Building pride in the UK

We may have had a few sporting failures in the last few weeks, but one sporting moment can make us feel proud. The International Olympic committee president, Jacques Rogge, visited the site of the 2012 Olympic Games earlier this month and praised the way the work was progressing.

With the main Olympic stadium‘s structure complete, Mr Rogge, together with Sebastian Coe, bolted in the 2012th seat.

The 2012 Olympics are only two years away and with the main stadiums well on their way to completion, the request for volunteers is already under way. Luckily for them, the volunteers won’t be asked to clean the stadiums once the builders have finished. Cleaning up after builders can be a mammoth task. No matter how careful a builder is, there is something about the mix of cement powder, sawdust and general rubble that ensures that cleaning will never be simple.

Our top tip for after build cleaning is to recognise what substances you are dealing with. For example, if you are dealing with sawdust it sometimes helps to damp the dust down to help pick up every last bit. Try that with cement or brick dust and you will finish up with dirty smears that set into your carpets like rock. When dealing with builder’s dust we would always recommend that you wear a mask and goggles to avoid nose and eye irritation.

As you start to clean up after building work, try not to stir up the dust too much. Start with a quick vacuum to remove most of the dirt. Once that’s out of the way, move on to a full deep clean of all surfaces. Consider getting carpets, curtains and upholstery steam cleaned to remove deep down dirt and don’t forget out of the way areas such as backs of blinds or skirting boards behind doors. If the building work has taken place in a bathroom or kitchen then a good steam clean of all surfaces in those rooms will also bring up the full sparkle in your new tiles and fittings.

Our final after builder tip is to work with a pen and piece of paper in your pocket. Intensive cleaning brings you into close contact with your whole room. This is the ideal time to note any small details that the builder may have missed such as a screw missing in a door fixture or a gap in a skirting board. Jot the problems down as you see them and then you will have a complete list to give to the builder to rectify.

Let’s hope that when Jacques Rogge inspects the Olympic park after the builders move out he won’t need more than a small piece of paper to jot down problems. Then whether we win any medals or not, we can continue to be proud of the UK’s sporting build.