Which vaccum cleaner is best to clean loft dust?

[MankyManning]

I am preparing to board out my loft having recently fitted a new hatch, I was thinking of cleaning up all the black nasty dust which is sitting underneathth the insulation as there is loads of it and I think it must be quite a weight on the ceiling.

I have heard some people talk about using Earlex vacuum cleaners from MachineMart, a mention of someone using a Henry and someone else mentioned a Combivac wet n dry cleaner?

I think my normal Panasonic bagless one would get all clogged up with this stuff.

What is the difference between something like an Earlex and a domestic cleaner? Asda do a cheapo bagless cleaner for about 30 quid or so. If I got an Earlex would I need to get lots of bags and throw each one away when it got full?

[Rick]

The chances are its soot, from fires or cars, which is very fine, and passes straight through many cleaners.

I'd hire one in, with a massive long hose, so you can leave the thing outside.

We have a cheep from B&Q we clean our fire with, and we attach a length of pipe to the outlet, so any soot that does not get picked up in the filter, can go down the pipe, out the house.

Rick

[Andy Burns]

Presumably insignificant compared to the weight of the boards, or your weight while walking about up there, or the tons of crap you will stash up there?

Or are you concerned of it's weight bearing directly on the plasterboard as opposed to the joists?

[david lang]

Bet the neighbours love you on washing day!

Dave

[sPoNiX]

Personally, I'd recommend one of the Numatic machines if you are planning on keeping the machine for other jobs afterwards. Quality machine which'll last you 15+ years.

If you intend to use it for other things afterwards, go for one of the Numatic clones, such as the Earlex. Won't last as long but cheaper.

sponix

[MankyManning]

Yes the weight on the ceiling below, I am sure if it has stayed up there this long that it would be okay. I scooped some up with dustpan and brush when putting in the new hatch and was very surprised at how heavy a few handfuls were.

Maybe I am being daft trying to clean it all up?

[Jim Gregory]

I wonder if the "dust/soot" could be sprinked generously with wet/damp sawdust (or similar) before aspirating it? And then, each time a reasonable volume of the mix has gone up the pipe, re-sprinkle. That way there will be noticeably less dusty exhaust getting past the innards. Jim

[BigBrian]

I did this, bloody dirty job. Swept up as much I could with a dustpan and brush, then used a Vax bagged cleaner, 20 minutes latter, ran down the ladder with it and dumped in the garden, it had caught fire :-(

Brian

[MankyManning]

The more I think about it the more I think I am going to just leave the stuff, it has been there for years and I am running out of time as I am getting carpets fitted in the hallway below next week, I'll just board it over.

[Mark S.]

Henry and a pile of cheap bags for him did mine a treat, untouched in

49 years from the muck up there. :-)

Buy yourself a disposable full body suit and a proper mask (the semi respiratory ones up in price from the cheapo paper ones). Then you can take the suit off and leave it with all the filth in the loft until your finished.

Mark S.

[BigBrian]

Yep, I didn't give up.

Used a boiler suit, two cheap masks on top of each other. Removed the old insulation, dust pan and brush for the soot. This had been there since the house was built, 1930's, found news papaer dating this far back under the bedroom lino. Another vax used after the first caught fire. Two days later clean loft, new insulation and fully boarded.

Bummer is, that the roof has no felt, so all the stuff now stored up there a fine layer of dust on it; I hate going up there. If anybody is doing this job has not got felt under the roof tiles, use building paper under them tied in with string and nails, or all your hard work will become undone within a year.

Brian

[Andy Burns]

Ah, wasn't expecting there to be that much of it, I just get a layer of grit blown around ...

[gaffar]

I done just this recently, tried with a normal vacuum, but kept filling the bag within minutes, evntually went down the local speedy hire and hired an industrial vacuum with 4inch pipe for £25 for the weekend. It was brilliant and sucked up everything including the old flattened insulation. Filled 9 black bags from an area covering 40 sqaure metres.

Things to be vary off as already mentioned, a) you can get the vacuum into the loft (the one I hired was 2 foot wide) b) your loft joists can take the excess weight.

Gaffar

[Blueyonder]

Don't use a Dyson! I did that, and although it cleaned it up nicely, albeit needed a few filter washes, the plastic dust container started disintegrating (the bottom of the container, where the dust settles, is covered in a maze of tiny cracks). I can never be quite sure whether the dust really was the problem, but the container was fine for several years prior to using it in the loft. Don't know what could be in the dust to react like that with the plastic (polycarbonate?).

-- JJ