get rid of this plaster dust!!!

[axis]

So the contractors who demo'd our bathroom in prep for major reconstruction didn't think it would be a good idea to segregate the work area w/ plastic over the door or anything like that. So they demolished the room, w/o a door on, leaving the whole first floor, and I mean literally every little thing that just happened to be on the first floor, covered with a thick layer of dust. I've been using a oil based floor clearner to mop the floors, and windex on the furniture and smaller things. After I mop things look great, but once everything dries off and settles it still has a lot of dust. Any tips on how exactly to tackle this problem? I suspect if we keep at it we'd eventually succeed, but maybe there are certain cleaners that are better suited for this kind of work .

thanks in advance

[willshak]

On 11/22/2004 8:45 AM US(ET), axis took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

Vacuuming first would be better if you had a vacuum cleaner that filtered out all that fine dust so it doesn't circulate back into the room. I have a whole house vacuum system that exhausts to the outside and after some work like you describe, I can see the dust below the exhaust outlet. Perhaps using those treated dust cloths or dust mops, rather than water, would be better?

[Pop]

| >thanks in advance | >

| Vacuuming first would be better if you had a vacuum cleaner that | filtered out all that fine dust so it doesn't circulate back into the | room. I have a whole house vacuum system that exhausts to the outside | and after some work like you describe, I can see the dust below the | exhaust outlet. | Perhaps using those treated dust cloths or dust mops, rather than water, | would be better?

Another reason to vacuum: those plaster particles are sharp, and everytime you rub them across a surface, like a tabletop, you're scratching (dulling) the finish. You can rent good vacs; even some have HEPA filters, but you have to pay for a whole filter, and hope one does the job. IMO, HEPA is NOT the thing to use with dust particles like that. Others disagree with me though.

Pop

[wcs]

[paul b]

I would think your contractor should be posting about this, not you. Plaster dust can do some serious damage to house and health.

p.

[Colbyt]

reconstruction

As others have posted, vacuum first. I prefer a shop vac with a pleated filter. When mopping change your rinse water VERY frequently as in 3 or four times in a 16 x 20 area. I have also had great luck trapping airborne dust using a box fan with a 20x 20 pleated furnace filter taped over the intake side. Don't leave the fan running when you are not around. It might overheat if the filter clogs.

Colbyt