After builders cleaning is the removal of construction residue from a finished space: plaster dust, brick dust, paint splashes, silicone smears, adhesive, protective film and the fine particulate that keeps settling for weeks afterwards. It is a different job from a deep clean, it needs different equipment, and it almost always takes more than one visit.
The reason is dust behaviour. Plaster and brick dust are far finer than household dust, they carry a static charge, and they stay airborne for hours. Clean a room once and it looks perfect. Come back the next morning and there is a visible film on every surface, because the dust that was suspended when you finished has since landed.
Why it takes stages
Professional after builders cleaning is normally quoted in two or three stages. Anyone quoting a single visit on a substantial job is either underpricing or under-delivering.
Stage one, the rough clean. Bulk debris removal, protective film, stickers, tape residue, paint splashes and the worst of the dust. Heavy work that gets the space to a state where detail is possible.
Stage two, the detail clean. Every surface, including the ones nobody thinks about: tops of doors, window tracks, radiator fins, socket faces, skirting, inside cupboards and drawers, light fittings, extract grilles. This is the longest stage.
Stage three, the final buff. Usually a day or two later, after suspended dust has settled again. Glass, chrome, floors and any remaining marks. Skipping this is why clients see a film the morning after handover and conclude the clean was poor.
What it covers
- Removal of protective films from windows, worktops, appliances and sanitaryware
- Paint, plaster, grout and adhesive removal from glass, tiles and hardware
- Silicone smears from sealant lines
- Full dust removal, ceilings and light fittings downwards
- Window frames, tracks, hinges and glass, inside and usually outside
- Inside all new units, cupboards and wardrobes
- Radiators, including between the fins and behind
- Sockets, switches, thermostats and extract vents
- Skirting boards, architraves and door tops
- New appliance interiors, and the removal of transit packaging
- Floor protection lifted, floors vacuumed with HEPA filtration, then washed appropriately for the surface
- Sanitaryware descaled and polished
- Waste and packaging removal
The specialist parts
Glass. Plaster splashes on glass have to be softened with water and removed at a shallow angle with a blade, always wet. Dry scraping puts permanent scratches in the pane, and those become a claim rather than a cleaning issue. Toughened glass is particularly prone to scratching because of surface fines from manufacture.
New floors. Freshly laid surfaces have curing rules. Some stone and grout should not be washed for several days. Engineered wood dislikes standing water. Newly grouted tile carries a cement haze that needs a proprietary haze remover rather than more scrubbing, and using acid on the wrong stone will etch it permanently.
Vacuum specification. Domestic vacuums exhaust fine dust straight back into the room and the filters clog within minutes. The job needs HEPA-filtered machines built for construction fines, ideally M class.
Sequence. Ceilings and high level first, floors last, always. Cleaning floors before high level dusting means cleaning the floors twice, which is the most common self-inflicted error on these jobs.
Ventilation. Keep air moving throughout, and change filters in the property's own ventilation and extract systems afterwards, since they will have been pulling construction dust through them for weeks.
What it costs in the UK
Pricing is usually per square metre or by day rate rather than by bedroom count, because the driver is surface area and dust load rather than room count.
| Scope | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Single room refurbishment | £180 to £350 |
| Kitchen or bathroom fit-out | £250 to £450 |
| Loft conversion | £350 to £600 |
| Extension, 2 to 3 rooms | £450 to £900 |
| Whole house renovation | £900 to £2,500+ |
| New build, per square metre | £3 to £8 |
Expect a higher hourly rate than domestic cleaning, typically £20 to £35 per hour per operative. The work is harder, slower, needs different equipment and usually involves waste removal.
Three questions determine most of the variation between quotes: does it include all stages, are window exteriors covered, and who removes the waste. Ask all three.
The health side, which is not optional
Construction dust is a genuine respiratory hazard rather than a comfort issue. Silica dust from concrete, mortar, brick and stone is associated with serious long-term lung disease, and the Health and Safety Executive treats respirable crystalline silica as a substance hazardous to health under COSHH.
If you are doing this yourself:
- Wear a properly fitted FFP3 respirator, not a paper dust mask
- Use HEPA or M class extraction rather than sweeping, which puts dust straight back into the air
- Damp down where you can, since wet dust does not become airborne
- Ventilate throughout
- Keep children and anyone with a respiratory condition out until the work is finished
For contractors, this is a COSHH matter requiring assessment, control measures and RAS documentation.
Doing it yourself
Feasible for a single room, genuinely difficult for anything larger, mostly because of equipment.
If you are going to attempt it:
- Hire a HEPA-filtered or M class vacuum rather than using your own, which you will destroy
- Work strictly top to bottom, floors last
- Use microfibre dry first, then damp. Wet cloths on dry plaster dust make a paste that spreads
- Change your water constantly, since dusty water just redistributes dust
- Expect to go round again the next day, and possibly the day after
- Budget roughly three times as long as you think
The equipment gap is the deciding factor. A domestic vacuum will clog within twenty minutes on plaster dust, and blowing fine dust back into the room through the exhaust makes the job worse rather than better.
When to book it
Book after every trade has finished, including snagging. A single carpenter returning to adjust a door will undo a stage two clean in one afternoon, and you will pay twice.
If you are working to a fixed handover date, plan the final buff for the morning of handover or the evening before. That is the stage the client actually sees and judges.
For rental properties being refurbished between tenancies, the after builders clean and the end of tenancy standard are not the same thing. Do the builders clean first, then create the check-in inventory on the cleaned property, in that order.
Frequently asked questions
How long after the work should I clean? Immediately after the last trade leaves, then again two days later for the final buff.
Will one clean be enough? Rarely, for anything larger than a single room. Fine dust continues settling for days.
Does it include window exteriors? Sometimes. Ask specifically, because it is one of the most common gaps between quotes.
Who removes the waste? Varies. Builders' waste is usually the contractor's responsibility; packaging and protective film from the clean may or may not be included. Confirm it, because a skip is not cheap.
Can I move furniture in before the final buff? Better not to. Furniture arriving before the last stage means dust settles on and behind it, and you clean around obstacles.
Is it the same as a deep clean? No. A deep clean addresses accumulated household soil. A builders clean addresses construction residue, needs different equipment, and is priced differently.
What about the ventilation system? Change or clean filters in extractors, MVHR units and any air conditioning after the work. They will be loaded with construction dust and will otherwise redistribute it for months.
