Why SERVPRO Offers Post Construction Cleaning

10/8/2020 (Permalink)

The biggest mistake a janitorial service provider or a client can make is to assume post construction cleaning is like other cleaning.

The biggest mistake a janitorial service provider or a client can make is to assume post construction cleaning is like other cleaning. If you like surprises, you will love post construction cleaning. Post construction is a lot like remodeling, you never know what to expect until you get started. You have to be ready for every eventuality. So what makes post construction so unique?

We Don’t Have the Luxury of Time
When we clean after construction we go in after everyone else is done (translated, we clean up the other trades’ messes) and we have to make the building look like ‘new’, even if it isn’t. This is not as easy as it sounds for reasons we will discuss in a moment. The new tenant is expecting a clean, move in ready space and the building management company is looking at us to deliver. The challenge is that the janitorial service providers are the last trade in the building, which means the original schedule is meaningless and we are under the gun to meet the deadline. It’s not like when you are cleaning on a regular recurring schedule because you can ‘fix’ mistakes and take care of things you may have missed the next time you go to clean. Post construction cleaning does not have that flexibility.

We Are Operating on the Tenants’ Schedule
By the time we get started with our service the building management has leased the building to a tenant who has a time line and it cannot be moved. This is like the first point but it bears further attention. The client determines when we will clean whether it is convenient or not. To handle post construction cleaning well you have to be flexible and able to adapt to changes all on some other persons time table.

Uncommon Surfaces Are Normal
Normal day in and day out janitorial service is fairly straight forward and the areas we clean are not all that unusual (although there are those times). On a normal basis janitorial service providers are not tasked to wipe down and clean 20′ transoms or walls. We normally don’t clean inside cabinets once the tenant occupies the space. We don’t normally remove factory glued stickers from windows, appliances or fixtures. But all of these surfaces must be cleaned in post construction and it must look like new when you’re done. Post construction cleaning requires a broader knowledge of tools and techniques to be successful.

We Clean Substances Left By Construction That We Will Not Encounter During Daily Cleaning
When other trades are doing their work they will often leave behind ‘mystery substances’. Sometimes it is a glue or a sealant or… well, you get the idea. The problem is if it is on a wall or a floor or a window we are tasked to remove it even when we might not know what it is. To do well in post construction cleaning you have to have an understanding of what the other trades are using so that you can clean it up. You need to be prepared to address any stain or mark or ugly glob you find. The tools and knowledge required for this go well beyond your average cleaning.

Other Trades Are Continuing to Work While We Are Trying to Detail the Building
This is what the last guy in has to face. Everyone else has a deadline just like us but our challenge is doing our job while others continue to make messes and undo what we just did. It’s frustrating to go through a building only to get a call back to clean up a paint spill or sheet rock dust that wasn’t there yesterday. If you don’t learn to deal with it you won’t do well at post construction cleaning. It’s just the nature of what we do.