Where building dust goes, and what a builders clean covers
Building dust is finer than house dust, and it lands everywhere. A builders clean goes over every surface, inside cupboards and drawers, window frames and tracks, light fittings and floors, plus paint or plaster spots on hard surfaces.
In a new kitchen that means inside each drawer and cabinet, the top of the rangehood and the benches. In a new bathroom it means the fittings, tiles and shower screen. Through the rest of the home, door frames, skirting boards and switch plates all carry a film you only notice once the sun hits them.
After-builders cleaning isn't offered in Victoria
Cleaner Scout can't take after-builders cleans in Victoria for now. Anywhere else in Australia, the form takes the job as usual.
Silica dust in a builders clean: what not to do
Concrete, bricks, tiles, mortar and engineered stone contain crystalline silica, and breathing in fine silica dust can cause serious illness, including silicosis and lung cancer. Never use compressed air, dry sweeping or high-pressure water to clean it up, because that puts the dust into the air. Household vacuum cleaners should never be used where silica dust may be present, even with a HEPA filter. Go for wet wiping, mopping, low-pressure hosing, or a HEPA filtered vacuum rated Dust Class M or H.
Asbestos in older homes and the builders clean
Many homes built or renovated before 1990 contain asbestos. If yours is one and the work touched old sheeting, stop and get it checked before any cleaning starts. Don't dry sweep or vacuum material that might contain asbestos, and don't drill, sand or cut it. Removing it is a job for a licensed asbestos removalist, and anything that may contain asbestos isn't part of a cleaning job on Cleaner Scout.
When to book after-builders cleaning
Book it for after the last trade has packed up and the rubbish and materials have gone. Rubbish removal isn't part of a cleaning job, and a clean done while someone's still cutting or sanding will need doing again.
Read your building contract first. Some builders include a basic clean at handover, so it helps to know what's covered before you ask anyone to quote.
What to ask before a builders clean starts
- How do you handle fine dust: wet wiping and mopping, or sweeping?
- What vacuum do you use? Is it a HEPA filtered Class M or H?
- Are paint and plaster spots on hard surfaces included?
- Will you do inside the cupboards, drawers and light fittings?
- Do you need power and water on the day?
- Can I see your ABN and a current public liability certificate?
What you sort out before an after-builders clean
Worth doing yourself
- Confirm the trades have finished and their rubbish has left.
- Check when the home was built or last renovated.
- Get the power and water on.
- Keep kids and pets out of the dusty rooms until it's done.
Where a cleaning business earns its keep
- Wet wiping walls, joinery and fittings.
- Fine dust inside cupboards, drawers and tracks.
- Paint and plaster spots on hard surfaces.
- Floors last, with the right vacuum and a mop.
Builders clean quotes to walk away from
- A plan to sweep the dust up, or blow it out with compressed air.
- A household vacuum for building dust.
- An offer to bag up or remove old sheeting. That's for a licensed asbestos removalist.
- Starting while trades are still on site.
The first question we'd ask about builders cleaning
Hold off until the last trade and their skip have gone. If the home was built or renovated before 1990, get any disturbed material checked for asbestos first. Then ask the business one question before anything else: how do you deal with fine dust? You want to hear wet wiping and a Class M or H vacuum, not a broom.
