How to Clean up Cement Dust (7 Methods) + More!

Application of grout to the floor or wall tiles, recent renovation, and construction are the probable reasons that you are finding your apartment covered in cement dust.

Cleaning your tiles and furniture covered in cement dust can be difficult but it has to be done immediately. Your tiles become dull with cement dust and can be harder to clean later on if left for a long time. The same goes for your furniture. This cement may also pose some health problems.

To make cleaning cement dust easy for you, I’ll be showing you ways that are not only effective but also pocket-friendly. These methods are also quite easy and won’t make you sweat at all.

How to Clean up Cement Dust (7 Methods)

Preliminary Steps

There are several things to do before cleaning cement dust from your home or furniture. This is to protect you and also make the cleaning process much easier.

1- Keep the area you’ll be cleaning well ventilated.

2- Wear a mask, safety glasses, and rubber gloves. This is to make sure you don’t inhale cement dust or it does not come in contact with your eyes, which can be harmful to you. ^(Source)

3- Minimize cement dust before cleaning. You can do this by vacuuming the whole area. Start from the ceiling, then the furniture, and finally the floor. Using a duster attachment is recommended as it will make your work much easier.

4- Cement dust is abrasive and can scratch floors and furniture when swept with a broom. This is why it is best to vacuum. Use a vacuum that discharges outside or one with a HEPA filter.

Method 1: Cleaning up Cement Dust With Detergent

YOU’LL NEED

1- Water
2- Detergent
3- Spray bottle
4- Towel

STEPS

STEP 1: Pour some water into a bucket. The quantity of water depends on the size of the area you’ll be cleaning.

STEP 2: Pour some detergent into the water (Just enough to make it foamy enough).

STEP 3: Pour the soapy solution into a spray bottle.

STEP 4: Spray the area with the solution and wipe it with a soft cloth. You should keep rinsing the cloth as and when it gets filled with dust.

STEP 5: Get a new soft cloth (that is damp) and wipe the surface where you applied the solution. Repeat this step as many times as needed to get the detergent off the surface fully.

Method 2: Cleaning up Cement Dust With Hydrogen Peroxide

Spraying cement dust with hydrogen peroxide makes it easier to clean. It suspends the dust particles and makes it easier for towels to absorb them.

YOU’LL NEED

1- Hydrogen peroxide
2- Water
3- Spray bottle
4- Clean rag
5- Bucket

STEPS

STEP 1: Pour 1 gallon of water into a bucket and add 12 ounces of hydrogen peroxide.

STEP 2: Pour the solution into a spray bottle.

STEP 3: Spray the solution on the cement dust and wipe with a clean rag.

Alternately you may spray the solution on the clean rag and use it to wipe up the cement dust. Keep rinsing the rag often as you wipe up the cement dust.

STEP 4: After wiping the cement dust with hydrogen peroxide, wipe the floor, walls, and furniture with a damp clean rag.

Method 3: Cleaning up Cement Dust With a Tea Towel

Cleaning up cement dust with a tea towel takes time and effort so it is best used when the area to be cleaned is not large. This method is also used when the cement dust is still fresh on your floors or furniture.

Tea towels are soft and will not damage your tiles and furniture when used to clean them.

YOU’LL NEED

1- Tea towel
2- Old newspaper/s

STEPS

STEP 1: Rub your tiles or furniture hard using the tea towel. Don’t spray the towel with water or any liquid as it works better when dry.

STEP 2: Wipe the area hard using the tea towel to gather up the cement dust and shake it onto a newspaper to be disposed of later.

Method 4: Cleaning up Cement Dust With Vinegar

Vinegar is a household product that can be used to clean many surfaces due to the acetic acid content in it which makes it effective in getting rid of cement dust after a major renovation in and around the house.

YOU’LL NEED

1- White vinegar (Distilled)
2- Water
3- Soft cloth
4- Spray bottle

STEPS

STEP 1: Pour equal parts of water and vinegar into a spray bottle.

STEP 2: Spray the solution on every floor, wall, and furniture with cement dust and then let it sit for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes, spray again and wipe the surfaces with a soft cloth as you spray, cleaning up the cement dust. Rinse the cloth as often as it gathers the dust.

You cannot spray everything at once, so start from the walls (spraying and wiping) one by one and then move on to the furniture and then to the floors.

STEP 3: Wipe again with a different damp cloth, getting rid of the vinegar you used to clean.

This should make the surfaces free from all cement dust.

Method 5: Cleaning up Cement Dust With Dust Mop Treatment

Dust mop treatment is used to get rid of the dust on the floor. This method is tile-friendly and makes tiles last longer.

