Useful tips and recommendations on how to clean the floor after renovation

It's a great joy when a renovation comes to an end. But there are always still small nuances that spoil the mood.

One of them is a dirty floor; it still needs to be cleaned of construction marks. Keep in mind that getting the floor to perfect condition will be difficult.

How to clean floors after renovation? To prevent white stains from reminding you of repair work, learn about the most effective methods and means for washing.

General cleaning and post-renovation cleaning - what is the difference?

Cleaning after renovation differs significantly from the general one:

1. It is more painstaking and time-consuming, because first you need to get rid of construction waste.
2. The amount of work increases significantly, even if minor repairs were not carried out in all rooms. After all, no matter how you protect other rooms from construction dust, it will still fly away.
3. Cleaning after renovation must be properly organized; it may take more than one day. Sometimes a professional approach is even required.
4. After repairs, a lot of complex contaminants always remain. Therefore, you will need special cleaning agents and detergents, different for each type of material.

You can contact cleaning companies that provide professional cleaning assistance.If you decide to do this work yourself, then use the helpful tips below.

How to get rid of construction dust?

It is the floor that accumulates the largest amount of construction dust after renovation. Its smallest particles can cause allergic reactions and difficulty breathing. Therefore, before you start cleaning, think about the safety of your own health and put on rubber gloves and a protective mask or respirator on your face.

In order to collect construction dust in this way, you cannot use a regular household vacuum cleaner. If moisture particles get into it, the engine may burn out.

It is recommended to use a detergent, and the ideal option is a construction vacuum cleaner.. You can buy it, but this is an additional financial cost. It will be cheaper if you rent such equipment. After collecting dust, it is necessary to wash the floors, changing the water several times and rinsing the cloth thoroughly.

This video will tell you how to clean your apartment from construction dust:

How to clean different surfaces?

It is very important to choose the right equipment and cleaning products for various types of floor coverings so as not to spoil them.

Linoleum

Linoleum is the least capricious of all materials, but it must also be handled with care. It is not afraid of water, so plaque and stains can be removed with a well-wetted cloth. But you shouldn’t use a hard brush, otherwise you can damage the coating.

If there are stains on the linoleum that cannot be washed off with plain water, it is recommended to add a little laundry or liquid soap to it. Solutions of table salt or vinegar will not spoil it either.

It is not advisable to use ammonia or gasoline to clean linoleum.. Because of this, the coating will fade faster. And do not use very hot water, otherwise the linoleum will fade.

Several ways to quickly and efficiently remove polyurethane foam from linoleum are discussed in this article on how to remove paint - in this.

Parquet

Although parquet is considered a reliable material, it must be handled extremely delicately.

Contact with water negatively affects its noble appearance., the parquet may swell. Therefore, it is not recommended to wet this type of coating abundantly, as well as to use a steam generator or a vacuum cleaner.

To clean parquet after repair, you should forget about aggressive chemicals. Only soft compounds such as kerosene, white spirit, and methyl alcohol are used. But before using them, it is recommended to check in an inconspicuous place how the material will come into contact with this chemical.

Scrapers, metal brushes, and coarse abrasive materials are not suitable for cleaning parquet, as they will scratch its top protective layer and simply ruin it.

Tile

Ceramic tiles have long established themselves as an excellent material. for covering floors, especially in bathrooms, bathrooms and kitchens.

Reliable and durable, it remains inert to moisture and chemicals. Therefore, after repairs, you can use water in any quantity and various cleaning products and folk methods to wash the tiles.

Professional advice on how to remove grout from tiles at home is presented in this article.

Laminate

This type of flooring is considered one of the most capricious, despite the fact that it is shockproof and heat resistant. The most suitable cleaning agent for laminate flooring is a weak vinegar-water solution (1 tablespoon per 5 liters).

Special detergents for laminate floor care are available for sale. For example, “Laminate wash & shine”, for high-quality cleaning, dilute 100 ml in 10 liters of warm water.

How to remove various contaminants?

Contamination on the floor can be of varying degrees and depends on what types of repair work were carried out in the room.

From grout and tile adhesive

No matter how carefully the master works, traces of grout and tile adhesive often remain on the tile floor. If you remove them immediately, this can be easily done with a regular damp cloth..

And if the materials have already dried, they are disposed of mechanically. To do this, you need to slightly moisten the contaminated areas so that the grout or glue softens.

Then remove them using a utility knife or scraper. Then wipe these areas with a sponge soaked in acetone.

Epoxy grout is more difficult to remove. First, it must be softened by exposure to steam, and then removed with a spatula.

From whitewashing

Cleaning whitewashed floors is not particularly difficult now. You will need regular dish detergent (Ferry type). 1 tablespoon per bucket of warm water is enough. You need to stir the product well until a rich foam appears and thoroughly wash the floors. This must be done three times, changing the solution each time.

