HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-10-18, Page 22By Cynthia Inman,
a.k.a. “ASK CINDY”
(MS) — If you are like most who
get involved with home remodeling,
you reach a point that you are
praying that the contractors will
finish and allow your family to get
on with life.
In fact, if you’re toward the end of
the process, all of your family
members are feeling as they have
eaten about as much saw dust and
sheetrock powder as remains in the
walls themselves.
These carpenters are not the same
as a cleaning service. If you’re lucky,
your contract indicates that your
remodeled rooms will be left “broom
swept.”
Therefore, if you’ve already begun
your remodeling process, you realize
that you’re going to have to bring
cleaners in to get your place in
livable condition, and if you haven’t
begun — please make sure to put it
in your plans and budget.
Assessment/Scheduling
Unfortunately, many people don’t
make the initial after-remodeling
cleaning plan and consequently are
often shocked when they realize that
they must add the cost to an already
taxing budget. Well, allow me to say
that after-construction or after-
remodeling clean-up is an absolute
imperative in order for you family to
be able to move on with your lives.
Let me walk you through the
process. Please realize that effective
planning and co-ordination is just as
necessary between cleaning
contractors and remodeling
contractors as between different
trade’s contractors (i.e., carpenters,
plumbers and electricians). Failure
to properly co-ordinate the cleaning
task with the completion of the
remodeling work will only create
confusion, frustration and wasted
time and money. You must schedule
your cleaners after remodeling is
finished.
The first thing to do, in connection
with the plan, is for the cleaning
contractor to conduct a complete
walk-through of the home. Decide
priorities and make sure that the
contractor is thinking detailed
cleaning. That means simply that the
cleaning crew must go after that dust
that has settled on everything and
everywhere.
Necessary Equipment
A list of equipment that is
absolutely essential for the task is a
backpack vacuum with nozzle or
crevice tool attachment as well as
the upholstery brush. This will be
needed to reach those hard-to-get-at
corners, edges and ledges. You’ll
need lamb’s wool high dusters to
reach into electrical fixtures and
recessed lights. The following are
other items that will be needed: 8-
foot ladder, wet-dry vac for heavy
dirt and dust removal, filtration
masks, and of course, buckets,
brooms and mops.
Process
It is very important to remember
that getting rid of dust is a multi-
phase process. After my crews
vacuum up as much dust as possible,
I expect them to have to go over
dust-ridden surfaces at least three
times (base clean/surface
clean/finish clean). Please remember
that dust travels to some of the most
unlikely places.
Some of the areas that I always
recommend my customers target are
attics and crawl spaces. One might
say “why not let sleeping dogs lie?”
The trouble with that reasoning is
that dust in attics and crawl spaces
never sleeps — it only takes short
naps. What you’ll find is that it will
continue to resurface in your general
living areas over and over, thereby
shortening the time between house
cleanings. You’ll say to yourself,
“Boy! We just had the cleaning team
here, but it looks like they didn’t do
a good job.”
All in all, you will find that if you
co-ordinate your contractors well
(including cleaning contractor) and
if you use the right equipment and
process in cleaning, you will have a
true “new lease on life” when your
last contractor leaves your premises.
You guessed it — that last contractor
needs to be the cleaning contractor.
PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2007.Thorough cleaning important after renos
After he’s done
After the contractors have
finished work, a cleaning
contractor can get your home
back into a livable condidiotn.
(MS photo)
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