Post-Renovation Cleaning: A 20-Point Checklist People Forget

2026-02-24

The renovation is done, but the apartment looks worse than before you started: construction dust everywhere, paint drips on the window sills, glue streaks on the glass, cement dust in the tile grout. Anyone who's ever renovated in Bishkek knows this feeling. This article covers a full room-by-room post-renovation cleaning checklist, an honest look at what you can actually do yourself versus what genuinely needs professional equipment, and what it all costs.

Why construction dust is a health issue, and why regular cleaning doesn't remove it

Construction dust isn't the same as household dust. It's finer: particles of gypsum, cement and plaster are small enough that they don't settle right away — they hang in the air for hours and get into your airways, which is why sore throats and eye irritation are common in the first few days after a renovation, even when the apartment looks clean. Beyond particle size, the real problem is how deep it gets: into the pores of untreated surfaces, into gaps between floorboards and tile, into ventilation grilles, behind radiators.

A regular damp cloth doesn't remove this dust, it just relocates it: the cloth picks up the top layer, but whatever has settled into pores and cracks lifts back into the air the next time there's airflow in the apartment, and resettles a few hours later. That's exactly why, a day or two after a DIY cleanup, a gray film shows up on furniture again.

The checklist: 20 points by room

Kitchen

1. Clear dust from the ventilation grille
2. Wipe down cabinet fronts, the countertop and the backsplash
3. Wash floor tile grout lines free of residue and cement splashes
4. Degrease appliance exteriors (stove, range hood, fridge)
5. Clear construction dust from the tops of cabinets

Bathroom

6. Remove cement residue and grout smears from plumbing fixtures
7. Wash floor and wall tile grout lines
8. Clean paint and plaster splatter off the mirror
9. Clear dust from the ventilation grille

Living areas

10. Clear dust from the tops of cabinets, built-in storage and pipes
11. Wash window sills free of construction dust and stickers
12. Remove paint, glue and spray-foam drips from glass and other surfaces
13. Wash radiators from the outside and between sections
14. Clean outlets and switches on the exterior
15. Wash doors and door frames free of dust and streaks

Windows

16. Remove protective film and stickers from window panes
17. Wash window reveals free of spray foam and dust
18. Wipe sills and drip caps on both sides

Final pass

19. Haul out small construction debris — offcuts, packaging, film
20. Final dry polish of glass, mirrors and glossy surfaces

If a major renovation involved wall-chasing for wiring, go back through the whole list a few hours later — the fine dust stirred up into the air during cleaning itself needs time to resettle before another pass makes sense.

What you can DIY, and what genuinely needs professional equipment

Points 4, 8, 14, 18 and 19 on the list above can realistically be done yourself with a regular cloth, a vacuum and an all-purpose cleaner — labor-intensive, but not technically difficult.

Points 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 are a different story, for one specific reason: fine cement and gypsum dust packs into pores, grout lines and grilles so thoroughly that a regular household vacuum without a HEPA filter just recirculates it through the apartment instead of capturing it. Professional cleaners use HEPA-filter vacuums that actually trap fine dust rather than blowing it back out, and a steam cleaner for grout lines and tight joints, where hot steam softens dried grout and cement residue that cold water and a cloth simply can't touch.

Point 12 is its own challenge: hardened spray foam and dried paint on glass need specific solvents and a scraper blade held at the right angle, or you risk scratching the glass. Fresh drips come off easily; drips that are a few months old sometimes need a second pass.

Different types of renovation mean different amounts of work

A cosmetic refresh (re-papering walls, painting without replastering, replacing flooring without removing the old screed) usually leaves the least dust — the whole checklist above gets done in a single pass.

A major renovation involving removing old tile, chasing walls for wiring, and replacing the floor screed is an entirely different level of mess. Wall-chasing is especially dusty: fine cement and brick dust settles not just on surfaces but works its way into cracks, ventilation ducts, and behind radiators. After this kind of renovation, cleaning often needs two or three passes over the same checklist points.

A renovation with window replacement is its own case: besides ordinary construction dust, you're left with spray foam around the frame perimeter and often fine shavings from trimming the reveals. This kind of cleaning is best booked once the reveals are fully finished.

A kitchen or bathroom renovation concentrates the mess in one room but demands especially careful work on grout lines — points 3 and 7 above take the most time here.

How long it takes and what it costs

Post-renovation cleaning starts at 170 KGS/m² — higher than general cleaning, because there's simply more work: dust gets removed in multiple passes, not one wipe with a cloth. For a standard 60–80 m² apartment, a team of 2–3 cleaners works 5–8 hours — the most labor-intensive cleaning type we offer. After a major renovation with wall-chasing, that can stretch to a full day, and sometimes a second visit the next day for rooms with especially heavy residue.

A manager will confirm the exact price for your area and scope of renovation after clarifying the details — current rates on the prices page.

When to book the cleaning

The optimal window is 1–2 days after the dustiest stages — sanding, plastering, painting — are finished. Too early, and the dust hasn't settled yet. Too late, and some residue, like paint drips, hardens further and takes more effort to remove.

A good rule of thumb is to plan the cleaning for the stage when the apartment is still empty or nearly empty, before furniture is fully moved in — that makes it much easier for cleaners to reach every surface.

Who removes the construction waste — the renovation crew or the cleaners

The standard split: the renovation crew hauls away genuinely bulky, heavy waste — leftover drywall, old tile, flooring packaging. That's heavy work requiring separate transport and isn't part of standard post-renovation cleaning. The cleaning company handles the cleaning itself and any small debris inseparable from that process — wallpaper scraps, tape, empty packaging.

If you're hiring the renovation crew and the cleaning company independently, spell out with both sides who cleans up what — it saves time and stress on handover day.

Practical tips before the cleaners arrive

• Remove any bulky construction waste and packaging, if that's not part of the booked service.
• Clear access to every room — put away tools and ladders if the renovation crew hasn't fully wrapped up.
• Ventilate the apartment before the visit — this helps fine dust settle faster.
• Point out areas with especially stubborn residue in the request comment.

Bottom line

Post-renovation cleaning is the most labor-intensive type of cleaning — the 20-point checklist above shows exactly why it takes a full day of a team's work, not a couple of hours. Some of it (wiping down appliances, hauling out debris) you can genuinely do yourself, but grout lines, ventilation and tight joints are best left to professional equipment — a steam cleaner and a HEPA-filter vacuum — otherwise the dust just relocates instead of disappearing.

To find the exact price for your apartment, leave a request — we'll clarify the renovation details and suggest a convenient time for the team to visit. If furniture moved in before the dusty work finished picked up stains, furniture dry cleaning handles that separately, and if construction dust settled on the glass, book window washing alongside it.