How much does it cost to clean a construction site?

Whether it is a new build or a remodel, construction is an exciting endeavor. Unfortunately, it is difficult to sit back and enjoy your finished project immediately after completion. That is because construction produces a lot of dust, debris, and other dirt.

You can clean this yourself, but most people choose to hire a post construction cleaning service to take care of the job. The average residential post construction clean costs around $550 to complete. This price varies, however, depending on the size of the project and the scale of the clean.

Benefits of hiring construction cleaning professionals

Construction and remodeling are messy jobs. At a minimum, they produce a lot of dust, which can get everywhere within a home or business. This dust settles in places where it may not always be obvious or part of everyday cleaning.

In addition, construction may leave behind debris or workers may track mud ¹ or other substances through rooms. Many materials and new surfaces, such as windows and cabinets, may have stickers or residue that need to be washed off.

All of these things are technically cleanable by the home or business owner, but it takes time. You may not have the proper filters or cleaning materials necessary or realize all the places and areas that debris and dust can settle. Often, there are also leftover materials like nails, glass, or wires that can be hazardous if handled improperly. Professionals know how to dispose of these safely, so you do not have to.

Professionals can thoroughly clean a space from top to bottom and leave it in good condition. They can also remove germs, pest infestations, and other substances that you may not have been aware of.

Post construction cleaning process

Just as no two construction jobs are the same, no two cleaning jobs are either. Therefore, most services change their process to best meet your needs. However, there are generally some guidelines that they follow.

This may include a rough clean, which takes place during the construction before the finish work is complete. This can include cleaning plywood ² or concrete floors prior to the new flooring going down or scrubbing walls and preparing surfaces. Some rough cleans also are done at the end of construction and involve the removal of any trash, debris, or hazardous substances. Not every construction clean needs a rough clean, but many do to some degree.

The interior finish clean is next and, generally, involves cleaning all surfaces in and around the construction zone. This includes vacuuming and dusting all surfaces, such as baseboards, the interiors and tops of cabinets, and furnishings. Bathrooms, countertops, and cabinets are all cleaned from top to bottom. If your service includes windows, these are thoroughly washed as well. Caulk ³ and sealants are usually checked and may be cleaned if spills occurred. 

Sometimes an external finish clean is also included. This involves cleaning the exteriors of windows, removing things like nails or debris from around the home, and making sure that all caulk ³ and paint is cleaned up and finished. If you only had interior work done, this phase may not be necessary.

Labor

Labor costs vary tremendously depending on the scope of the project, how much you want cleaned, and the state of the area to be cleaned. The average cost per hour for this service is $25 per worker, with many projects taking a minimum of 8 hours to complete and a minimum of 2 workers. Some areas are also charged an additional fee per area or per square foot, such as an extra “fluff” clean, which consists of a final walk-through and staging of the home. Specialty cleans range from $0.06 to $0.50 a square foot. This is in addition to the base hourly fee. A home remodel, which requires 2 workers and 8 hours and includes windows both inside and out, costs around $550.

Enhancement and improvement costs

Waxing and buffing wood floors

If you have existing wood floors, sometimes renovations or construction can scuff or scratch them. Some construction cleanup services will also wax and buff the floors for an additional charge of $0.50 a square foot, plus the hourly rate.

Windows

Windows are often treated as a separate charge from the standard clean. New windows frequently have stickers, residue, and fingerprints that need to be cleaned. This cost is around $7 per window on average.

Touch-up clean

Some services offer a touch-up clean, which takes place roughly a week after the initial clean. In this case, they take care of any dust that settled after the first clean as well as any missed smudges or other minor issues. This typically costs around $0.20 per square foot.

Additional considerations and costs

• Many contractors clean up after a job, but hiring a service that specializes in this work is the only way to guarantee a deep clean after construction.
• Small cleanup jobs, usually for a one or two-room remodel, take about a day to complete, while larger jobs like new construction may take two or three days.
• Schedule the cleanup to start right after construction ends. This way if the cleaners uncover any issues, you can address them right away.
• Post-construction cleaning companies often offer other cleaning services, such as disposing of debris after disasters as well as cleaning after fires, floods, and other hazards.
• If you want to try this DIY, you may want to consider renting a dumpster to dispose of debris as well as filters to remove the dust. High-powered vacuums are also recommended in addition to cleaners that can remove things like adhesive from glass or wood.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

² Plywood: An engineered construction material manufactured from thin slices of wood glued together in alternating grain patterns for strength

³ Caulk: A chemical sealant used to fill in and seal gaps where two materials join, for example, the tub and tile, to create a watertight and airtight seal. The term "caulking" is also used to refer to the process of applying this type of sealant