From plaster

Plaster residues are solid particles. If you try to remove them by simply wiping them with something, you can scratch the floor covering.

Plaster and other cement-based building mixtures dissolve organically only in water. Therefore, you need to pour warm water onto contaminated areas to form puddles. And when the plaster softens, remove it with damp cloths.

Washing technology

The most important thing you should have on hand is plenty of water. (it will have to be changed many times) and the right rag (flannel, high-quality microfiber or other soft fabric that will rinse well in water):

1. Before you start mopping the floors, collect all construction debris. To do this, use microfiber cloths, brushes, a broom or a vacuum cleaner.
2. Carefully remove all complex contaminants in the form of lime, putty, plaster.
3. Rinse the floors with warm water, but do not wring out the cloth completely. Clean from the far corners towards the exit, the movements should resemble raking.
4. Change the water, add detergent to it and wash the floor thoroughly.
5. The next step is to rinse the flooring with water and vinegar.
6. Finally, wash the floors with clean water, if necessary, do this 2-3 times.

Available means

The fight against dirty floors can be made easier using proven folk methods. But before using them, it is recommended to test the solutions on inconspicuous areas of the coating.

Kerosene

In order to wipe off whitewash that has become particularly ingrained into the coating, use kerosene:

• Stir 150 ml of kerosene in 5 liters of water;
• Rinse the floors thoroughly with the resulting solution several times;
• then go over with a weak solution of vinegar, it will eliminate the kerosene smell;
• Wash the floors with clean water and ventilate the room.

Heavily dirty areas can be rubbed with a sponge dipped in clean kerosene.

Lemon

This method is good because it does not leave an unpleasant odor., as in the case of kerosene or vinegar:

• Add juice from half a lemon and 20 g of citric acid to 10 liters of warm water, stir until the grains are completely dissolved;
• wash the floor thoroughly;
• If necessary, repeat the procedure by making a new lemon solution.

Salt

This method involves using regular rock kitchen salt (not “Extra”):

1. Thoroughly dissolve 5 tablespoons of salt in 10 liters of warm water so that no grains remain. Add 2-3 teaspoons of liquid soap or dishwashing detergent. Stir.
2. Wash the floor thoroughly with the resulting solution.
3. Now rinse the surface with water and 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar to remove traces of salt and soap.
4. The final stage is washing the floor with clean water and ventilating the room.

Vinegar

You will need 3% vinegar, you can use regular table or apple vinegar:

1. Dilute 4 tablespoons of vinegar in 10 liters of water.
2. Do not wring out the cloth soaked in the resulting solution, and wash the floors with it.
3. If the floor is not clean enough after drying, repeat the procedure, but with less vinegar (2 tablespoons).
4. Ventilate the room thoroughly.

The best preparations for removing whitewash

Concentrated detergents that are specifically designed for washing floors effectively remove whitewash.They are quite economical - 50-60 ml of product is diluted in 5 liters of water.

They cope not only with stubborn dirt, but also with unpleasant odors. They foam well, add shine to the floors and do not leave streaks.

The products are applicable to any surface:

• tile,
• parquet,
• linoleum,
• laminate,
• tree.

The best in terms of price and quality ratio:

1. "Mister Muscle". Price for 500 ml – from 115 rubles.
2. "Mister proper". Price for 1 liter – from 147 rubles.
3. "Frosch" Price for 1 liter – from 237 rubles.
4. "Domestos". Price for 1 liter – from 178 rubles.

The better the detergent is diluted, the more effective the result will be. Therefore, foam it under a powerful stream of warm water when you fill a bucket from the tap.

If divorces remain

To ensure that there are no streaks left when washing floors after renovation, use vegetable oil. Everything is very simple:

1. Pour warm water into a bucket, add vegetable oil and stir (proportion: take 100 ml of oil per 10 liters of water).
2. Wash the floors thoroughly with the resulting oil solution.
3. Next, pour clean warm water into a bucket, dilute 100 ml of vinegar in it and now wash the floors with this solution.
4. Finally, wipe the floor with clean water and ventilate the room.

Instead of vinegar, you can use any product containing chlorine.

Video on the topic of the article

Conclusion

It is unlikely that it will be possible to restore perfect order after repairs just once. Even high-quality cleaning and powerful equipment will not completely get rid of construction dust. It is recommended to carry out cleaning several times and only then move in.

And still The best option would be to order post-repair cleaning from a professional cleaning company. Its employees will only need water, sewerage and electricity.

They will bring cleaning products and equipment with them. You don't have to buy it all yourself.This means you will get perfectly clean housing at lower costs. In addition, you will save your own energy and time.