Signs you need this
- Drywall dust is in every supply vent, track and door top
- Adhesive, paint spots and label residue are stuck to new VCT
- Manufacturer stickers are still on glazing and appliances
- The general contractor's cleanup stopped at sweeping
- Your certificate of occupancy walk is booked and the space is grey
- Move-in is on a fixed date and the punch list is still open
What separates a rough clean from a final clean
A rough clean exists to make the space workable for the trades still in it. Debris out, gross dust down, window tracks and door frames cleared, floors swept and first-pass mopped. It saves money later because dust that gets removed early stops recirculating and settling on everything the finish trades install.
A final clean is measured in detail. Inside and outside of every cabinet and drawer, tops of door frames and partitions, light fixture lenses, vent and diffuser faces, switch plates, outlet covers, glass on both sides including frames and tracks, restroom fixtures polished, floors cleaned to whatever the flooring manufacturer specifies. This is the pass your tenant walks through, so it is the one that earns or loses the job.
Dust behaves badly
Drywall dust is fine, light and electrostatic. It settles into every horizontal surface, then lifts again the moment a door opens or the HVAC cycles. That is why the sequence runs top down and why a single pass never holds. High dusting first, then verticals, then horizontals, then floors, with HEPA vacuums doing the lifting rather than brooms pushing it around. A touch-up pass exists because the building will keep releasing dust for days after the final.
Glass, adhesive and the details people argue about
Manufacturer labels on glazing, appliances and fixtures, adhesive residue from protective film, paint overspray on hardware, joint compound splatter on frames, grout haze on new tile. Each needs its own approach and some need a blade used carefully on the right kind of glass. Low-e coated and tempered glass get different handling. Getting this wrong is expensive, so it is done by someone who has done it before.
Working in occupied Indianapolis buildings
Suite level fit-outs in Mile Square towers and around Keystone at the Crossing come with building rules that shape the whole job: freight elevator windows, floor protection in common corridors, dust barrier requirements, after hours access and dock scheduling. Distribution and light industrial build-outs along Ronald Reagan Parkway in Plainfield are the opposite problem, with a large open slab, a lot of square footage and very little detail work. The price per square foot reflects that difference.
Scheduling around a date you cannot move
Move-in dates and certificate of occupancy walks are fixed and everything else slides toward them. We take the target date at the start, hold the crew, and confirm the actual schedule a few days out when the punch list tells the truth. If the schedule collapses, we split the space into phases and clean the areas that are genuinely finished rather than waiting for the whole floor.
How the work runs
- 1
Rough clean
After trash and debris are removed and before finish trades wrap up. Gross debris out, high dusting, first pass on floors, window tracks and sills cleared so the next trades work in a clean space.
- 2
Final clean
The detail pass. All surfaces, inside and outside of cabinetry, light fixtures, vents and diffusers, glass both sides, fixtures polished, floors cleaned to their finish requirement.
- 3
Touch-up clean
Scheduled 24 to 48 hours before move-in or a certificate of occupancy walk. Catches the dust that settles after the final, plus anything the punch list crew disturbed.
- 4
Handover walk
We walk the space with your project manager or tenant representative and correct anything flagged before the crew leaves the building.
What it typically costs
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Final clean, office fit-out Depends on dust load, glass count and remaining trim work | $0.20 to $0.55 per sq ft |
| Rough clean Before finish trades complete, debris and gross dust | $0.10 to $0.25 per sq ft |
| Touch-up clean Final pass 24 to 48 hours before move-in | $0.05 to $0.12 per sq ft |
| Window and glazing cleaning Interior and reachable exterior, includes sticker and adhesive removal | $4 to $12 per pane |
| New VCT initial seal and finish Five coats on new tile before occupancy | $0.35 to $0.70 per sq ft |
| Warehouse or shell space Large open areas with fewer detail surfaces | $0.08 to $0.20 per sq ft |
Typical ranges for Indianapolis and the surrounding area , reviewed September 2026. Every quote is written and fixed before work starts.