Where construction dust settles
Renovation dust does not stay where you can see it. The air carries it; the HVAC pulls it through the vents. After the last trade leaves, fine dust keeps settling onto surfaces that already looked clean. A proper final cleaning works top-down, so dust lands on surfaces we have not touched yet.
1. Every ledge from the top down
The first pass is high dusting from the floor with an extendable duster: ceiling fan blades, light fixtures, tops of door frames, crown molding, the top of a new refrigerator and the soffits. Nothing is climbed; a ladder on a dusty floor is not how this gets done, and anything out of safe reach from the floor is left for a trade with the right lift.
2. Inside new cabinets and drawers
New cabinets look clean when the installer hangs them, and they are full of sanding dust by the time the counters go in. We wipe inside every box, drawer, shelf and door before any dish or glass goes in. The toe-kicks and the gap under the lowest shelf get the same pass.
3. Vent covers and returns
Supply registers and return grilles collect construction dust on the louvers and in the frame. We wipe the outside of each cover. Duct cleaning is another trade; we do not reach inside the duct.
4. Windows from the inside, sills and tracks
The inside glass, the sills and the tracks all get a pass. Sanding dust packs itself into the track channel and holds there, so the vacuum goes in before any damp wipe. On older buildings with wood sashes, we work gently, and we do not touch the outside of a window above the ground floor.
5. New fixtures and surfaces
New finishes come with their own rules. Painters leave haze on glass and chrome. Installers leave stickers, protective film and finger smudges. Factory oil sits on new stainless. We go over leftover film, stickers and residue with nothing harsh on a finish the installer has not cleared, and if a surface has a care sheet taped to it, we read it before anything touches it.
6. Floors last, vacuumed before damp
Floors are the last thing to clean because everything above them is still releasing dust. We vacuum before any damp mopping. Damp-mopping a floor coated in fine drywall dust turns the dust to paste and smears it along the grain. On new hardwood, the finish has to be fully cured before a damp mop goes near it, and we go over that on the call.
| Surface | What construction leaves | What the clean does |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling fans and light fixtures | Settled dust on blades, bulbs and the top of each shade | Dusted from the floor with an extendable duster |
| Supply vents and returns | Gray dust on the louvers and in the frame | Covers wiped on the outside |
| New cabinet interiors | Sanding dust and wood chips in every box and drawer | Wiped inside, including the toe-kick |
| Window glass, sills and tracks | Film and dust on the glass, dust packed into the track | Vacuumed, then wiped inside |
| New paint and trim | Painters' haze and protective film, with any drips left for the painter | Haze and film lifted gently with what the finish allows |
| New stainless and glass fixtures | Factory oil, installer prints, sticker residue | Cleared with nothing harsh on a finish not yet cleared |
| Baseboards and door casings | A line of dust along every edge | Wiped by hand, one length at a time |
| Floors | Grit under the dust, dust on top | Vacuumed before any damp mopping |
When this fits, and when a deep clean fits better
A post-construction cleaning is the pass after the trades. If no trades have been in the home, a deep clean without the dust is almost always the right page.
When post-construction cleaning fits
- The project is finished and the debris is gone from the home
- The contractor has done the rough cleanup and swept
- Dust keeps settling after everything looks picked up
- New cabinets, new windows, new paint or new floors need their first real wipe-down before the home gets used
When another service fits better
- The home has not been touched by a project but has gone months without a thorough visit. A deep clean handles buildup, not construction dust.
- The home is still a worksite and other trades are coming back. The final clean waits until nothing else is coming through the door.
- Rough cleaning (debris, drop cloths, taped-off plastic) is the contractor's. We come after that is out.
- The project was a tear-out that touched old paint or plaster. We do not scrape or sand old paint, and if that kind of work is pending, we wait for the trade that handles it.
On the call we go over what the project was, how long ago the trades left and whether the HVAC has run since.
What the visit covers for a post-construction job
Every ledge from the top down, the inside of new cabinets and drawers, the inside of windows with their sills and tracks, vent covers, baseboards, door casings and the outside of new appliances. Floors last, vacuumed first. New finishes get what their care sheets allow, and if the installer taped a note to a slab or a tile, we read it.
A new finish can be fussier than it looks. Milder products on new finishes is worth a word on the call, because stone sealers, new grout and factory-coated metals do not love everything that comes out from under the kitchen sink.
Post-construction cleaning does not include debris hauling, duct cleaning, carpet shampooing, painting, repairs, outside windows above the ground floor, or mold work beyond small surface spots on tile and grout. If any of those is still open, we point you at the right trade.