caring for your home before the cleaners come

How A Professional Crew Removes Asbestos From Your House

You probably know you shouldn't start renovating an old house without checking for asbestos first. Asbestos is in many building materials, and that makes it unsafe to tear down walls, pull up flooring, or rip out old pipe insulation without checking if it contains asbestos. If you've verified that asbestos is present by having the building materials tested in a lab, then you have to decide how to deal with the problem. Here are some suggestions.

Hire An Asbestos Abatement Professional

Removing asbestos is dangerous because disturbing the building material releases the fibers in the air where they can be breathed into your lungs. Anyone who works with asbestos needs to be trained in how to handle the materials and dispose of them safely. Once you bring in a professional, you'll get advice on whether to seal the asbestos in place or remove it. If you need to disturb the material rather than seal it, then the process of removal gets underway.

Prepare Your Home

One of the main goals during asbestos removal is to keep fibers from becoming airborne. You may be instructed to keep your HVAC turned off and the area being worked on will be sealed to keep asbestos from floating outside and wafting through your house. A negative ventilation system may be installed to help keep dust and fibers confined to the work area. The crew needs to protect themselves as well. They'll wear protective suits, masks, goggles, and boots so that they can shed the clothing and dispose of it as soon as the work is done to keep from carrying asbestos to their own homes.

Remove Asbestos-Containing Materials

The flooring, ceiling, insulation, or walls that have asbestos are sprayed with water so any fibers that are released cling to the material rather than become airborne. Building materials have to be removed manually without the help of power tools, so there is less risk of releasing fibers, and the materials are handled carefully to prevent scraping and crumbling. The materials to be removed are placed in containers that seal tight or placed on plastic sheets that can be wrapped and sealed. Then, they're removed from your home and taken to an approved dump site since asbestos can't be taken to the dump like regular trash and building materials.

After the materials that contain asbestos are removed, the work area will be cleaned thoroughly and vacuumed with a filter that traps the small fibers so any dust or fibers released will be removed from the area. All supplies used in the room will be cleaned or disposed of and sealed so that asbestos isn't accidentally tracked through your home.

Removing asbestos is a time-consuming job because it is careful work. However, getting rid of the material gives you peace of mind your home environment is safe, and it allows you to continue with your home renovation without worrying about exposing yourself to asbestos and the serious medical complications breathing it can cause.

For more tips and assistance, schedule an appointment with a company like GREEN CLOVER ASBESTOS.