Asbestos vacuum cleaning

[sukovic]

Hello,

Can I use the ordinary Nilfisk vacuum cleaner (King Home with a HEPA

13 filter) to clean the house which was contamined with the asbestos?

Thanks.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Sure.

[Pat]

I'm not sure what you mean by "clean the house" and "contaminated with the asbestos".

If you mean, can you do routine vacuuming, sure. Come do mine, too.

If you mean "clean up the white dust that you created when you tore out the asbestos", then no, no, and uhmmmmm, no. For one reason, the air you take in has to go somewhere, so it blasts out the machine. You don't want your exhaust putting asbestos into the air. Airborne asbestos is what's really bad. If you suspect that you have asbestos that you are cleaning up, get a mask, get a very wet mop, and get the problem fixed.

[e-mail] wrote:

[Tom The Great]

Geez.... not in my home. Well unless it was certified clean. :D

tom @

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Two separate issues:

- Is the vacuum and its filter appropriate for this purpose? Nilfisk's web site has a toll free number you should call to ask this question.

- Will the vacuum be used correctly? Read what Pat wrote in another message. If you're not clear on what the advice means, ask. It's extremely important.

[sukovic]

Okay, I've wet mopped the walls, floors. Washed and dry cleaned clothes. But what about TV, laptop computer, and kitchen appliances? Is it enough to just clean them with a wet rag? I must say that I didn't have any asbestos in the home, where I probably carried asbestos fibers home with my work clothes . (I've removed asbestos roof tiles couple of days).

[Edwin Pawlowski]

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW OR YOU WILL DIE ! ! ! ! OK, then you're just paranoid. Washing the clothing would have removed probably 99.99999% of any fibers that may have been there. You are over reacting. Really,

[sukovic]

Yeah, I know that. It's so easy to freak out after reading many bad stories about asbestos.

[HeyBub]

Look on the bright side: at least now you don't have to floss.

[Pat]

Okay, so you removed some asbestos roof tiles. What's the big whoop. How do you even know you have asbestos in the house? Just follow the stardard protocal for people working with asbestos tiles. You need to strip naked in the driveway and hose yourself off before going in your house. Then throw away the clothing.

Assuming they are regular roofing shingles (not the hard tiles) you are perfectly okay.

If you want to be paranoid about anything, try these items:

1. Do you have the permits, etc. to dispose of the shingles so you are not creating an environmental liability that will haunt you for the rest of your short, cancerous life.
2. Have you had your house checked for lead. That's probably a bigger problem.
3. Have you had your house checked for radon, the silent killer.
4. What about carbon monoxide? Do you have a sensor?
5. You know that soap you are using is basically made of fat and drano, don't you? Where did you think soap came from, a soap tree?
6. Yum Yum, steak with extra steroids!
7. That bluetooth headset you wear is putting out radio waves that will fry your brain. So will you cell phone. Why are you putting a radio transmitter right next to your brain? Oh yeah, another bright idea is to store it in your front pocket.
8. Every time you go into a public building, think to yourself "this was built by the lowest bidder".
9. How come milk and bottled water costs more than gasoline, but we only complain about the gasoline?
10. All of your petty worries are building up and not looking so petty. You are becoming paranoid. But how will you know when it becomes too bad, because you can't trust anyone to tell you.

So okay. Sit down; have a cup of strong coffee with real cream in it; lite up a cigarette; and relax. The asbestos won't kill you until tomorrow.

[e-mail] wrote:

[Steve Barker LT]

Stories being the key word.

[trader4]

You really think he needs to call and ask if an ordinary home vacuum cleaner, even with a HEPA filter is suited for asbestos cleanup in a house? Of course the company is going to say NO.

Note that I'm not saying he actually has a contaminated house from just removing roof tiles. If I did that, I'd have worn some disposable overalls, removed them BEFORE entering the house, washed my regular clothes, or better yet used regular clothes that were ready to be tossed too, taken a shower and forget about it. In fact, any reasonable approach would have made it very difficult to get the house contaminated.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I'm not familiar with the company's products, and I can't match any of their models with the one he mentioned, so I have no way of knowing if the machine is ordinary or not.