BUILDERS & SPARKLE CLEANING
Builders cleans and sparkle cleans for handover-ready buildings
The final clean is the first thing your client sees of the finished building. Saltire delivers builders cleans and sparkle cleans for main contractors and developers across Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and the Central Belt, phased to your programme so every floor, plot or block is ready when it needs to be.
£5M PUBLIC · £10M EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY · CERTIFICATES ON REQUEST
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Two cleans, one aim: a building your client accepts first time
Each clean is scoped and priced separately, so you can add re-cleans or extra areas later.
During and after main works
The builders clean
Once the main trades finish in an area, we remove the dust, debris, residue and protective coverings they leave behind, giving following trades, inspections and snagging a clean start. When trades return, we come back and bring it up to standard again.
- Construction dust removed from every surface, top to bottom
- Protection, packaging, stickers and labels removed
- Paint, plaster and adhesive residue taken off floors, glass and frames
- Kitchens, bathrooms, sanitaryware, internal glazing and sills cleaned
- Floors cleaned to suit the finish
- Debris taken to your site waste points
Immediately before handover or opening
The sparkle clean
The last clean before the keys change hands or the doors open. We pick up the fine detail: dust left after snagging, fingerprints on glass and stainless steel, smears on mirrors and marks on doors.
- Detail clean of every touchpoint, switch, socket and handle
- Glass, mirrors and stainless steel polished smear-free
- Final dust removed from high and low surfaces
- Kitchens and washrooms ready for first use
- Floors finished and presented
- Stairwells, corridors and lifts finished to the same standard
Phased delivery
Phased to your programme
Handover dates rarely wait for the last trade to leave. We plan builders and sparkle cleans floor by floor, plot by plot or block by block, and scale the team to the release you're working towards.
At Cullen House, 225 Bath Street, Glasgow, we delivered phased builders cleans with internal window cleaning for GRAHAM, quick room turnarounds for client snagging, and a sparkle clean of the whole 12-storey, 551-bed building before handover in June 2025. At St Vincent Studios, GRAHAM's 16-storey student tower for Artisan Real Estate, we cleaned floor by floor, then sparkle cleaned every residential level from 1 to 14 and stayed on site through handover week.
Image: GRAHAM
Housing developments
Housing developments: every home ready for its new owner
On new-build housing, homes are often handed over to buyers while the rest of the site is still under construction.
At Hawkhead Mews in Paisley, Cruden brought Saltire in partway through the build. As each release of houses was completed, we carried out builders cleans followed by sparkle cleans with internal window cleaning, delivered final cleans before handover, and came back for refresh cleans whenever a home needed bringing back up to standard. We stayed with Cruden's site team through to the last cleans on the sold-out development.
Image: Cruden Homes
LIVE SITES
Live sites: schools, public buildings and occupied premises
Some of the most demanding cleans happen next to people who are still using the building.
At St Kentigern's Academy in Blackburn, West Lothian, Heron Bros built a replacement wing while the school stayed open. In the final two months we were on site every working day carrying out builders and sparkle cleans, using a scrubber dryer to bring the new floors up to standard before the wing was handed over in April 2026.
Image: West Lothian Council
For main contractors
What main contractors get from Saltire
Our cleaning has certainly improved since SFS took on the contract. They are a great company to work with and their management are always ready to work with us on new ideas.
Chris Ward, Quantity Surveyor, Graham Construction
One contact from first clean to last: you deal with the people who plan and supervise the work. Many clients also add site cabin and welfare cleaning so one contractor looks after the site from start to finish.
A clear scope
Every builders clean, sparkle clean and re-clean is priced separately, so your QS can agree variations without argument.
Paperwork first
Site-specific RAMS, COSHH data sheets and our £5m Public Liability and £10m Employers' Liability certificates.
Live-site teams
Inductions, PPE, permits and working around other trades are normal for us. Some of our team hold CSCS cards.
Questions
Builders and sparkle cleaning FAQs
What's the difference between a builders clean and a sparkle clean?
A builders clean removes the heavy dust, debris, residue and protection once trades finish in an area. A sparkle clean is the final detailed clean just before handover or opening, so the building is presented perfectly. Most projects need at least one builders clean and one sparkle clean, and often a second builders clean where trades return.
Can you clean in phases while work continues on site?
Yes. Most of our construction work is phased. We clean each floor, plot or block as it's released, and return for re-cleans where needed, as we did floor by floor at St Vincent Studios and release by release at Hawkhead Mews.
Do you clean windows and the outside of the building?
We clean internal glazing as standard. External windows, pressure washing of paving and car parks, and exterior cleaning of brickwork and cladding can be added where safe access is available.
How do you price a builders or sparkle clean?
We visit site free of charge, look at the drawings and programme, and give you a written scope and price for each stage. That makes it straightforward to add re-cleans or extra areas later.