Besides making your home look unkempt, drywall dust can also harbor allergens, damage furniture and electronics, and prevent your paint from adhering properly. Although not inherently toxic, prolonged exposure can irritate your lungs, eyes, and skin.
While unpleasant, cleaning drywall dust is unavoidable, especially after a renovation or installation. To clean drywall dust, you need to brush up the dust, sweep it, vacuum it, and wipe off the remaining residue.
| Difficulty Level: Intermediate Cost: $30 – $60 Duration: 2 – 4 hours |
Before You Get Started
Drywall dust is incredibly fine and contains gypsum and silica that can be harmful to your lungs if inhaled. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of cleaning, there are a few safety precautions to take.
Wear Protective Gear
Always wear a face mask, safety goggles, and rubber gloves before dealing with drywall dust. The mask will protect your lungs from inhaling the tiny particles, the goggles will shield your eyes from dust, and the gloves will keep your hands clean and dust-free.
It’s equally important to use safety overalls, work boots, or shoe covers to protect your clothes and other body parts.
Ventilate the Area
It’s wise to isolate the area to contain dust and prevent it from moving into other areas. Isolation can be done by taping doorways and covering up unbothered surfaces.
Retired Mechanical Engineer Stephen Kao opines: “It is wise to contain the dust within the work area if possible, like keeping doors closed or using a dust cover if there are no doors.” He adds that you can even “tape plastic sheets over the opening.”
Avoid Moisture
It may be tempting to clear away drywall dust with water, but you really shouldn’t do that. When drywall dust gets wet, it gets sticky and messy. This can be frustrating and make the job harder for you.
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Gather Your Equipment
Any successful cleaning project begins with organizing your cleaning arsenal. This will not only make your work easier and faster, but it’ll also prevent the transfer of dust from one room to another.
Here are the tools you’ll need to successfully tackle any drywall dust-cleaning project:
- Face mask
- Safety Goggles
- Rubber Gloves
- Boots, overalls, and other protective gear
- Vacuum Cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter
- Brush
- Broom
- Microfiber cloth or a tack cloth
- Tarpaulin or Plastic drop cloth (optional)
| Tip: Spread a tarp or a plastic drop cloth on the floor to catch the dust as it falls. This will keep your floor neat and save you some stress. |
Step 2: Brush Off the Dust
The first thing to do is to get rid of most of the dust with a brush or broom. That way you’ll be dealing with a more controllable amount.
Before you grab your brush and start brushing away, Stephen suggests introducing moisture to the work area. He says, “Wipe down with a moist cloth, and spray water onto the dust on the floor before brushing up and collecting the dust”.
Starting from one corner of the wall, move your brush or broom across the surface. Work your way down using slow, deliberate strokes to remove the bulk of the dust.
From time to time, stop to shake off the brush or broom outside. This will remove excess dust that has accumulated and may clog up the brush or broom.
Quick Tip: Always brush off the ceiling before the walls. This prevents dust from falling onto walls that you’ve already brushed.
Step 3: Sweep Away the Loose Dust
Pick up a broom and start sweeping the dust you brushed off. Start from the corners of the room and gradually work your way towards the middle. Do this as gently as possible; rushing will only scatter the dust in the air, complicating the process even further.
| Note: If you followed our earlier tip and laid out a tarp or plastic drop cloth, simply fold the edges in towards the middle to contain the drywall dust inside. Afterward, take the tarp or plastic drop cloth outside to get rid of the drywall dust. |
Step 4: Vacuum the Dust
As you vacuum, focus on areas where dust tends to settle, like corners and under your furniture. This will ensure that you’re removing the dust from your space, and not just moving it around.
While HEPA-equipped vacuum cleaners will deliver the best results, regular ones will work too. To support this, Stephen Kao notes: “Use a vacuum, HEPA-equipped or otherwise. The idea is to collect the dust for disposal and not spread it around.”
Step 5: Wipe Off the Remaining Dust
Slightly dampen a microfiber cloth with clean water and squeeze out any excess water. Wipe down any drywall dust that remains on your surfaces.
Rinse the cloth from time to time. This will eliminate the dust and ensure you’re actually picking it up rather than just spreading it around.
You may not get all the dust the first time. Even if you do, it’s advisable to go over your window sills, walls, and baseboard surfaces once again.
