By Matthew McPheron, CRO – FinalPhase Construction Cleaning
Every re-clean eats your margin!
It is one of the fastest ways for a project to lose time and money, yet it happens on jobsites every single week.
Think about it. You schedule a final clean, but trades are still working. Or the scope wasn’t clear. Or protection wasn’t in place. The crew comes through, spends hours making the space look sharp… and then it gets dirty again before turnover. Now the GC is stuck paying for a re-clean and explaining delays to the client.
Let’s get real—re-cleans are not just an inconvenience. They are a hidden cost that chips away at schedules, budgets, and credibility.
Here is what usually drives unnecessary re-cleans:
- Improper scheduling. Cleaning is booked before trades are finished, which guarantees dust and debris return.
- Mis-scoping. The original clean didn’t include certain tasks, or expectations weren’t aligned, so the work gets repeated.
- Unprotected trades. Painters, floor finishers, or punch crews walk back through areas that were just detailed, undoing hours of work.
Each one of these mistakes costs money. Each one pushes the schedule. And each one makes the project look less professional in the eyes of the client.
The solution is simple: treat cleaning like a phase of construction, not a one-off task. Plan it into the schedule, define the scope clearly, and protect completed areas. When cleaning is integrated into the project plan, re-cleans become the exception, not the norm.
So, in simple terms:
- You save money by avoiding duplicate work.
- You save time by preventing last-minute scrambles.
- You protect trades by giving them clean, safe areas to finish their tasks.
- You protect your reputation by delivering a crisp, on-time turnover.
That is not just efficiency, it is leadership.
I know the temptation is to say, “We will just clean it again if we need to.” But every re-clean drains your margin. If you want projects to finish strong, you need cleaning that is scheduled, scoped, and protected like any other trade.
At FinalPhase, we believe the best projects eliminate re-cleans before they happen. We work with GCs to schedule cleaning at the right moments, define clear scopes, and keep sites protected so every clean counts. We are always here to help you build a plan that protects your schedule and your bottom line.
