Living through a home renovation is not fun at all. There is constant noise, people are always coming in and out of your house and of course there is all of that dust and dirt that you have to contend with.
The most ideal situation during a home renovation is for you to move out or go away on vacation to some tropical destination, but in most cases one or both are not possible.
Here are 6 tips we give to homeowners during home renovations to help keep their house clean and to prevent dust and dirt spreading throughout the entire house:
Tip #1 – Turn off your furnace
Turning your furnace off will not only prevent dust and dirt from your home renovation circulating throughout the entire house, but will also reduce the wear and tear on your furnace.
As dirt gets trapped in your furnace filter, your furnace needs to work much harder to try and draw air from the cold air returns. Small particles of dust will still make it through your furnace filter and will travel to all other areas of your house.
If you cannot leave your furnace off the entire time, then only turn it on when there is no work going on and be sure to temporarily cover the cold air returns in the room undergoing renovations.
Tip #2 – Cut and finish materials outside
Sounds very simple but time and time again we see cases where workers try to cut down on a few minutes here and there by cutting or finishing materials in the room they are working on rather than walking outside or to the garage.
There are of course certain situations where work must be performed inside (such as drywall sanding and finishing, refinishing floors etc.) so this can be used a measure to help reduce the amount of dust and dirt that gets inside.
Tip #3 – Seal or drape off areas undergoing renovations
By sealing or draping off the doors or access point to the rest of the house it will prevent the dust and dirt from travelling outside your renovation area.
You also need to make sure that whatever is put up to prevent the travel of dust stays sealed while work is going on. Over time you may see that some workers are not as diligent as others in making sure the access point is sealed. In this case you should ask the contractor to remind their employees to keep it closed.
Tip #4 – Protect your floors
With the number of workers that will be coming in and out of your house during your renovation, your existing floors will be taking some abuse.
To help protect them we recommend putting down and securing cardboard that will act as a layer of protection for your floors. This becomes even more important for the areas of your floor that are softer (such as hardwood), brand new or that haven’t been finished yet.
Tip #5 – Enforce a tidy workspace
Just because you are renovating certain areas of your home doesn’t mean you should feel like you are living in a construction site.
Make sure your contractor limits their tools, materials etc. to the areas they are renovating or only to the areas you have allowed them to work in. There is no need for tools and materials in the living room if they are renovating an upstairs bathroom.
Organized contractors will do this automatically, others may need your help and to be reminded of this.
Tip #6 – Don’t give up on the rest of the house cleaning
Just because you feel like your house is a disaster, doesn’t mean you should give up on the rest of the house cleaning. Try and keep the living areas (kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, family room etc.) that are not being worked on as clean as possible to help keep some sense of normal in your home.
If you choose to let it all go during the renovations, you may begin to feel overwhelmed with the mess and all the other chaotic things that go along with a home renovation. This is just one small thing but will go a long way during the process.
Final Thought
These are a few tips that we provide home owners with to help keep their house clean during home renovations. If you have any additional tips, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
We do of course recommend a complete clean of the renovated areas once the work has been completed. If you would like to learn more about our renovation cleaning or to get a quote, please visit our Home Cleaning Services.
Thank you.
Andrew
