Tips for Staying Tidy While Cutting Concrete and Cleaning Up Afterwards
If you are doing a project that involves cutting concrete, you may be wondering how to keep the work site tidy while you are working. While it can be challenging, there are numerous tips that can help. Here are some ideas to explore:
1. Cover surfaces with plastic.
If you are dry cutting, there is going to be a lot of dust generated as you cut. Whether you are cutting inside or outside, make sure that you cover anything you don't want to get dusty with plastic. You can place sheets of plastic over anything from furniture, to grass, to walls, to vehicles. Tape the plastic in place or weight it down as needed.
2. Don't forget about ducts.
If you are cutting concrete inside, make sure that you remember to cover your duct openings as well. If dust from the cutting gets into your ductwork, it could migrate to other areas of your home, causing them to become dusty. To ventilate the area when the ducts are covered, open a window and place a fan into the opening.
Orient the fan so that it is blowing outside -- that way, it will suck the dust out of the work area. If you don't want the dust to get all over the grass underneath the window, cover the area below the window with plastic sheets.
3. Consider wet cutting.
If you want to avoid the dust associated with cutting concrete, consider wet cutting. Wet cutting requires a special machine that allows you to spray water on the blade as you cut. The water creates a slurry with the cement dust. As the slurry is heavy, it doesn't fly all over the place, coating everything with dust. That can make it intrinsically tidier.
4. Hire professionals who promise to remove slurry and dust.
In lieu of trying to keep your work area tidy on your own, consider outsourcing the concrete cutting to the professionals. In particular, look for a company that promises to do its own cleanup. Ideally, you want a company that vacuums up dust or slurry and hauls away the old concrete as well .
5. Talk with an after-builders cleanup crew.
Finally, instead of trying to clean up yourself or having the concrete cutters do it, consider talking with an after-builders cleanup crew. These cleaning professionals specialise in cleaning up after workers, and they have the equipment needed to take care of concrete dust or other messes related to building projects.
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