Getting the keys to a brand-new home should feel like a clean slate — and it looks like one, until the afternoon sun comes through the windows and you see the film of construction dust on every surface. New builds are not dirty in the everyday sense. They are dusty in a very specific, very stubborn way, and that needs a different job to a normal house clean.
Why new builds need their own kind of clean
Construction dust is fine gypsum, sawdust, concrete and paint particles. It is far lighter than household dust, so it travels, settles into every crevice, and gets stirred up again the moment you move furniture in. It sits in window and door tracks, on top of cabinetry, inside drawers and wardrobes, in extractor vents, behind the toilet cistern and along every skirting board.
A standard clean skims the surfaces you can see. A builder's clean works through the places the dust actually hides — which is why it takes noticeably longer than a regular clean of the same-sized home.
What a proper builder's clean covers
- Window and door tracks — vacuumed then wet-cleaned; this is where most of the grit ends up
- All glass, inside and out where reachable, including removing paint specks and sticker residue
- Inside every cupboard, drawer and wardrobe before anything goes in them
- Kitchen detail — inside the oven, rangehood filters, dishwasher, on top of and under all cabinetry
- Bathrooms — grout haze, silicone, shower glass, tapware and extractor fans
- Skirting boards, architraves, door frames and light switches
- Vents and extractors, which are almost always full of fine dust
- Floors — vacuumed with a HEPA machine first, then washed with the right method for the finish
- Sticker and label removal from appliances, windows and joinery
Be careful with new-build finishes
This is where inexperienced cleaners cause damage. Engineered timber and vinyl plank flooring must not be over-wetted — a soaking mop can lift edges and void the flooring warranty. New paint takes weeks to fully cure and scuffs easily under aggressive scrubbing. Matte tapware marks permanently if the wrong product is used. We adjust methods for each finish rather than treating the whole house the same.
When to book it
Book the builder's clean for after the builder's final tidy but before your furniture arrives. An empty house is the only time every wardrobe interior, skirting board and window track is genuinely reachable. Once the removal truck has been and gone, the same clean takes longer and can never be as complete.
If you are on a tight settlement timeline, we operate 24/7 at no surcharge, so a same-day or weekend clean between handover and moving day is usually possible.
What it costs
Builder's cleans are quoted per job rather than hourly, because the work depends far more on the build's size and how tidy the site was left than on a stopwatch. Expect it to sit above a standard deep clean for the same floor area. We walk the property (in person or on a video call), agree exactly what is included, and give you a fixed price before we start. See our Auckland price guide for wider context.
Where we do them
New-build work is busiest for us in Hobsonville and Hobsonville Point, Westgate and Massey North, Whenuapai and Kumeu — but we cover new builds right across Auckland.
Just settled, or settling soon? Get a free quote or call +64 27 405 2667 — phone bookings save $10.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a builder's clean? A deep clean specifically for new builds and post-construction sites. It removes fine construction dust from window tracks, cupboard interiors, vents, skirtings and every surface — places a standard clean does not reach.
When should I book a builder's clean? After the builder's final tidy but before your furniture arrives. An empty house is the only time every wardrobe, skirting board and window track is genuinely reachable.
How much does a builder's clean cost in Auckland? It is quoted per job rather than hourly, since the work depends on build size and how tidy the site was left. Expect it to sit above a standard deep clean for the same floor area, with a fixed price agreed before we start.
Are your methods safe for engineered timber floors? Yes. Engineered timber and vinyl plank are easily damaged by over-wetting, so we use controlled-moisture methods rather than the soaking mop that can lift edges and void flooring warranties.
