General cleaning of an apartment, house or cottage after renovation: should you clean it yourself or call a cleaner?

The goal of any renovation is to put the room in order. All this takes a lot of effort, time and money. However, cleaning after renovation is an equally labor-intensive process. It is necessary to remove not only the remains of construction waste, but also dust, dirt, and traces of construction mixtures.

What does cleaning a house after renovation include?

To clean a room after renovation, you need to follow a certain algorithm. All work is carried out in stages.

The first step is to get rid of construction waste. It is recommended to take out the largest trash first. For these purposes you will have to order a special container. If there is hazardous waste, such as glass wool or chemicals, it must be disposed of immediately.

Now you can move on to cleaning the surfaces. The floors, walls, and ceilings deserve special attention. It is necessary not only to remove dust, but also to get rid of dirt, since there may be traces of solutions and glue on the surface.

Preparing furniture. When the room is cleaned, you can bring in the furniture. With a new one, just remove the protective film and wash it. The old one needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

You also need to wash the windows and door panels.

The main difficulties when cleaning after renovation

It would seem that the renovation is complete, all that remains is to clean everything. But, as practice shows, it is not so easy and simple.

And here are the difficulties you have to face when cleaning:

1. To properly clean a room after renovation and get rid of white deposits, just a broom, bucket and rags are not enough. Despite the fact that most people clean up this way, it doesn’t help.
2. Using a household vacuum cleaner will not remove construction waste. It will not be able to absorb all the dust, and there is a high probability of breakdown.
3. It is unlikely that you will be able to wash the floors with ordinary water. Even if you repeat this procedure several dozen times, the white stains will remain unchanged.
4. It will also not be possible to clean ceramic tiles with ordinary water - stains will remain. You will have to resort to the help of chemicals or traditional methods.
5. Construction dust does not completely settle on surfaces; most of it remains in the air, filling all existing cracks and joints. Therefore, it will not be possible to perform high-quality cleaning in one day.
6. Construction waste must not be disposed of in regular containers. To do this, you need to order a special container, which will lead to additional costs.

In addition, cleaning an apartment, private house or cottage must be carried out in accordance with the stages. For example, the first thing you need to do is get rid of construction waste.

Advice! To avoid streaks, it is recommended to wash the surface and then wipe it dry with a clean, dry cloth.

The best cleaning products after renovation

Folk remedies

Unfortunately, when carrying out renovation work in an apartment, it will not be possible to cover the tiles. Even if you don’t touch it, a white coating will still appear on the surface, which should be removed immediately, since small particles can scratch the building material.

To clean tiles, you can use the following available tools:

1. Add lemon juice to a bucket of water. Lemon will do a great job of removing dust, and lemon, in turn, will add shine to ceramic tiles. In addition, after such cleaning, the air will be filled with a pleasant aroma, just like the tiles themselves.
2. You can also use vinegar. To do this, add 2 cups of vinegar to 10 liters of water. It is recommended to carry out work strictly with rubber gloves. As practice shows, vinegar is able to deal with any dirt, giving the surfaces an additional shiny appearance.

If there are traces of glue or primer left on the tiles, it is recommended to first wet the traces of dirt and then remove them mechanically. But you need to work carefully so as not to damage the finishing material.

When renovating a house, you have to wash not only the floors and walls, but also upholstered furniture. Unfortunately, it cannot be completely immersed in water, but the furniture will take a long time to dry, and if done incorrectly, it can be completely ruined. If you use water, stains will appear, which will be very difficult to get rid of.

You need to prepare a solution based on water and citric acid in a ratio of 1 to 2, or based on water and vinegar in a ratio of 1 to 1. The resulting solution is poured into a spray bottle. Then you need to treat the upholstered furniture and wipe its tears with a damp cloth.

If a white coating appears on the doors, you can get rid of it in the following ways:

1. Sunflower oil. To do this, you just need to moisten a rag with oil and wipe the door leaf and openings. However, it is important not to overdo it.
2. You can also add salt to the water and wipe all the doors with this solution.The advantage of this method is that the plaque disappears without leaving streaks.
3. Experienced housewives recommend adding a small amount of transformer oil to the water; unlike sunflower oil, it does not leave unpleasant sticky traces.

Advice! Before starting wet cleaning, it is recommended to carry out dry cleaning - with a rag or vacuum cleaner.

Chemical cleaning products

CEMENT CLEANER – a chemical product intended for porcelain stoneware, granite, marble and glass surfaces. It will effectively help remove traces of cement, concrete, building mixtures, as well as rust and limescale.

It goes on sale in cans. For ease of movement there is a handle. The solution itself is blue. It is enough to add about 250 ml of solution per liter of water.

Duty Extra – a product intended for joints and brickwork. The product has a characteristic yellow tint and is sold in canisters. With its help, you can easily and quickly get rid of traces of cement, mortar, lime, salt deposits, glue, grout, rust and much more. Depending on what kind of contaminants are planned to be removed, the concentration of the solution differs.

Alfa-19 – this cleaning product is excellent for cleaning facades, removing building mixtures and traces of rust. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. To apply the solution you need to use a sprayer. Instructions for use are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.

Cementin – another effective product suitable for general cleaning after renovation. The composition quite easily helps to get rid of cement and mortars, even those that have had time to harden, as well as rust and limescale. The solution is prepared at the rate of 200 ml of product per sheet of water. Simply apply the solution to the surface, wipe with a sponge and rinse off after 3-5 minutes.

Attention! To get rid of traces of lime and cement, a solution based on Cementin and water is prepared in proportions of 1 to 5, if the contamination is strong - 1 to 3.

Cleaning services or self-cleaning: pros and cons

Every housewife has to clean her apartment. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s regular cleaning or general cleaning after repair work.

If you consider cleaning yourself, you can highlight the following advantages:

1. You know what things should be in what place, you understand what you need to treat with the utmost care, and what you can easily get rid of.
2. When cleaning yourself, there are practically no financial costs. It is enough to purchase detergents.
3. You can start cleaning your house at any convenient time. There is no need to adapt to anyone, wait, take time off from work, or adjust your usual daily schedule.
4. Cleaning is a kind of cardio workout.

However, not everything is so rosy. There are also some disadvantages. For example, cleaning can take almost the entire day, if not more. For busy people, spending several hours cleaning just the floor is an unaffordable luxury. In addition, some types of contaminants cannot be removed on your own; you need professional equipment, which is available in cleaning services.

As for cleaning companies, the staff does not include students or office cleaners, but real professionals in their field who know perfectly well what and how to remove any type of contamination, even the most difficult ones.

Let's look at the advantages of a cleaning company:

1. Significant savings. There are many companies that will allow you to find an option that suits your budget. No need to waste your time cleaning after renovation. While professionals are doing their job, you can calmly devote yourself to solving other problems.
2. Cleaners. The most a housewife has is cleaning products from a supermarket near her home, purchased at a discount. Cleaning companies use professional cleaning products in their work, and the cleaners clearly know what product to use to wash a particular surface.
3. Time. Cleaning companies work as quickly as possible. Depending on the complexity, a team of specialists can be sent to the site to complete the task within a few hours.

However, in this case there is also a significant drawback - you can run into an unscrupulous company, as a result of which the cleaning will be carried out superficially. In addition, many people do not like it when strangers are in the house.

Questions and answers

Do I need to provide the cleaning company employee with equipment?

No no need. Specialists bring everything they need with them.

What to do if you can’t be present during cleaning?

It is enough to meet the cleaners, show the scope of work and take over the premises after cleaning. It is not necessary to be nearby all the time.