Probably you have heard the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” before (if not, then you can read it now). Benjamin Franklin is said to have come up with this phrase, and we all agree that in many cases it remains true, from healthcare to rocket manufacturing.

We doubt, though, that Mr. Franklin had to renovate his house with his own hands or clean up the after-renovation mess. Nevertheless, it is a situation where his wisdom about prevention is priceless and cannot be overestimated. So if you are only planning to call the contractor and discuss the new color for walls, first read the tips from our team at master maid and use them. If unfortunately, you have to face the aftermaths of renovation, our tips still can help to reduce the cleanup troubles – and we are here to help with post-renovation cleaning professionally. 

So read on and enjoy the clean and renovated home!

 

Mess Prevention aka Preparation of the Renovation Site

If you plan to renovate only a part of your apartment or house, which is often the case, you need to seal off other rooms and spaces to keep them relatively clean. Similarly, you will have to prepare the renovation site if you do not plan to put new flooring, for example.

 

– Seal off the renovation area by hanging a piece of heavy-duty tarp from the ceiling wall-to-wall (making a tarpaulin wall that will separate the renovation zone) or put a tarpaulin hanging in the doorway of the renovated room. Seal the edges by taping them to all surfaces round, in this case, walls, ceiling, and floor or the frame of the doorway. If the entrance is needed, the tarpaulin should have an adhesive zipper at the opening.

– In the renovated zone, cover everything that should not be damaged. Floors can suffer from scratching or spots of paint, so roll construction paper all over generously, maybe even a double layer. Cover windows and connected appliances with tarpaulin as well. Seal off as mentioned before.

– In the rest of the house, protect furniture with upholstery by covering it with a tarp or plastic film. Just wrap and seal securely.

– Seal the gaps between doors of closets, cupboards, and wardrobes with tape. You don’t want to wash all your clothes or dust the contents of your cupboards after the renovation.

– Take care of the air. Ask workers to keep the windows open, run a HEPA air purifier, or rent an air scrubber of commercial grade for use during the renovation. Removing dust and dirt from the air in the process of work will make a huge difference in the end. 

 

You may do it yourself or ask the contractor if they will do this site preparation job (free or for a fee). Just don’t skip these steps. Then the next stage will be much easier for you.

 

Post-Renovation Cleanup: The Hulk’s Worth Of Work

If you took the prevention steps, the amount of dirt escaping the renovation area and moving into the living quarters will be minimal. However, it will still be there, especially the fine dust. So you will have to clean up the renovated space first, if the contractor did not do it, and then move on into the rest of the house.

 

– Remove all the debris, big pieces of trash, and remains of working materials after renovation. 

– If you did not have your walls or ceiling redecorated, you need to sweep and vacuum them. If they are freshly painted, move to the next step.

– Wipe the doors, knobs, moldings, and any hardware in the room.

– Clean the windows, including frames and sills. Wipe the handles and other fixtures.

– Sweep and vacuum the floor, then mop it thoroughly. It may turn out that the floor will need a few rounds of mopping because of ever-present construction dust.

 Now remove the sealing tarpaulin and move to other spaces in the house.

 

– Vacuum the walls, including all fixtures and inbuilt appliances.

– Dust or wipe ducts, vents, knobs, grates, window blinds, and lighting fixtures. 

– Wipe the doors and window frames and sills.

– Dust furniture pieces like cabinets, tables, and shelving units. Remove covers from furniture and vacuum the upholstery.

– Vacuum and mop the floor.

 

That’s it. You’ve done a great job cleaning the renovated house!