Post Construction Cleaning in Philadelphia

What post construction cleaning covers

• Fine drywall dust lifted off what was already in the room: shelves, picture frames, blinds and the top of the refrigerator
• Paint specks and caulk taken off the finishes that were already there, like the trim and the floor in the next room
• Stickers, film and the last of the blue tape pulled off whatever got replaced, like the new window or the new faucet
• Vent covers and ceiling fan blades wiped, since those are what push the leftover dust back around the rooms
• Cabinets and closets that stayed shut all week wiped out inside, because the fine dust gets in anyway
• Floors vacuumed and mopped more than once, with the water changed often

What is usually not included

• Hauling off leftover materials and debris. That normally stays with the contractor and goes in their dumpster.
• Air ducts and the HVAC filter. Dust from the work gets pulled into both, and both are usually left to a separate trade.
• Fixing what the work left behind. Cleaning takes residue off a surface; it does not repair a scratched floor or a stained countertop.

When to book post construction cleaning

Book this when the work is finished and before anyone moves in or opens. Construction dust settles for days, so it often needs more than one pass.

How long it takes

Longer than a deep clean of the same home, because fine dust has to be lifted off rather than pushed around, and a lot of the time goes into wiping one small thing at a time. It also keeps settling for days after the trades leave, so a shorter second pass later in the week is common.

What makes the price go up

• How far the dust traveled. If the work area was never sealed off with plastic, the whole home is part of the job, not just the room that was remodeled.
• Drywall or hardwood that was sanded on site, since that dust is finer and gets into more places.
• Furniture and belongings still in the rooms, which have to be worked around and wiped down too.
• How much the contractor cleaned up before leaving, which varies a lot from job to job.

What to ask before you book

• Is a second visit included if the dust keeps settling, or is that charged again?
• Does the price cover the rooms the work never touched, where the dust got to anyway?
• Do you take away the leftover materials, or is my contractor supposed to?

What post construction cleaning looks like in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a rowhouse city: narrow, deep homes sharing walls, two or three floors up a tight staircase, a front door opening straight onto the sidewalk and a basement below. Winters are cold, the radiators run, and salt from the sidewalks comes in on shoes. Summers are humid, and the middle of the house gets little daylight.

The front door opens on the sidewalk, so street grit lands in the first room and stair treads take the worst of winter. A vacuum gets carried up narrow stairs instead of rolling room to room. Radiators collect dust down between the columns, and the dim middle rooms need a light brought in.