Hello!
We have just renovated our bathroom in our apartment. Before the renovation began, the contractor advised us to cover everything with textiles (sheets, towels) instead of plastic, as this captures all the dust better. They then set up plastic barriers so there was only a straight path from the front door to the bathroom.
When we returned, it was, of course, dusty and dirty in almost the entire home (the apartment is 38 sqm), so we wiped the ceilings, walls, and cleaned all the furniture and surfaces. After that, we have wiped the floors about 4 times.
Now it still nags at me that we might have should have taken in a cleaning company for the job since this dust does not seem to be the healthiest. Somehow, I have the feeling that the dust remains no matter how much we clean and that we are exposing ourselves to this unhealthy dust for no reason.
Is my concern justified or am I overthinking?
We have just renovated our bathroom in our apartment. Before the renovation began, the contractor advised us to cover everything with textiles (sheets, towels) instead of plastic, as this captures all the dust better. They then set up plastic barriers so there was only a straight path from the front door to the bathroom.
When we returned, it was, of course, dusty and dirty in almost the entire home (the apartment is 38 sqm), so we wiped the ceilings, walls, and cleaned all the furniture and surfaces. After that, we have wiped the floors about 4 times.
Now it still nags at me that we might have should have taken in a cleaning company for the job since this dust does not seem to be the healthiest. Somehow, I have the feeling that the dust remains no matter how much we clean and that we are exposing ourselves to this unhealthy dust for no reason.
Is my concern justified or am I overthinking?
Quartz dust is far from healthy but you have done what is needed and probably more. The danger is mainly for those who are professionally exposed to larger amounts, for example, cutting quartz-containing material without protection.E exos said:
It will take time and many cleanings before you are dust-free, but as others have already said, individual occurrences are nothing to worry about.E exos said:
Jokes aside, the quarterly price of electricity is far worse than quartz dust 😂.
You don't need to worry in the slightest, as mentioned, it's prolonged exposure in high concentrations that can be dangerous.
I've done a lot of renovating at home, and concrete dust has an annoying ability to seem like it's still there. Now, I don't really know what cleaning equipment you have, but I find that a microfiber cloth and soapy water work well.
You don't need to worry in the slightest, as mentioned, it's prolonged exposure in high concentrations that can be dangerous.
I've done a lot of renovating at home, and concrete dust has an annoying ability to seem like it's still there. Now, I don't really know what cleaning equipment you have, but I find that a microfiber cloth and soapy water work well.
Not to stress you, but I would be more worried about possible asbestos. In bathrooms up until the mid-80s, there is a risk of asbestos in adhesive/grout/pipe wrapping/glue/insulation/etc.E exos said:
On the other hand, quartz dust isn't completely harmless either. You should avoid exposure to quartz dust as much as possible. Both asbestos and quartz dust have the problem that the fibers/particles that are most dangerous are those that our eyes cannot see.
Ventilation (cross-draft) and wet cleaning are probably the best options for you.
To make you feel a little calmer, you can think that you seem to be aware of risks and thus likely protected yourself/your family better than many others.
Tip for the next renovation, test for asbestos before starting and make it clear to the contractor that no construction dust should be spread. It is possible to work with air purifiers and barriers, probably a bit more expensive – but you avoid the dust and possibly a problematic cleaning of the entire apartment.
Good luck!
Hello!HovPatrik said:
Yes, we have ventilated (and frozen, hehe) and wet wiped a number of times. I'm not too worried about asbestos, the bathroom was last renovated in -96, and I would hope that a serious contractor would suggest an asbestos test at the slightest suspicion, it would be catastrophic for them if they let their workers work unprotected against asbestos.
Being exposed to asbestos once or twice if you are otherwise healthy does not increase the risk of related diseases. So there is absolutely no reason to scare people unnecessarily. There are numerous threads here on the forum where people are completely hysterical for no reason. Additionally, it's actually houses built before 1977 that you should be cautious about. The asbestos allowed from 1977-1982 was significantly less dangerous.
It's the prolonged/repeated exposure that you need to be cautious about.
Partially true, but are you aware that the threshold value for asbestos is being lowered to one-tenth of the previous limit precisely because it is a problematic substance? That diseases take 20-40 years to develop? That everyone reacts differently depending on the quantity and conditions? That the "cocktail effect" of various chemicals/quartz/radon/dust/asbestos/etc we are exposed to daily is a significant uncertainty factor, but the exposure definitely increases the risk of "respiratory-related issues" over time.mexitegel said:
According to the Swedish Work Environment Authority, an incredibly large number (I believe it is 78%) of all recognized work-related cancer cases in Sweden are linked to exposure to asbestos dust.
The problem is that we do not know how much and how often we are exposed to substances that deteriorate our health. Therefore, each exposure opportunity should be considered one too many and avoided as much as possible (if one wishes to strive for the greatest possible chance for good health).
Therefore, posts that trivialize asbestos should not be spread. Instead, posts should inform about risks, so that accurate knowledge is communicated and good decisions can be made by homeowners during renovations. Both for their own and their surroundings' sake.
The construction industry agreed to stop using asbestos in building materials from the turn of the year 1975/1976; blue asbestos was simultaneously completely banned but was hopefully not particularly common in homes. So houses with a construction year of 1976 and later are generally free of asbestos except if a few stubborn or uninformed craftsmen continued to mix it into tile adhesive, for example. For instance, I have never seen a residential house with a construction year of 1976 with an asbestos cement roof (or facade), while this is common in houses with a construction year of 1975. (In Sweden, of course.)