ᐅ What cleaning products are recommended for final construction cleaning, including windows and tiles?

Hello everyone!

We are three days away from the final inspection, and my mind is a bit chaotic.
The house is almost finished; next week, the HVAC system, vinyl flooring, doors, and final sealing work will be installed. Just a few tile edges left in the hallway. That’s about it.
Right now, I’m trying to get organized mentally. There are a few defects—nothing major—I’ve written down everything I’ve noticed so far.
Now I’m wondering if I’m allowed to start cleaning already. I think my site manager probably has no issue with that—he didn’t mind us starting some of our own work (painting, washbasins) before handover, so why would he have a problem with a bit of cleaning?

I once read somewhere online that you shouldn’t use a cloth to clean the windows the first time because of the risk of scratches. But I can’t find that advice anymore. Can someone provide more details on this?

What should I bring with me or possibly buy?
Do I need a cement residue remover, or can I clean the tiles just fine with an all-purpose cleaner?
Tomorrow, I plan to bring the pressure washer to remove the worst dirt from the floors now that most of the tradespeople are done.
Unfortunately, they still keep coming back for small things. A toilet paper holder couldn’t be fixed because the apprentice threw away a part of the bracket, so now they have to come back specifically for that. It wouldn’t bother me so much, but they always come in with their big, dirty boots, tracking tons of sand and soil into the house.
The windows are mostly just dirty. In some places, they have some plaster or paint on them. The paint used by the painter is water-based and comes off easily with warm water. I haven’t dared to try cleaning the dry plaster yet. I read that dry plaster can be removed with a ceramic hob scraper. Can that damage the windows?

I’ve also been thinking about buying another roll of painter’s underlay (that black material that looks like patchwork carpet) and taping it over the vinyl floor walkways with painter’s tape until the move is done. Is that paranoid? Will the floor be able to handle everyday use, or is it best to do this?

Sorry if this post sounds a bit jumbled. I’m quite nervous about the final inspection.
Especially since some things are already “finished,” but as long as tradespeople are still coming and going, things can get damaged. I’ve already found one or two marks on the freshly painted wallpaper. :/ My painter said he will come back and do touch-ups once the last tradesperson has left the house.

We had the windows cleaned at the builder's expense—scratches are covered under the warranty until handover. They cleaned everything with water, dish soap, and a ceramic hob scraper.

I cleaned the floors and everything else with regular cleaning products.

In our case, the builder taped off walkways to protect the floors.

And we installed some for moving in. The exterior landscaping wasn’t finished, and heavy footwear shouldn’t be worn on the floor.

We will probably hire a company for the final construction cleaning. Our architect thinks that doing it yourself may actually cause building dirt to resurface even years later.

I only had the windows cleaned. Two professional cleaners worked on them for six hours each. I wouldn’t have been able to do that myself time-wise.

All walking paths were covered with protective tape, since during the move many people carried heavy items and tracked small stones on the wooden stairs and parquet flooring. You should do the same.

kati1337 schrieb:

Do I need a cement residue remover, or can I just clean the tiles with all-purpose cleaner?

It depends. I would try the normal way first. If the tiles don’t get properly clean, then use stronger products. Still, be careful and watch out for the grout. Whatever you do, you’ll need to wipe several times.

kati1337 schrieb:

I’ve already found a few stains on the newly painted wallpaper. :/ My painter said he’ll come back and straighten everything out once the last tradesperson has left the house.

My walls don’t look great after four weeks either, but I also have three (small) children. You get used to the look. The floors also suffer quite quickly. In the rental apartment, we were much less careful. There was cheap laminate flooring for around 10€ and forgiving textured wallpaper on the walls. Those days are over.

We were lucky: The house was clean when we took possession.
Regular cleaning agents should be sufficient.