How to Get Rid of Construction Dust After Demolition

Dust settles into every nook and cranny once a demolition takes place—floating through the air, settling on rails, or settling in vents. This manual explains how to capture it, remove it, and prevent it from returning so your house now is safe, clean, and ready for the next step in your project.

Seal Off Other Rooms

Before you start to sweep or vacuum, stop the spreading dust. Make sure doors are shut and the cracks around the doors are sealed with painter’s tape. Hang plastic sheeting (4–6 mil) that stretch across the openings of hallways and broad openings and install a zipper doorway for easy entry. If possible, create slight negative pressure by placing a box fan in the window blowing out, breaking another window in order to allow clean air in. Cover return vents in the workspace and spread damp towels over the thresholds of door openings in order to absorb the fine dust. By taking these simple precautions against dust, you will succeed in keeping the area clean while much work is going on.

The barrier should be identified and marked by posting a simple sign stating that children and pets should not visit during the removal of debris.Eye protection and a tight-fitting respirator (N95 and above) should be worn on a dust-free work area. Silica dust and wood dust are irritants and by settling them, where possible, protects the lungs and the upholstery from the settling dust.

Use the Right Vacuums

A regular household vacuum cleaner, used in this situation, can blow fine dust back into the room. For cleaning items after construction, use a vacuum cleaner that has a shop function with a true Hepa filtering system. Work slowly and in sections and realize it is better to make several careful repeated passes over the area than to make one fast pass over the space.

• When choosing a shop vac, get one with a sealed HEPA filter. Include disposable collection bags along with the HEPA cartridge for double capture.
• Consider a pre-filter or cyclone attachment to capture the heavy grit first. The cleaner will last longer.
• Start high, then go low. Vacuum ceilings, lights, tops of cabinetry, walls, trim, and then the floors using the soft brush tools.
• Empty the canister or bag outdoors. Seal up the waste tightly for safe disposal.
• If it is heavy dust, always run a portable HEPA air scrubber while you vacuum. This keeps the dust from resettling.

For heavy demo dust, many of the junk hauling teams are using HEPA vacuums along with sealed bags, etc. to keep the fine powder where it belongs—to a minimum.

If you would rather use someone, a local demolition contractor Bridgeport is very capable of bundling occupancy clean-up with their hauling and disposal. Here’s one such option many remodelers have been using.

Wipe and Mop Surfaces

After a thorough vacuuming, it is time to switch over to damp cleaning. Use clean, slightly damp microfiber cloths, and do not dry mop or dust, as this only stirs the fine particles into the air. Wipe them top to bottom, and left to right, as you want to make sure no edges or ledges are missed. Wash the cloths often in a separate bucket and change the water as it clouds. When mopping, use a flat microfiber mop with a light detergent solution, and mop again with clean water. Do not soak wood. Wring out well to keep high moisture down.

This two-part process lifts the final film of dust that vacuums can’t reach, and it gives a clean result that won’t haze up again. For larger spaces, a rented floor scrubber can speed the post-renovation clean-up along, and it won’t leave streaks.

Clean Air Filters and Vents

The HVAC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heating,_ventilation,_and_air_conditioning) can hide and spread dust long after demo day. While the work is quiet, pull and wash the supply registers with mild soap and water; let them dry thoroughly. Then vacuum the first couple of inches inside each duct with a brush tool. Replace the furnace filter with the highest MERV rating the system allows and run the fan “On” for a couple of hours to suck up lingering particles into the filter, which can periodically be inspected.

After two or three days, take a look at the filter again, and if it is gray, change it again. This simple care complements HEPA filtration in the room, keeping the fine dust from recirculating. If the area still has a dusty odor, schedule one-time site cleanup or duct work to flush the system out.

Prevent Dust from Returning

The job is still not done when the room seems clean. Fine dust will settle for days, as air currents change form. Add a couple of habits to your week to keep the area fresh and safe for move-in or painting.

• Placed at the doors and have stiff doormats and add sticky tack mats at the threshold of the work-zone to trap, grit.
• Use a portable HEPA (see here for more) purifier on high for 24–72 hours after cleaning and then on low for maintenance.
• Keep the inside humidity at about 40–50 percent, or thereabouts, so that particles clump and fall instead of floating.
• Get the curtains laundered, clean the blinds, and wash the window tracks; those catch tons of fine dust.
• Vacuum the high ledges again, baseboards and vents after another 48 hours, to catch tardy settlers.
• If time is short, get professional construction cleanup services to come in for final polish.Plan a small dumpster rental or bulk service for leftover bags, so the dust-tracking powder will not return.

Be patient and systematic with the procedures. With plastic barriers, intelligent HEPA filtration, careful wiping, and a quick follow-up a day or two later, clean air and clean surfaces can be recovered. Your area will be ready for painting, floor covering or furniture without some of the film and haze that are often left after demolition.