How to Clean Your Apartment After a Renovation

After what feels like forever, your home’s renovation is finally done – but don’t be too surprised that what greets you when you open the front door isn’t a pretty sight! Renovating can cause quite an upheaval in your home, and leave dust everywhere.

Although interior designers usually clean the apartment after renovation, there might still be reminders of it here and there. Here’s what to do so that you can get your home in order again.

1. Priority: Ventilation

Open those windows and let some fresh air in, because your house will need some airing out after all the renovation work that has been going on. This will also be a great first step for your health – breathing in dust and other toxic chemicals will certainly not make your lungs happy! If you need to, wear a face mask before you start.

2. Get rid of visible dirt

You might be tempted to reach for a mop to give the floor a good wipe down, but before you do that, make sure to do a dry clean first to get rid of the visible dirt. Start from the top and work your way to the bottom. Give your shelves and countertops a good 'sweep' with a dry cloth first.

You can use a broom or a vacuum cleaner to get rid of any dust on the floor. Don’t neglect the inside of cupboards and your light fixtures either.

3. The Great Wipe-out

Once you have gotten rid most of the dirt, it’s time to bring out the mop or a wet cloth for the finer dust or dirt particles! If possible, use disinfectant and a microfiber cloth; the latter is wonderful for catching minute specks of dust. Give all the surfaces in your apartment a good wipe, including the walls, door knobs, window sills, and doors.

What with all the dust that takes time to settle, your wipe-out might take a few days – but with patience, your home will soon be dust-free!

That said, giving your home a deep clean post-reno is no walk in the park. If it’s within your budget, consider engaging professional home cleaning services who come well-equipped with commercial-grade cleaning tools, to ease your load.

4. Remove the pesky stains

It’s inevitable that the renovation works will leave some stains behind. Don’t fret if you see any handprints or fingerprints on your laminated surfaces, because you can easily wipe those away with a damp cloth and a gentle detergent. And if you have a case of tile grout, you can use tools around the house, such as a screwdriver, to scrape the grout out.

And with that, you’re done! It’s time to settle in, lounge about, and enjoy your new home.

This article was originally published on 26 October 2017 and last updated on 13 June 2023.

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