The final clean before handover is the last step between the madness of construction and you opening up your boxes. It is not just a generic cleaning; it is a targeted one, and if it isn't done properly you spend the first weeks in your new home noticing what got missed. Fingerprints on glass. Sticker residue on windows. Haze from grout that affects the entire wall. Dust from cement that drops from ceiling vents when the aircon unit is used for the first time.
A proper buildersfinal clean handles all of it. Before you get the keys, not after.
We do builders clean across Sydney for new builds, major renovations, and post-scaffolding handovers. Here's what the scope actually covers when it's done right.
Why It Matters Legally
Under the NSW Home Building Act 1989, your statutory warranty starts ticking from practical completion. NSW Fair Trading's building complaints framework sets out 2 years for minor defects and 6 years for major structural defects to identify problems and claim against your builder.
Which means: any defect you don't spot at handover, because the property was too covered in construction residue to see properly, becomes your problem two years later.
Getting the final clean done properly protects you from missing defects while they're still your builder's problem to fix.
Windows and Glass
Every window gets cleaned both sides. Interior first with the long pole setup. Washer and squeegee. No streaks, no smudges, edges wiped with microfibre.
Every sticker comes off. Manufacturer stickers, energy rating stickers, protective film residue. Warm soapy water, dwell time, careful scrape, remove adhesive residue with a proper solvent. If done incorrectly, scratching is guaranteed. However, if done correctly, the result will be a pristine windowpane.
All frames wiped, all tracks vacuumed and brushed out. All sills wiped, corners are cleaned correctly.
External Windows on Upper Floors
This is where planning matters. Upper floors will require scaffolding for removal of all stickers from their windows manually. It will be impossible to remove the stickers using a pole from the ground. Once the scaffolding comes down, accessing that particular part will be difficult.
The right timing is to get the builders clean crew in while the scaffolding is still up. First, do the exterior upper glass. Then proceed to removing all stickers manually. After that, clean the exterior properly. Finally, the builder can take the scaffolding down.
If windows are missed – you will have two options: Either pay to put scaffolding up again, which will be costly; or attempt to do the work from a ladder while you're up high, which can be dangerous.
Full Dusting Throughout
Construction generates dust that settles everywhere. Every horizontal surface, ledge, recess, cavity – where dust can settle – will have dust settled in it after construction is completed.
A thorough builders clean covers this level of dusting as standard scope. The dusting will include:
- Every window and its frames
- Ceiling fans, cornices, light fittings, skirting boards
- Inside all cabinets and drawers
- Shelves, picture rails, walls
Always working top down. Starting from the ceiling area, then walls, furniture tops, then skirting boards, and finally floors.
Grout Haze on Tiles
Newly tiled bathrooms, kitchens, and floors come with grout haze which are white film formed on the surfaces of the tiles as a result of grouting. It does not come off when you try to clean the surfaces normally; you need a special grout haze cleaner that needs to stay for some time before buffing it away.Skip this step and every new tile in your house has a permanent milky sheen that dulls the whole surface.
Vacuum and Mop All Floors
Every square metre. Hard floors get vacuumed with a HEPA-sealed commercial vacuum first, then mopped with the appropriate product for the finish. Bona for engineered timber. Neutral cleaner for tile and vinyl. Stone gets pH-neutral.
Carpet gets HEPA vacuumed with slow overlapping passes. Twice if the carpet's holding construction dust deep in the pile. Sometimes a full extraction is needed if the site was particularly dusty.
Skirting boards and edges are cleaned separately using damp microfibre. This is where the construction dust ends up since most vacuum cleaners miss the exact edge.
Kitchen Detail
Every cupboard interior wiped. Every drawer pulled and wiped. Underside of shelves. The rangehood interior. Inside the oven and around the door seal. The dishwasher interior. Fridge interior if it's installed and connected.
Splash back, benchtop, taps, and sink all cleaned to move-in standard.
Bathroom Detail
Every surface. Shower screen inside and out with silicone smears removed. Glass clear of streaks. Bathtub scrubbed. Toilet bowl cleaned both inside and outside. Vanity and mirror clean. Tap fittings polished. Grout in wet area cleaned. Extractor fan grille cleaned.Floor mopped after everything else.
Cost Framework
The cleaning process after a newly constructed home would typically cost $1,500-$3,500 based on the complexity and size of the project.
Sounds like a lotbut it’s less than one percent of the total cost of your building project. This is what turns the difference between walking into a property that feels finished and one that still feels like a construction site.
Timing Matters
Book the builders final clean into the build schedule early. Don't leave it until the week before handover. Coordinate based on the removal of scaffolding in case of outside upper windows. Schedule the cleaning after all other trades but before your final walk-through.
Discuss with your builder who does the final cleaning for them. In case it is done by an apprentice or subcontractor on site, consider arranging for the final cleaning on your own.If you're anywhere across Sydney, our construction cleaning service handles builders final cleans for new builds and major renovations.
