The Quest for Sparkling Tiles

If you've got a renovation project in mind at home, you're figuring out who is going to do what and how much it's going to cost. You may have a fairly clear idea of what you want, how the finished job is going to look and who is going to be responsible for the various elements. However, have you properly considered the aftermath? Have you arranged for all of the mess to be cleaned properly? The chances are that you may not have fully considered the implications. What should you be focusing on?

Ready, Set, Go!

Much will of course depend on where the construction process is going to take place. For example, if you're going to be completely renewing a kitchen, you will have a list such as this:

Start by cleaning all the shelving and drawers, together with the cabinet doors and tops, to get rid of dust and grime. You will have to clean the glass on the cabinets separately. Then, you need to be scrubbing the edges and tops of the counters and washing the backsplashes.

There will almost certainly be some adhesive or caulking left over from around the taps, sinks and appliances, from when they were installed. This will need to be cleared away. You will then need to clean all the appliances from top to bottom, inside and out and don't forget the floor beneath. There will probably be an excess amount of packaging, labelling or plastic hanging around, which needs to be gathered together and removed. Finally, you will need to mop or dust all the walls and floors in the room as well.

You're Not Done yet

All of this construction activity may have taken place in one room, but the materials and the manpower needed to come in through various other parts of the house. These areas will also need cleaning. You have to start by washing, vacuuming and dusting all the access points, hallways and porches. You may also have to pressure wash the area outside, where cement dust may still be lying, or mud may have been transferred during all the delivery activity.

There's Even More . . . 

As you probably know, dust can get everywhere, which means that your post construction cleanup doesn't stop there. Unless you have hermetically sealed all the other rooms in and around the "ground zero" kitchen, you need to do a full clean in there as well.

Why You Need Help

When you lay it all out in this way, you can see just how much is involved. Don't forget, therefore, to engage a professional cleanup crew to round off your job nicely.