Step 6: Clean Up the Floor
Finish up by cleaning the floor. For hardwood, tile, or laminate floors, vacuum them again and then use a damp mop to clean the surface.
Rinse the mop occasionally to avoid spreading the dust rather than cleaning it up. When you’re done, dispose of the packed dust appropriately.
How to Clean Up Joint Compound
Joint compound is an entirely different story. It can be more complex to remove since it’s designed to adhere firmly to seams and remain there for years.
Cleaning Wet Joint Compound
Joint compound that’s still fresh, wet, or not completely dried can be cleaned up with water if you’re quick enough. For hard dry ones, you may need to refer to the next method.
Warm water is most effective for removing semi-wet joint compound. Spray warm water generously on the surfaces to loosen the joint compound. After that, use a warm, damp cloth to wipe away any residue.
It’s not uncommon for there to be occasional spills as you work. Just don’t let spilled joint compound sit for too long. Use paper towels or rags to clean them up as soon as they drop.
| Note: If there’s joint compound stuck on any of your tools, you can get rid of it by soaking the tool in hot water for about 15 minutes or more. |
Cleaning Dry Joint Compound
The most effective way to remove dried joint compound is to scrape or sand it off.
To avoid damaging delicate surfaces like floors, consider using a rubber mallet or hammer wrapped in cloth to gently break up the joint compound.
For walls and other surfaces, use a putty knife to scrape off the dried joint compound. You can then gently sand the residual with 120-grit sandpaper.
| Quick Tip: To avoid making a mess with joint compound, always use a mud pan when working, and avoid applying too much joint compound at once. You’ll find more tips for working with drywall in our article, “How to Finish Drywall” |
Other Methods of Cleaning Drywall Dust
Beyond brushing and vacuuming, there are other ways of cleaning drywall dust from surfaces.
The Paint Sprayer Method
This method is simple and does not involve any scraping or tedious vacuuming on your part.
- Find a paint sprayer and fill it with water.
- Spray your walls so that they’re wet but not too soaked.
- Wait for the joint compound to absorb the water and voila, your walls are joint compound-free.
The Motor Blower Method
Another unconventional way of cleaning drywall dust is by using a motor blower.
Here’s how it’s done.
- Set up a large vacuum and attach a hose to the exhaust port facing outside.
- Aim the motor blower of the vacuum towards the outside too. This setup will allow the vacuum to suck in dust from the inside while exhausting air outside.
- Use a long hose to reach all areas.
You can also:
- Place a fan near an open window, blowing air outside.
- Open another window on the opposite side to allow cross-ventilation. This will usher in fresh air while getting rid of the dust-filled air.
You can also:
- Wait for the wind to blow through your house.
- Exhaust the dust with the wind. This should take about 15 minutes.
After the first cleanup, wait for about an hour and repeat the process until you’re satisfied.
Note: Before you use this method, you must seal off the work area with poly/plastic sheets. This will keep the drywall dust contained and prevent it from spreading into other rooms.
According to Stephen Kao, “Motor blowers can be used in situations where the windows are opened or not fitted yet and access to the rest of the house is closed. Otherwise, you are just blowing the dust into the air and it will settle down where it can access.”
The ‘Leave it to the Professionals’ Method
This might be the easiest way to get rid of drywall dust. Either hire a professional for your drywall jobs and they should clean up after them, or hire a cleaning service to clean up the drywall dust in your space.
FAQs
To minimize dust getting into the air while you’re cleaning, consider buying a sweeping compound. Sprinkling a sweeping compound on the floor will reduce the dust that goes into the air whilst also making it easier to sweep.
Cleaning drywall dust does not require any special solutions. Simply dipping a microfibre cloth into clean water and then wringing it out should suffice.
If this doesn’t sit well with you, you can add dish soap to the water.
Let a Professional Do it For You
The best way to get rid of drywall dust is to have a pro do your drywall for you. Local home improvement pros, like the ones you can hire through Home Gnome, will clean the worksite after a job well done.
Home Gnome delivers the best home service experience at the click of a button. Book reliable, skilled handymen and handywomen in seconds and leave the rest to us.
What to Read Next:
Main Image Credit: Lamina / Adobe Stock generated with AI
Related Posts:
