Let's talk about dealing with brick/plaster dust

[fourquenelles]

I am having my stairs turned 180 degrees so some parts of the walls and ceiling have had to be removed and carpets taken up. The plasterers come on Monday.

I have managed to keep sort of on top of the dust in the kitchen (open plan downstairs) but the dust sheets provided by the builder are sodden with the stuff as is a lot of the furniture underneath the sheets.

Upstairs I have bare floorboards in the newly created corridor and these are ingrained with dirt and dust.

Do I spend between now and Monday getting rid of as much of the dust as possible or should I wait until the plastering is done? I am concerned that, even after solid vacuuming, if I run a mop over the floors I am just going to create a slurry.

How do you experienced DIYers cope? Any tips or hints?

Urgh... I'd do a quick vacuum to get rid of some of the dust - but not spend ages - but leave the rest. In my experience the dust will take a while to settle anyway. Just keep on vacuuming before you get that mop out!

Repeat after me: it will be worth it, it will be worth it...

Thank you Knittedfairies it WILL be worth it!

Yes a quick vacuum but wait at least a couple of days after the plastering until you do the deep clean! A few drops of vegetable oil in the mop bucket will help lift the plaster dust.

Would never have thought of that AfterSomeAdvice1234 thank you

take your domestic vac apart and hide it in the boot of your car. Don't let the builders near it. It will be ruined.

Get yourself a canister wet-and-dry vac, with bags (fleece if you can find them) and a spare filter.

You may find Lidl or Aldi have one, but this is OK, and will be useful for the car, loft and garden later. Nominal 30 litres is typical. "Wet" means it can suck up clean or dirty water, from a burst pipe or blocked drain.

Even though cheap, they usually have a 2-year guarantee so you should get your money's worth, so buy locally.

Don't buy one if you can't get spare filters and bags to fit, nor from an unknown ebay or online supplier, in case you need a warranty claim.

If the plastic head or tube gets damaged (common), you can get replacement kits on ebay, also extra brushes. IIRC they are 32mm standard. They suck up dust, gravel, broken brick, socks, hamsters etc. They are quite noisy.

Thanks PigletJohn

I got the vac Piglet John recommended, and definitely worth it.
I bought some extra accessories for about £7 online which included a flat head meant for carpet vaccing but I found it good to wet floors.

Coming with free delivery tomorrow whoop whoop!