Signs you need this
- Your fit-out contractor is demobilising and handover is close
- Plaster dust keeps reappearing on surfaces that were wiped yesterday
- Protective film is still on glazing, ironmongery and appliances
- Paint, adhesive and silicone residue is marking new floors and glass
- A tenant or your own staff move in within the next fortnight
- The main contractor has priced a clean that stops at a site sweep
What a builders’ clean involves
Construction dust does not sit still. It moves down, so the sequence matters more than the effort. We work high level first: ducts, trunking, lighting, exposed soffits and the tops of partitions. Then walls, frames, doors and ironmongery. Then sills, skirtings and radiator cases. Floors last, in two passes, because the first pass lifts what has fallen during everything above it.
Glazing is its own job. Film comes off, adhesive residue is cut back, frames and beads are cleaned out and the glass is finished. On a newly fitted out floor with a lot of internal glass, that alone can take longer than the rest of the space.
Plant, ductwork and commissioning areas need agreement before we start. Some items are cleaned by the installing contractor under warranty, and we will not touch anything that sits inside somebody else’s sign off.
Choosing the method for a new floor
New floor finishes are the easiest thing to ruin on a builders’ clean. Fresh vinyl and lino do not want a strong alkaline chemical or a heavy pad while the adhesive is still curing. Polished concrete needs a neutral cleaner and a soft pad. Engineered timber wants very little water. Natural stone needs to be checked before anything acidic goes anywhere near it.
We ask the fit-out contractor for the manufacturer’s cleaning guidance, or we work to the safe method. Where a new hard floor needs sealing before occupation, that is quoted separately, and it is worth doing before desks arrive.
Manchester’s fit-out market and your programme
The city has a steady flow of Cat A and Cat B work: Spinningfields and NOMA floor plates being refitted between tenancies, mill conversions in Ancoats and the Northern Quarter coming forward as co-working and studio space, and office and welfare refits inside Trafford Park units. Contractors and cleaners are working to the same handover dates, which is why builders’ clean slots get tight from September onwards.
What protects your date is a realistic programme. Tell us when the trades genuinely leave rather than when they are supposed to, and we can sequence the two cleans around snagging. A first stage clean booked a week early wastes money. A sparkle clean booked a day late costs you the handover.
Out of hours access in city centre buildings
Most occupied buildings will not let a builders’ clean run during the day. That means a booked goods lift, a loading bay slot for machinery and waste, a sign in at the desk and an agreed finish time. Managing agents in Spinningfields and around Piccadilly are usually straightforward about it, provided they have the request and the method statement in advance. We handle that part with the building so your project manager does not have to.
How the work runs
- 1
Programme check
We look at the whole fit-out programme rather than the handover date alone. Which trades are still on site, when snagging starts and when the space has to be presentable decides whether you need one clean or two.
- 2
First stage builders' clean
Bulk debris, dust and residue. High level first, then walls, frames, ducts, sills and finally floors. Protective film comes off glazing and ironmongery. The space becomes usable for snagging and commissioning.
- 3
Snagging window
Trades come back for touch ups. This always makes new mess, which is why a single clean before snagging rarely survives to handover. We leave the site protected where we can.
- 4
Sparkle clean
The final detail. Glass polished inside and out where access allows, floors finished to the right method for the material, ironmongery, sanitaryware, kitchens and skirtings brought to a presentation standard.
- 5
Walk round and sign off
We walk the space with you or the project manager before we leave. Anything flagged is dealt with on the spot rather than added to a list.
What it typically costs
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Builders' clean, per square foot First stage clean. Two stage work including the sparkle sits at the top of the range | £0.70 to £1.60 per square foot |
| Sparkle clean only Where another contractor has already done the first stage properly | £0.35 to £0.70 per square foot |
| Small unit or single floor, minimum charge Covers mobilisation, machinery and waste for jobs under about 1,000 square feet | £450 to £900 |
| Internal and external glazing on handover Depends on access, frame type and how much film residue is left | £3 to £8 per pane |
| Post clean floor seal New vinyl, lino or stone that needs sealing before occupation | £4 to £9 per square metre |
Typical ranges for Manchester and the surrounding area , reviewed September 2026. Every quote is written and fixed before work starts.