Important Considerations for Safe DIY Asbestos Removal
If you live in an older home, chances are that there is asbestos incorporated in the structure's drywall. This is because it was common practice to include asbestos due to the myriad of benefits it would provide. Some of these benefits include fire resistance, soundproofing and even enhancing the structural integrity of the drywall. However, as your residence ages, you will find that the drywall begins to disintegrate. In addition to this, maintenance measures such as painting or sanding the walls can cause the asbestos fibres be released into the air. Continued exposure to this can cause a serious health risk for your family members. If you have minimal drywall in your home, you could opt to for DIY asbestos removal. It should be noted that the highest safety precautions should be taken to ensure that the asbestos fibres are not dispersed into the environment. The following are important considerations for safe DIY asbestos removal.
Invest in the appropriate safety clothing
When opting to embark on DIY asbestos removal, you need to ensure that your entire body is covered from top to bottom. Some individuals may have allergic reactions by simply touching the asbestos fibres and this could lead to painful skin irritation. The first item of clothing you should invest in would be a painter's suit that comes with its feet attached. Other than that, you will also need various accessories such as an eye mask, knee boots and a pair of rubber gloves. When you are finished with the asbestos removal process, you should ensure that all the garments you were wearing are properly disposed of in a garbage bag that has been labelled as hazardous material.
Thoroughly prepare the asbestos removal area
The key to successfully eliminating asbestos from your home would be by ensuring that there is no chance of the fibres spreading from the affected room to the rest of the home. To do so, you would have to adequately seal off the area that you will be working at. Before you begin, ensure that all furniture and other items have been removed from the room. You should then purchase plastic sheathing that is quite thick. This plastic sheathing should then be used to cover the entire room ranging from windows, ceilings, crawl spaces, doors and more.
Use the right tools during asbestos removal
To effectively remove asbestos, you would have to make use of the right tools. Dustpans and drop cloths are important to catch any asbestos debris that may fall to the floor during the process. A putty knife is a convenient tool to scrape any stubborn asbestos that has adhered onto the wall. Once all the asbestos has been removed, put everything used in waste bags that have been labelled as hazardous waste.
Share