cleaning after ripping down lather and plaster and 100 year old red brick

kemps · 08-22-2011, 06:21 PM

need help!!!!! ( advice or suggestions )..what product is best to clean a house after a 3 week bedroom renovation has left the rest of the house (mainly the area directly near the bedroom) covered in old plaster and crumbled red brick dust...just today i wiped down a wood cabinet 4 times with hot/ warm water and all purpose cleaner, then again with Orange cleaner then with just warm water and it still has the tell tale signs of residue, the floors have been mopped like 5 times in the past week and still you see a film on the floor....i know i know - we should have put up a barrier better ect when started but what we did didn't work - so reno - done - now a huge mess to clean - WHAT DO PEOPLE SUGGEST?????

Bud Cline · 08-22-2011, 06:45 PM

Vacuum first.

WillK · 08-23-2011, 07:32 AM

Well, there's a lot of work you could've/should've done to contain the dust but it sounds like it's too late for that.

Before you vacuum, bear in mind that vacuuming can blow dust into the air... Really, maybe don't vacuum if you can avoid it. If you must, I'd suggest minimizing dust blowing through by relacing the filter with a HEPA filter, putting in a hepa dust collecting bag, and duct tape all the joints. This is a poor man's way of trying to get close to the performance of a HEPA vacuum that's intended for cleanup of lead renovation work.

For cleaning, use swiffer wet pads and change frequently.

Get your heating ducts professionally cleaned.

New furnace filter

Wet cleaning with water, such as mopping, adding cascade can helpwith the lead particles being clumped and made larger so it helps to remove them, but you also need to follow that with a wipe with plain water before it dries or it can leave a film.

Look into EPA RRP classes or course material for advice on cleaning up this sort of work.

m1951mm · 08-23-2011, 10:48 AM

I have to agree with Bud here. I find that wet cleaning does not get into all the corners and will move the dirt/dust from one place to another unless you change the bucket often. I use a shop vac starting at the outside skirt of the debris and work towards the main mess, that way the shop vac exhale is in an already for the most part cleaned area. The vac gets more of the dust in quick order. Dont forget to vac walls, ceilings and Fido as you move towards the big mess. Then comes the wet cleaning. Just my opinion.

I do agree that changing out furnace filter is a great idea and having the ductwork cleaned also. Next time cover the registers near the work area with plastic, the return air ducts are the most important to cover!!!