Post-construction cleaning
Post-construction cleaning in New Hampshire and Maine
Fine drywall dust is the entire problem, and it does not behave like household dust. We clean remodels and new builds in passes, because the dust keeps settling for days after the tools are gone.
What is post-construction cleaning?
Post-construction cleaning is the multi-pass removal of fine drywall dust and construction residue after a remodel or new build. Across New Hampshire and Maine, J&B Pro Cleaning HEPA-vacuums every surface, removes sticker and adhesive residue, scrapes paint specks, cleans vent covers and window tracks, then returns for a final detail pass before hand-over.
Drywall dust is ground rock. It is far finer than household dust, it stays airborne for hours, and it keeps landing for days — which is why a single top-down clean looks perfect at 4pm and hazy on the trim the next morning. It also destroys household vacuums, because the particles pass straight through a standard bag or filter and out into the room.
So the work is done in three passes. A rough clean clears debris and bulk dust once the trades are finished. A detail clean takes every surface, frame, ledge, cabinet interior and vent. Then a final touch-up right before hand-over catches what settled in between — that last pass is the one that makes the difference on a walkthrough.
Normal cleaning crews underestimate this job constantly. They quote it like a deep clean, arrive with residential equipment, run out of hours halfway through, and leave the general contractor to explain the haze to a homeowner.
We do not, because J&B Pro Cleaning is the sister company of J&B Drywall & Paint. This crew has spent years cleaning up after our own drywall and paint work, so we know exactly where the dust hides — the top of door casings, inside outlet boxes, behind radiator covers, in window track corners and on the upper edge of every cabinet.
What’s included?
Scope is agreed in writing per project, because a single bathroom remodel and a whole-house renovation are different animals. This is the full menu we work from.
Dust removal
- HEPA vacuuming of floors, walls, ceilings and trim
- Top-down passes, repeated on later visits
- Door tops, casings and frames
- Window sills, frames and track corners
- Inside cabinets, drawers and closets
- Stair treads, risers, railings and spindles
Residue and marks
- Sticker and label residue off windows and glass
- Adhesive and tape residue off appliances and fixtures
- Paint specks scraped from glass, tile and hardware
- Joint-compound splatter on floors and trim
- Caulk smears on tile and counters
- Grout haze on new tile surfaces
Fixtures and mechanicals
- Vent and duct-cover dust, removed and washed where they lift
- Return-air grilles and register faces
- Light fixtures, cans and ceiling fan blades
- Switch plates and outlet covers
- Baseboard heater and radiator covers
- Smoke detector housings dusted, never sprayed
Final detail before hand-over
- Appliances cleaned inside and out
- Bathrooms fully cleaned and polished
- All glass and mirrors cleaned streak-free
- Hard floors damp-mopped after final vacuum
- New carpet vacuumed, including edges
- Debris and packaging removed to the site container
What’s not included?
We are the cleaning crew, not the trades and not a hauler. These belong to someone else, and pretending otherwise wastes your schedule.
- Dumpster rental and construction debris hauling off site
- Demolition, punch-list carpentry or trim repair
- Drywall patching, sanding or painting — that is our sister company's trade
- Duct cleaning inside the ductwork
- Lead paint or asbestos abatement of any kind
- Mold remediation and water-damage restoration
- Exterior siding, roofs, gutters and site cleanup
- Window glass replacement or scratch repair
- Floor sanding, sealing, waxing or buffing
- Moving materials, tools or fixtures the trades left on site
What drives the price?
Construction cleans are quoted after we see the site or a full set of photos, because dust volume is impossible to guess from square footage alone.
- Square footage of the work area
- It is not the size of the building, it is how much of it the dust reached. Dust travels well past the room that was renovated unless the containment was excellent.
- How much drywall was cut and sanded
- A full re-drywall generates a completely different dust load than a small patch. Sanding is the single biggest driver in this service.
- Number of bathrooms and kitchens
- New tile, new fixtures and grout haze make these the slowest rooms on a construction clean, exactly as they are on residential jobs.
- Condition at the start
- Whether the trades swept and bagged as they went, or left buckets, offcuts and compound splatter, changes the rough-clean pass substantially.
- How many passes you need
- Some contractors want all three — rough, detail, final. Some only want the final before hand-over. We price each pass so you can choose.
- Access and parking
- A driveway beside the door is fast. Downtown Portsmouth with street parking, a stair-only walk-up, or shared-elevator scheduling adds real time.
- Occupied or vacant
- An empty house lets us move fast with HEPA equipment. A family living in half the home during a renovation means containment, protection and slower work.
- Schedule pressure
- A final clean that has to happen the night before a certificate of occupancy or a client walkthrough needs a bigger crew in a fixed window.
How it works
- 1
Free written quote after a site look
Send project scope and photos, or have us walk the site. You get a written price per pass — rough, detail and final — so the number holds instead of drifting.
- 2
Scheduled passes with the same crew
The same team returns for each pass. They already know which rooms were sanded and where the dust reappeared last time, which is why the final pass goes quickly.
- 3
Walkthrough and re-clean guarantee
We walk the site with you or the GC before hand-over. Anything flagged from our agreed scope gets corrected at no charge if you raise it within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Why does drywall dust keep coming back after cleaning?
Because it is far finer than household dust and stays airborne for hours. When a crew cleans top-down once, the dust still suspended in the air settles overnight onto trim, ledges and floors you already cleaned. The only reliable fix is multiple passes spaced out, ending with a final touch-up right before hand-over.
Can I just use my own vacuum on construction dust?
We strongly advise against it. Drywall dust particles are small enough to pass through a standard household bag and filter, so the vacuum blows the dust straight back into the room, and the fine grit wears out the motor. We use HEPA filtration built for exactly this material.
How many cleaning passes does a renovation need?
Usually three. A rough clean once the trades finish, clearing debris and bulk dust. A detail clean covering every surface, frame, cabinet interior and vent. Then a final touch-up immediately before hand-over or move-in. Small single-room remodels can sometimes be handled with a detail clean and a light final pass.
Do you remove stickers, adhesive residue and paint specks?
Yes. New windows, appliances and fixtures arrive covered in labels and adhesive, and paint work leaves specks on glass, tile and hardware. Removing them is part of the detail and final passes, using scrapers and solvents chosen for each surface so we do not scratch glass or damage finishes.
Do you work directly with general contractors and builders?
Yes — contractors, remodelers and builders are a large part of this work, alongside homeowners after a renovation. We agree a written scope per project, work around the trades' schedule, and can be on site the evening before a walkthrough. The company is insured and bonded.
Related services
If your project also needs the drywall or paint work itself, that is our sister company, J&B Drywall & Paint. The two companies share a phone line, so mention which service you are calling about.
When the renovation was part of a sale or a rental turnover, pair this with move-in and move-out cleaning so the empty home is inspection-ready as well as dust-free. Homeowners staying in the house often add recurring house cleaning afterwards, since fine dust hides in fabric and vents for weeks and benefits from a few more passes.
Get a free written quote
Tell us about the space and we reply with a written price — no obligation, no pressure. We serve New Hampshire and Maine only.