When the contractors have left and the building work is done, more often than not a big mess needs to be cleaned up. John Pletz is CEO of ServiceMaster Clean by Pletz, based in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and discusses here why a professional cleaning company can be invaluable when it comes to post-construction clean-up.
When contractors complete their job they are not dreadfully interested in being neat and clean. They are interested in getting the job done and moving onto another project, often leaving you with a mess that is difficult to contend with.
In the majority of cases, even if your contractors have said they will clean up after themselves, they don’t. What they do is they will pick up sawed-off ends of boards and large particles, and they will empty boxes. What they do not do is they do not thoroughly dust, they do not damp-wipe all surfaces, and they do not mop the floors. They may give them a cursory sweep, but they won’t mop them.
To go back into a facility and actually put your furniture in and get to work, you really do need a post-construction clean by a professional company. One thing we insist on is after we have dusted and vacuum we go back later and damp-wipe all the flat surfaces again, as the dust in the air will have settled more.
Post-Construction Checklist
When we clean up after construction, we provide our clients with a specific checklist to assess what their needs are, and to ensure everything gets done to their own specification and satisfaction. Among the questions we ask are:
- Do you want the inside of the cabinets cleaned, or just the outside?
- Do you want all the manufacturing labels and stickers scraped off your sinks and toilets? That all takes time but post-construction cleaners should always include it when they are dealing with newly installed facilities.
- If there is a vinyl tile floor, do you want a machine scrub and at least one to three coats of floor finish put down?
- If there is carpeting, do you want it not only to be vacuumed but if the contractors have left spots and stains, can we address them as well?
Just remember, if you are a professional painter or a professional carpenter, it is because you do it every day, and you get it done quickly and to budget. A contract cleaning company with their own skills set should do that as well. They can get clean, they can get it done quickly, and they can finish the project on time. We guarantee it.
However, it is important, especially with post-construction clean-up, to keep your cleaning company apprised of your schedule. No construction project ever seems to get done on time, so keep the cleaning company in the loop, as they need as much warning as possible concerning when the project is actually finishing. It is the professional thing to do, and helps us be professionals as well.
