Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Cleaning up cement dust from sanding of concrete floor
Q. Hi,
I wonder if there is a process to remove the cement dust that has coated inside cupboards, walls, windows, appliances and material furniture (couches and chairs) all over my house? The flooring company installed it crooked, so the result was to lift the tile and scrape the sub-floor. Well it was taking too long I guess and they sanded the cement off and now I have tried washing surfaces in the kitchen and it is not coming off easily.
Is there a recognized process to have all of the dust removed from my home?
Flooring - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
July 25, 2008
A. My son did some concrete cutting this week, fortunately in the backyard, but I see the problem: the dust clumps almost like a plaster. If your vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter, so you won't blow the dust back into the room, I think you can vacuum it with a brush attachment, although you may need to break up clumps with something stiffer like a toothbrush.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 31, 2008
Q. Hello,
We just had our living room concrete floors sanded and we are having the same problem. Trying to find something to clean up the dust! Did you find a good solution for the clean-up?
Thanks so much!
- Indianapolis, Indiana
December 17, 2009
A. Hi. All I can warn of is that if you do not have a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, you should not vacuum it because you'll just scatter the dust ... perhaps into your lungs. If you have a built-in vacuum that discharges outside, or very long hoses so your vacuum cleaner can be outside, then I think you can safely try to vacuum it.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 2009
Q. I used Lime-A-way on my tile floor grout and some got on the tile and left a sticky film. How do I get it off?
Audrey Maes- Antelope, California
December 6, 2012
A. Hi Audrey. Lime-A-Way is designed to be a tile cleaner, not something you must avoid getting onto your tile. I think there is something else going on.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Simply vacuuming up cement dust doesn't work, and neither does the wet cloth or mop. We have tried both, and there is STILL a cement colored residue on the floor and cabinets. Any other ideas?
Dick de Seve- New Hampshire, US
April 9, 2018
April 2018
A. Hi Dick. I'm just the administrator of a metal finishing site which wandered into concrete dust cleanup. I'm disappointed that after 10 years of substantial traffic here, nobody has volunteered info about what they successfully did :-(
But if it must be removed and it can't be washed up, I guess your only alternative is what the people in the tiling business often do for grout haze -- dissolve it with safely dilute acid. I guess you could go to the hardware store and get some grout remover and see how it goes: remembering that the acid will attack the concrete if left long enough, being careful not to slosh it on any metal work, neutralizing it with a baking soda [in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] wash, and maintaining good ventilation while doing it.
I'd suggest trying a small and inconspicuous area first, remembering that cabinets and concrete floors may react differently. Then come back and tell us how it worked :-)
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I have concrete dust in the basement from grinding a groove in the concrete floor. I regret not first reading your comments: we tried a regular vacuum and have scattered dust everywhere.
I like the idea of dissolving it with grout cleaner, but I am concerned about the cat's safety.
Can the cleaner be sufficiently cleaned up or neutralized so that they will be able to walk there after we are done? I don't want them to get some of that on their paws and lick it.
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA
January 12, 2019
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
A. Hi Jesse. Although I'm certainly not a veterinarian, I suspect that a mild dilute acid will do your cat less harm than concrete dust.
Try a large bucket with a 25/75 mix of vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and water on a moderate size patch, or grout cleaner followed by rinsing with a package of baking soda dissolved into a bucket of water -- and tell us what you learn please.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 2019
Q. I have the same issue as the poster directly above. Drilled into the concrete floor. I think the contractor then tried to vacuum with a wet dry vac. All I know is there is now dust EVERYWHERE throughout the very full basement, on every box and suitcase and bike and camping equipment. All of it. I can't use a solvent on any of the stuff mentioned above, right? So is the best bet to use a HEPA vacuum?
Ann WhiteHomeowner - Oakland California usa
September 21, 2019
A. Hi Ann. I would expect that mild detergent in water would allow cleaning up many items. As for vacuuming, I'd be much happier if a long hose was practical, so the vacuum cleaner could be outside a basement window rather than indoors (I think the well-known house cleaners do that), but a HEPA vacuum cleaner should contain most of the dust. Wear an N-95 face mask anyway if you do it yourself.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2019
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