Have you moved into a home that was newly built or one that was recently remodeled? Do you know about the fine dust that never seems to go away? I do... Let's be honest it is a pain to clean up and can take weeks to months to get it all off. I have found a few tricks to help get it done quicker and allow you to rest easy knowing you aren't breathing, sleeping, eating, and living in the dust.
New built homes, new builds, dust, cleaning a newly built home.
If you have ever toured a newly built home or bought one you may have noticed all of the white dust all over everything. The ceiling, walls, countertops, cabinets, floor, and doors. Everything in the home has it on it. When we moved into our newly built home every night for about a week. I was googling how to get rid of construction dust. I asked several friends who have also built what they did. Want to know their answer? It was the same. It takes time... Not a week or two but a month or so. It depends on how diligent you are with cleaning it.
This being said let's now talk about ways to clean a newly built home and help make the process easier for you.
1. From The Top
As the dust settles it settles even on the ceiling. I know this may sound crazy because of gravity however this dust I swear defies all laws of physics. However, it does settle high up, if you have a broom this will help. Brush the ceilings, and wear a mask and eye protection if desired. This will loosen the dust and it will fall to the ground or stick to the walls. If you clean the walls or floors first this will only make it so you have to clean them again. Start at the top and work your way down.
2. Start Working down to the floor
Now that you have brushed the ceilings it's time to start working your way down. I used microfiber towels and a Swiffer mop and attached the towels. Do not use very much warm water, if you use too much water it can force the dust to bond and become solid. This is because it is not just drywall dust, it can be from the stone cut in the home, any tile grout, etc... Have a bucket with you and wring out the towels so they are hardly wet to the touch. This will prevent the dust from becoming too wet and it just will be picked up in the cloth. Change the water often and avoid pouring the dirty water down the drain. This can cause it to build up and cause a blockage in your pipes. Use this method on the walls, cabinets, shelves, trim, light fixtures, and anything above the floor.
"When your environment is clean you feel happy, motivated, and healthy." - Lailah Gifty Akita
3. Bathrooms
One thing that has been the toughest to clean is my bathrooms. Not because I dislike it or anything it's because of the grout dust. I had to clean my showers and bathtubs over 4 times to get the dust mostly cleaned up. I looked into an electric tile scrubber on Amazon. Let me tell you how this has been a God-send. There are many different kinds out there, what I recommend is to get one with different attachments and extension options. I have 10-foot walls in my home and even though I am a taller gal I can not reach that high without a ladder. I refuse to get out one every time I have to clean. Using an electric tile scrubber I was able to get almost all of the dust off of the showers and bathtubs. I also had some grout and glue that was stuck to the inside of the tub. This scrubber got it all off without damaging the tub. The scrubber loosens the dust and allows it to fall away from the tile. You can use it on windows as well.
4. Windows
I think the windows see a lot more than just the dust. They have not only dust, they have mortar on the outside, stucco, paint, glue, drywall mud, and tape. For windows, I recommend you use the same technique as the walls. Just add in a putty knife or scraper to get the chunks off of the windows. I also loved using a magic eraser on the frame of the windows. When they are being stored they get different types of things spilled or splashed on, dirt and tools leaving marks. Even being installed things can attach themselves to the frames. The magic erasers will take almost all of those off of the window frames and leave them looking clean and brand new.
5. Floors
Now that you have started at the top and worked your way down to the floors it's time to talk about these. Do NOT use your normal house vacuum to gather up all of the dust. It can break your vacuum. Normal household vacuums are not meant for this and it can break them. Use a shop vac, they are made for this and can pick up large chunks off of the floor. Once you have vacuumed off the floor use your microfiber towels and Swiffer mop using the same technique as the walls. Again do now allow too much water on the towels. It may take several passes of the mop to get it all up but once you have vacuumed again and then take a mop to the floors with whatever cleaner you prefer.
Now the home is clean and ready for you to live in!
Once you have done these steps your home is ready to move into and be enjoyed. Again this will not get up all of the dust and may have to be done again but it will get a large majority of the dust and make it safer for you to live in. Take your time and know it will go away the more you clean it.
I hope this article helps you with cleaning your newly built home. If you wish to hire someone several companies out there specialize in cleaning newly built homes. You will still have to do some cleaning even after they come in. It is not a one-time solution but will allow you to have less moving-in stress.