Repair work is not possible without dust and debris. In this case, already finished surfaces and furniture may suffer. Consider how to clean the apartment after repair from dust with home remedies.
Off the walls
To remove building dust from vertical surfaces, you need to prepare the following cleaning tools:
- broom;
- vacuum cleaner;
- rags or napkins;
- brush with a long handle;
- water tank.
It is easiest to remove moistened dust, but if the walls are pasted with wallpaper, it is not always possible to perform preliminary wetting.
To reduce the amount of work on cleaning surfaces after repair, they are covered with plastic wrap before finishing.
Before you remove the dust from the wallpaper after repair in a wet way, you need to make sure that the structure of the material can withstand such a procedure. To get rid of dust, washable wallpapers are first vacuumed, then slightly moistened with a spray bottle and cleaned with wet wipes.
If glued surfaces cannot be moistened, use a household vacuum cleaner to collect dust. For a nozzle on a hose choose a soft brush. The vacuum-cleaned wallpaper is wiped with a slightly damp cloth so as not to spoil the top layer of the rolled material.
Walls painted with oil paint or enamel are washed with damp rags. When cleaning tiles, you should first clean the seams, for which they use a brush, after which it is also washed with damp rags. To better clean the surface from dust, detergents are added to the water. Read more about cleaning tiles here.
If you have to remove dust in rooms with high ceilings, use a mop with a long handle. You can clean the dust with a mop and dry it, or wrap it with a damp cloth.
Off the floor
Before washing construction dust after repairs from the floor, collect large fractions of debris manually or with a mop.
After collecting large debris, they begin final cleaning. A wet rag is put on the mop and the dust is collected by direct movements towards itself. After 2-3 passes, the rag is washed well in a bucket of water. Thus, they pass along the entire surface of the floor.
After preliminary cleaning, fragments adhering to the surface resulting from a drop of glue or plaster will be visible on the floor. Gently pry them off with a spatula and remove. It is better to clean the glue spots on linoleum with a rubber spatula.
After completing the cleaning of large debris, proceed to remove dust from corners, crevices, joints of the wall and floor. For this purpose, a home vacuum cleaner is suitable. A nozzle with a cut end is put on the pipe and all the places of possible dust accumulation that could not be removed with a rag pass through. At the end of the work, wipe the floor again with a damp cloth.
If the film was laid on the floor, the cleaning process is somewhat different. First, large debris and stains of the solution are removed from the film, after which the surface of the film is moistened and washed with a damp cloth. The washed film is carefully folded and removed. After that, you can proceed to the final cleaning of the floor with wet wipes. Stains of whitewash or plaster that have fallen under the film are removed with a damp sponge.
With furniture
It is practically impossible to wash away building dust from upholstered furniture, and therefore, before starting the finishing work, all upholstered and cabinet furniture should be covered with plastic wrap.
Each element is wrapped in two layers of film. The joints of the paintings are fixed with tape. If the furniture has sharp corners, they are laid with a soft cloth, and then covered with a film.
After completion of repair work, remove large particles of dirt and dust with a vacuum cleaner from the film, wipe the cleaned surface with a damp cloth, and then carefully remove the film.
Recommendations for protecting the apartment from dust before repair
To reduce the amount of work on cleaning the room after finishing work, a number of preparatory steps should be taken to isolate neighboring rooms and interior items:
- before starting work, all objects are taken out of the room to free up space;
- so that building dust does not penetrate into the next room, the doorway should be closed with a thick cloth or plastic wrap. The material must be selected in size so as not to leave gaps and crevices through which dust can penetrate;
- the cloth covering the doorway, it is advisable to wet. Wet material will better protect the adjacent room, and will also accumulate fine dust particles settling on it. As soon as the fabric dries, it is rinsed thoroughly and hung again in place;
- if a plastic film is used to protect the doorway, it provides for the possibility of passage, for which you can sew in a zipper, or make a screen from two canvases of film with an overlap of 250-300 mm. This design will allow you to easily pass from the work area to the living rooms without spreading dusty traces;
- windows should also be covered with plastic wrap, otherwise you will have to spend a lot of effort to bring the frames and glass to its original form. The film is cut to the size of the window opening and fastened around the perimeter with tape. Protection will allow you to protect the smooth surface of the glass from sticking fine dust, which is very difficult to clean;
- if there is not enough material to completely clog the doorway with fabric or film, cloth rollers can be built that are laid in the lower part of the opening to close the gap. Rollers should be wet;
- if the repair plans do not have a replacement item for flooring, care must be taken to preserve the existing one. A plastic film with a thickness of at least 100 microns, overlap is laid on the floor. The joints are glued with tape;
- if it is impossible to take out all the furniture and interior items from the premises in which the repairs are made, care must be taken to preserve them. The furniture is covered with plastic wrap, which must be fixed with tape.
Tips for reducing dust during repairs
If the apartment is to be overhauled with the replacement of wiring, leveling the walls, ceiling and laying a new coating on the floor, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of timely removal of dirt and dust. There are several ways to reduce the amount of building dust in a room.
Removing contaminants during operation. When finishing work, dust is formed, which should be removed immediately. To collect small particles, it is most convenient to use a vacuum cleaner, but you need to understand that an ordinary household appliance will not cope with large amounts of pollution, so the apartment owner should rent a construction vacuum cleaner. Buying such expensive equipment for a one-time repair is impractical.
In some operations, dust collectors can be used. For example, when drilling holes in the wall, under the drill, you can substitute a homemade trap from a cut plastic bottle, or remove particles with a vacuum cleaner.
If the technology of work allows, it is recommended to moisten the processed surfaces from a spray. Such a measure will reduce the spread of dust.
Airing. Before removing construction dust after repairs, it is recommended to carry out ventilation. This method is especially relevant when laying new wiring, when the craftsmen have to prepare the strobes in concrete walls.
The doors to the next room are closed with a wet cloth, and the window in the room is opened so that small particles can go outside. After finishing work, the air in the room should be humidified. Small particles hanging in the air will fall to the floor under the weight of water vapor, and they can be removed.
Dust removal after each stage of work. Dirt and dust should be removed after completion of each stage of work. When preparing the premises for repair, it is advisable to use the wet method when removing old wallpaper and whitewash. The surface is moistened through a spray or water is applied to the walls and ceiling with a regular brush. The removed wallpaper and whitewash must be disposed of immediately, and the dirt remaining on the floor should be washed.
Cleaning is also carried out after each type of work: gating, leveling the walls and ceiling, painting, replacing flooring and windows.