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Builders clean checklist — the SEQ list, room by room
34 checks across 7 areas— the same standard we work to before we hand a site back on new builds, renovations and fit-outs across Brisbane, Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast. Tick them off on site, or tap any item for the method and what goes wrong if it’s skipped.
A builders clean is the final clean after all trades are off site — render dust, paint spots, silicone, stickers and debris removed, every surface detailed, glass and floors finished, ready for the client walkthrough or practical-completion inspection.
Ticks are saved on this device only — nothing is sent, and there’s no sign-up. Use the print button to save a blank copy as a PDF.
Whole-of-site first pass
Debris out, dust down, adhesives off — before anything gets detailed.
Method & timing
Anything left behind gets re-photographed at inspection as an incomplete clean, even when it's a trade's rubbish.
Allow 45–90 min on a 200 m² build
Method & timing
Render and cement dust carries crystalline silica. It is a respiratory hazard, not just a mess — dry-sweeping it puts it back in the air.
HEPA-filtered vacuum first, never a broom. P2 respirator (AS/NZS 1716) while the dust is live.
Method & timing
Left through a Queensland summer, the adhesive bakes onto glass and stops lifting cleanly.
Plastic razor on glass, citrus solvent on frames — never a steel blade on coated or toughened glass.
Method & timing
Overspray on brushed or matt-black tapware is the single most common item we're asked to re-do — the wrong solvent strips the finish and turns a clean into a damage claim.
Test on an out-of-sight spot first. Plastic blade + water on glass; nothing abrasive on PVD or powder-coat.
Method & timing
Uncured silicone wipes off; cured silicone has to be cut. The window is roughly 24–48 hours, which is why the clean is booked after the sealer, not weeks after.
Allow Cut-back work adds 1–2+ hrs per bathroom once cured
Method & timing
SEQ sites re-web fast — an eaves and cornice pass done a week before handover will not still be clean on the day.
Method & timing
First time the system runs it redistributes whatever is sitting in the vents across every surface you just finished.
Kitchen
Inside, outside and on top of everything — plus the film nobody peels.
Method & timing
The tops of overhead cabinets and the inside of the pantry are the two spots an inspector opens first.
Allow 60–90 min for a standard project-home kitchen
Method & timing
pH-neutral cleaner on engineered stone. Acidic or bleach-based products etch quartz-composite tops permanently.
Method & timing
SEQ mains water leaves visible mineral spotting on stainless within one dry cycle — polish dry, don't air-dry.
Method & timing
Ovens are frequently run once by a trade and left. Factory protective coatings inside the oven must come out before first real use.
Allow 20–30 min if unused; 45 min+ if a trade has cooked in it
Method & timing
The most-missed item on the entire list, and the most visible one at walkthrough. Film left on through a hot SEQ install bonds to the panel.
Still 34 to go. A full builders clean is a big job done in a strict order — and grout haze and silicone only get harder the longer they sit. We do the whole list, insured, with an optional photographic handover report.
Bathrooms & ensuites
Grout haze, silicone on glass, and the screens that decide the walkthrough.
Method & timing
Grout haze is a cementitious film that chemically bonds to the tile face if it sits. Removed in the first days it wipes; left a fortnight it needs an acidic haze remover and a lot more labour — and acid can't be used on natural stone at all.
Allow Add 45+ min per wet area once the haze has set
Method & timing
Frameless screens are the first thing a client touches. Untreated glass in SEQ humidity spots within hours of the clean if it isn't dried down.
Method & timing
Construction water lines often deposit fine grit in the pan — flush and check before you call it done.
Living, bedrooms & hallways
Spot-cleaning walls without burnishing the paint.
Method & timing
Low-sheen and matt paint burnishes — scrub too hard and you leave a shiny patch that reads as damage. Fresh paint needs its full cure before it takes any cleaning at all.
Soft microfibre, minimal water, no magic-eraser pads on matt finishes.
Allow Paint typically needs around 4 weeks to fully cure, though it varies by paint and conditions
Method & timing
Damp cloth, never a wet one — no liquid into a fitting.
Windows, glass & tracks
Where the external limit sits, and why tracks take longer than the glass.
Method & timing
Clean glass out of direct sun. Sun on the pane flashes the solution off before it's squeegeed and streaks every time — on a SEQ summer job that means working the shaded elevation first.
Method & timing
“Safely accessible” is a real limit, not a hedge: anything needing height access is a separate scope with its own controls. Say so before the job, not at handover.
