has been drawing construction dust into its return grilles all along. Ideally, the contractor covered the returns and registers with plastic and shut the system off during the dustiest steps; either way, check the furnace filter as soon as the work ends. Natural Resources Canada suggests changing or cleaning furnace filters every three months, or sooner once they're loaded, and a renovation can load one much faster than usual. Change it again after the final clean, since the cleanup itself raises dust.

If a lot of debris got into the ducts, for instance because registers were left open during drywall sanding or floor refinishing, a duct cleaning after the work can make sense; the duct cleaning page explains when it's worth booking. Wipe the vent grilles and fans as well, and clean the air exchanger's filters if the house has one.

In an older home, renovation dust can carry lead or asbestos, and neither is a job for a cleaning crew. Health Canada says homes built before 1960 are likely to have lead-based paint and warns that sanding or scraping it releases harmful dust. It also notes that asbestos was mainly used to insulate buildings and homes before 1990, and recommends having suspect materials tested by a professional and removed by a qualified specialist. The house cleaning page covers the same risk for everyday cleaning; after a renovation, stop and have the materials tested before anyone cleans if any of the following happened without testing first.

If a test comes back positive, the cleanup belongs to an abatement specialist or to the renovation contractor working under the proper precautions, and the regular post-construction clean comes afterward.

Cleaners clean; they don't usually haul away drywall offcuts, old cabinets, packaging and bags of rubble. Check what your renovation contract says about debris, since some contractors take all their waste and others leave part of it for the owner. What's left can go to a junk removal company that brings it to the right facilities, as the junk removal page explains, or to your city's drop-off depot, since curbside collection often limits construction waste. Leftover paint, solvents, adhesives and caulk are usually treated as household hazardous waste and don't belong in the garbage or down a drain.

Get everything out before the final clean, so the crew isn't working around piles that keep shedding dust.

New finishes are at their most vulnerable during the cleanup. Grit on a new floor acts like sandpaper under a shoe or a mop, scouring pads and abrasive powders leave fine scratches on stone, glass and stainless steel, and acidic or harsh products can etch natural stone and dull a fresh sealer. A careful crew vacuums before it wipes, asks what each surface is and tests products in a hidden spot. For everyday products, and the rule never to mix bleach with ammonia or acids, see the house cleaning page.