After-builders cleaning: what should you ask an Irish cleaning company to include?

Ask the builder which dusty tasks remain and who will remove offcuts, rubble and surplus materials. A final clean booked before further sanding or drilling may need repeating. Distinguish a useful interim clean from the final visit intended to prepare rooms for occupation or furniture.

Give the cleaning company the expected completion date, but explain any uncertainty. Confirm how rescheduling works if a trade returns or a new finish is not ready for cleaning. Avoid promising a fixed move-in deadline that depends on work the cleaning team cannot control.

State whether the property is empty, furnished or partly occupied. A kitchen refurbishment in an otherwise lived-in house needs different access and protection from a vacant extension. Specify which rooms are included and whether dust has reached neighbouring rooms rather than assuming the team will clean the entire house.

Allbright's Irish after-builders service description separates construction residue from ordinary cleaning and lists surfaces such as units, windows, floors and trim. Its scope is a provider example, not a universal package. Use a checklist to ask each business exactly what it will include for your property.[1]

• Room list, approximate floor area and accessible surfaces.
• Cupboard interiors, shelving and appliance interiors wanted.
• Internal glass, frames, tracks and sills, with exterior work separately specified.
• Visible paint, plaster, adhesive or grout residue requiring assessment.
• Floor types, newly fitted finishes and manufacturer care instructions.
• Packaging, small debris and any heavier waste still on site.

Do not describe an unknown mark as easy to remove. Send photographs and ask the company to assess compatibility with the surface. A stain, scratch or damaged coating may not be a cleaning problem, and aggressive scraping or chemicals should not be assumed acceptable on a new finish.

The HSA identifies construction work with concrete, stone and other materials as a potential source of respirable crystalline silica exposure. Unknown construction dust should not simply be treated as ordinary household dust. Tell the cleaning business what was cut, drilled or removed and ask whether the job is within its assessed scope.[2]

Do not sweep or vacuum unidentified debris yourself to make quotation photographs look tidier. If hazardous material is suspected or work is still generating dust, stop and arrange the appropriate assessment with the responsible contractor. An ordinary domestic cleaning booking is not a hazardous-material survey, removal service or clearance certificate.

Ask how the cleaning business will control dust and protect occupied areas, rather than prescribing equipment for an unidentified material. Keep children and pets out of the work area until the responsible professionals say it is suitable to use. The booking should begin with a clear, safe handover of the space.

A few empty cartons and a pile of heavy rubble are different waste tasks. Allbright distinguishes large-scale waste removal from its ordinary service and says additional arrangements may be needed. Do not assume that a cleaning vehicle will carry building waste simply because a quote says debris removal.[1]

Identify who removes protective films and coverings and when. Some finishes need those left in place until other work is complete. Give the team the product instructions rather than asking it to strip every surface by default. Likewise, do not request access to electrical fittings or ventilation equipment beyond an agreed safe cleaning scope.

Confirm water, power, parking and lawful access arrangements privately. For an apartment, mention lift bookings and building-management restrictions. Do not put keys, alarm codes or the exact occupied-home access routine in the public job description.

Ask what the agreed price covers, how extra rooms or difficult residue will be approved and whether the company needs an inspection before confirming. Compare the full payable total including VAT where applicable. A weekly maintenance-clean price is not a fair comparison with a scoped post-renovation service.

If snagging work will continue, request a separately priced follow-up rather than an unlimited promise that no dust will ever return. At handover, check the agreed rooms and exclusions together. Record pre-existing scratches or unfinished work so a cleaning concern is not confused with a construction defect.

Keep the written room list and invoice. Before furniture is delivered, confirm that surfaces are ready for their intended use and that any remaining treatment or drying instructions are understood. Cleaning can prepare a space for use; it is not evidence that the building work itself has passed inspection.

Illustrative brief: 'After-builders clean for a kitchen and rear extension in a Galway home once final dusty work is complete. Photos, room measurements and floor-care instructions available. Please include cupboard interiors and internal windows, assess visible residue and identify waste exclusions. Builder will remove rubble first. Quote a final visit and an optional post-snagging follow-up separately.'

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