Why post-renovation cleaning covers untouched rooms
A new bathroom can leave dust in a bedroom at the other end of the hall. It travels under doors and settles on wardrobe shelves, picture rails, blinds and the blades of ceiling fans. Tell the business the whole floor needs looking at, not just the room with the new tiles.
Plastic sheeting and closed doors help during the work, but they rarely stop it all. Expect to find a fine film in cupboards you never opened.
Victoria is left out of post-renovation cleaning for now
Cleaner Scout can't take cleans after renovation work in Victoria for now. Everywhere else in Australia, send the job through as normal.
Silica dust when cleaning after a renovation
Cutting tiles, bricks, concrete and mortar makes dust that can contain crystalline silica, and breathing in fine silica dust can cause serious illness. Never clean it up with dry sweeping, compressed air or high-pressure water, because that puts the dust into the air. Don't use a household vacuum either, even one with a HEPA filter. Stick to a mop, a damp cloth or a HEPA filtered vacuum rated Dust Class M or H.
Asbestos and lead before renovation cleaning
If the home was built or renovated before 1990, it likely contains asbestos. Stop and have anything disturbed checked before cleaning starts, and don't dry sweep or vacuum material that might contain it. Removal is for a licensed asbestos removalist, and it isn't part of a cleaning job. Renovating a home built before 1970 can expose people to lead paint. Don't sweep dust that may contain lead or use an ordinary vacuum on it, and keep children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers away while lead paint is being disturbed.
Living through a renovation: when to clean
If you're still in the house, a clean halfway through is rarely worth it: the dust just comes back. Wipe the kitchen and bathroom you're using, keep doors shut, and save the full clean for after the last trade.
When the rubbish has gone and the floors are down, that's your moment. Rubbish removal isn't part of a clean, so the skip should be off the driveway first.
Ready for post-renovation cleaning?
- The last trade has finished, including the painter.
- Rubbish and leftover materials have gone.
- You've checked the age of the home, and any older sheeting.
- The power and water are on.
- You've listed every room the dust reached, not just the new ones.
- You've told the business about fresh paint or new stone that needs care.
Our torch test before post-renovation cleaning
Once the last trade leaves, walk the whole home with a torch held low across the surfaces. It shows dust the ceiling light hides. Use that walk to write the list for the business, ask how they'll deal with fine dust, and if the home is older, get anything disturbed checked before a single cloth comes out.