The rough clean and the final clean
Most builds need cleaning twice, at different stages, for different reasons. Why skipping the first one costs money on the second.
On anything larger than a small renovation, cleaning is normally two separate visits rather than one. Treating it as one job is the most common way a builders clean budget goes wrong.
The rough clean
The rough clean happens once the heavy trades are finished and before finishes go in. It is bulk work: clearing offcuts, packaging and debris, and getting the worst of the construction dust out before anything delicate is installed.
It is not a presentation clean and it is not judged on appearance. Its purpose is to stop dust circulating and settling onto finishes that are about to be installed.
The final clean
The final clean is the builders clean proper, done once everything is installed. This is the detail work: glass, tracks, cabinetry, grout haze, silicone, floors to finished condition, every horizontal surface.
This is the one that gets inspected, and the one people mean when they say builders clean.
Why skipping the rough clean is a false economy
Construction dust that is not removed before finishes go in ends up in three places: on top of the new finishes, inside the cabinetry, and circulating in the air to settle again after the final clean.
A final clean on a site that never had a rough clean takes longer, costs more, and is much more likely to need a return visit. If your quote covers only one clean, that is worth knowing before rather than after.
What to ask
- Does the quote cover one clean or two, and at which stages.
- If one, which stage is it, and what is assumed about the other.
- What a second visit costs if the first is compromised by trades still working.
- How many re-cleans are included before handover.