Method & timing
Tracks hold packed render and brick dust, and they're a standard inspection check. Reliably the slowest part of the glass scope.
Allow 10–15 min per stacker door
Floors (last)
Always last, and why the sequence isn't optional.
Method & timing
Floors are last because every surface above them sheds while it's cleaned. A floor done early is done twice.
Check the sealer: some new tile and timber finishes have a curing window where wet-mopping is out.
Method & timing
In SEQ wet-season humidity a mopped floor may not air-dry before the walkthrough. Dry it down.
Outdoor & final pass
The walkthrough rehearsal.
Method & timing
The entry is where the client forms their first impression before they've seen a single room.
Method & timing
Do it the same way the inspection will: lights on, in daylight, standing where the client will stand.
Allow 20–30 min
Scope
What a builders clean does not include
Height access / external glass above ground level
Separate scope — needs its own access equipment and controls.
Rubbish removal in bulk (skip volumes)
We clear construction debris to your bin; a full strip-out is a waste contractor's job.
Re-clean after trades return
If a trade comes back after we've finished, that's a new visit. Quoted per return, not absorbed.
Trade defects — scratches, chips, dents, missing hardware
Not a cleaning item. This is exactly what the handover defect report separates out.
Carpet steam cleaning / stone sealing / pressure washing
Available, but quoted separately — not inside a standard builders clean.
Site water and power
Supplied by the builder. No live water or power on site means the clean can't proceed as scoped.
SEQ
What’s different about a South East Queensland job
Wet season changes the sequence, not just the timing
Through the SEQ wet season, humidity keeps mopped floors and glass from air-drying before a walkthrough, and sites re-web within days. That pushes the final detail pass closer to handover day — plan the clean as two visits on a wet-season job, not one.
Handover, PC and the defects period
The clean lands at practical completion, which is also when defect items get logged. Anything ambiguous — a mark that could be a stain or could be a chip — gets recorded against the builder unless something separates the two. That's the whole argument for a photographic handover report at PC rather than after.
SEQ build materials that change the method
Rendered block, Colorbond, and the tinted and low-e glazing used across new SEQ builds each rule out a common cleaning shortcut — abrasives on Colorbond, acid near render, and squeegee work in direct sun on coated glass.
Common mistakes
Where a builders clean goes wrong
Booking the clean before the trades are actually finished
One trade returning undoes a room. Book after the last trade is off site, not around them.
Dry-sweeping render and cement dust
It aerosolises silica. HEPA vacuum first, always.
Leaving grout haze and silicone for weeks
Both go from a wipe to a cut-back job in days. Sequence the clean close to the wet trades.
Cleaning floors first
Everything above them sheds. Floors are last, every time.
Using acidic or bleach cleaners on engineered stone
Permanent etching. pH-neutral only on quartz-composite.
Scrubbing uncured paint
Burnishes to a shiny patch that reads as damage. Spot-clean gently, or wait for cure.
Assuming external glass is included at any height
Confirm the access limit in the quote, before handover day.
Not sure if something’s a clean or a trade defect? That’s exactly what a handover defect report is for — a room-by-room photographic report that classifies every item, so a scratch, chip or missing trade item never gets mistaken for an incomplete clean at inspection.
FAQ
Builders clean questions
What is a builders clean?
A builders clean (also called a post-construction, handover or final clean) is the detailed clean done after all trades are off site — removing render dust, paint spots, silicone, stickers and debris, then detailing every surface, glass and floor so the property is ready for the client walkthrough or practical-completion inspection.
What's the difference between a builders clean and a sparkle clean?
The builders clean is the heavy first clean that removes all construction residue. A sparkle (or detail) clean is the lighter final pass done immediately before handover or the client walkthrough — glass, tapware, skirtings and tracks re-detailed so the finish looks its best on the day. Our rough vs builders vs sparkle guide walks through every stage in order.
How much does a builders clean cost in SEQ?
It depends on size, finish level, condition and access. Homeowners and renovators get an instant fixed price from our online quote by room count; builders, PMs and developers get sqm-based and staged-contract pricing on a trade quote, usually back within a few hours. See our builders clean cost guide for starting prices and the factors that move the number.
Do you provide a defect or handover report?
Yes — an optional room-by-room photographic report that classifies every item so a scratch, chip or missing trade item is never mistaken for an incomplete clean at inspection. It's the handover cover builders and developers use for sign-off.
Book your builders clean
Handover-ready across South East Queensland
We work the whole list on every job, insured, with an optional photographic handover report. Get a fixed price online, or send a trade & contract quote.