There are several dust mop treatments you can find in the local supermarket and online.

If you have a pre-treated dust mop, you don’t need a dust mop treatment. Just go ahead and wipe the floor.

You will need a good Dust mop treatment for this method.

YOU’LL NEED

1- Dust mop treatment
2- Dust mop/cloth and push broom

STEPS

STEP 1: Spray your dust mop with a dust mop treatment sparingly. Do not get the mop wet.

If you don’t have a dust mop, spray a cloth with the solution and wrap it around a push broom. It will work just fine.

STEP 2: Use the treated dust mop/ cloth to wipe the floor. If the mop head becomes filled with cement dust, take it outside and dust it on a newspaper. Spray some more treatment and continue cleaning.

Method 6: Cleaning up Cement Dust With Ammonia

YOU’LL NEED

1- Ammonia
2- Water
3- Spray bottle
4- Cloth
5- Bucket

STEPS

STEP 1- Pour 1 gallon of water into a bucket and add 1 cup of ammonia.

STEP 2- Pour the solution into a spray bottle.

STEP 3- Spray the surface you’ll like to clean and wipe up the cement dust with a clean cloth. Ammonia will make the cement dust easier to lift and be absorbed.

Method 7: Cleaning up Cement Dust With Concrete Dust Cleaner

There are chemical-based concrete dust cleaners that are sold in stores and supermarkets that you can use to clean up cement dust.

They are specifically made for this purpose so they are very effective and safe. They come with instructions on how to use them, which are to be followed strictly.

YOU’LL NEED

1- Bucket
2- Water
3- Concrete dust cleaner
4- Spray bottle
5- Mop

STEPS

STEP 1: Mix concrete dust cleaner with water in a bucket. Check the cleaner for instructions on the proper ratio of cleaner to water.

STEP 2: Dip your mop into the bucket and apply the solution to the floor, mopping section by section. This step is only for the floors.

STEP 3: After cleaning up cement dust on the floor, pour some solution into the spray bottle and spray it freely in the air. This is to get rid of the dust smell in the area.

STEP 4: Now spray the solution onto a soft cloth and use it to wipe your furniture and walls.

How to Clean up Cement Dust in a Basement

What if the cement dust is not inside, on tiles, walls, and furniture but on the floor in the basement? Well, the cleaning process is a bit different but simple.

YOU’LL NEED

1- Garden hose
2- Water
3- Vacuum

STEPS

STEP 1: Use a garden hose to spray water generously on the floor of your basement. This is to drive away the cement dust from your garage.

STEP 2: Use a brush to scrub the areas with cement dust lightly.

STEP 3: Use a wet/ dry vacuum to suck up the water. Repeat the process if necessary.

What Happens if You Inhale Concrete Dust?

Exposure to concrete dust can be quite damaging to health. It hurts the skin and eyes and causes serious harm. Inhaling concrete dust is far worse. Minimal exposure can irritate the nose and throat. It can also cause cough, choking, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing. ^(Source)

This is why you need to use a mask or cement dust respirator while dealing with cement or cleaning it up.

Prolonged or repeated exposure to concrete dust poses a high risk of inhaling silica particles which is present in cement dust. These particles can scar your lungs causing irreversible damage which results in a disease called silicosis which can cause death too. ^(Source)

Take necessary precautions when cleaning up cement dust in your home or hire professionals to do it for you, to be safe.

How to Dispose of Cement Dust

The most effective way of disposing of cement dust is using a fleece bag in your vacuum. Fleece bag manages air equilibrium with its multi-ply fabric design, by collecting dust particles.

It also traps dust particles and keeps them from going back out into the air. This is due to its port-closing mechanism.

This mechanism also ensures that cement dust is contained in the bag even after removing the bag from the vacuum canister’s port.

The fleece bag is also built to withstand the weight of the cement dust collected. This means the bag wouldn’t tear so there’s no fear of spillage.

After collecting the dust in a fleece bag, you can dispose of the bag in a dumpster. Drop it gently so the bag doesn’t tear. You should also avoid filling up the fleece bag with cement dust. It should just be about 80% full.

Conclusion

Cleaning up that cement dust from your floors, walls, and furniture is extremely crucial for your health as well as the general hygiene of your home. If left for long it may dry up and become impossible to remove which will cost you a fortune to renovate the whole place again.

The methods shown are tried, proven, and effective. You should ideally swing into action as soon as there is cement dust in and around your house or wait until the whole construction project is over.