Clean up under the attic hatch

[Terra]

I am wondering what other inspectors are using to clean up the mess that falls out of an attic when the door is opened.

I have tried using a 'old fashioned' table sweeper and it works moderately well.

I would like to use a vacuum, some kind of mini 'dust buster' but a smaller version..

With all of the insulation here in Canada it can be a very messy procedure.

Thanks

[Marc]

Not much insulation here. I keep a dustpan and whisk broom in my truck. I use it maybe a half dozen times a year.

Marc

[Mike Lamb]

I keep a couple of bed sheets in the car and throw one down under my ladder.

[Charles46]

I keep a dustpan and a whisk broom in my truck along with a battery operated handheld vacuum. Usually don't need either one, but have them both with me so I can have a choice for those times I do.

[hausdok]

About fifteen years ago I was trying to clean up the mess I'd made coming out of an attic when the elderly lady of the house handed me one of these:

A vintage Royal brand hand vac. I was skeptical because it was so old but it worked wonderfully. I stood up, thanked her and tried to hand it back to her. She said, "Don't worry about it, Sonny. I'm headed for a nursing home when I move out of here. I'm not going to need it. You keep it."

That thing served me well for nearly ten years and then one day I forgot it and left it behind. The next day I drove back to the house and called an agent I knew in an office nearby to come open the place up so I could get my vac. It was gone.

I was pretty bumbed. The danged thing was so perfect for the task! On the way home I stopped by a thrift store and was surprised to find half a dozen used Dirt Devil vacuums - the descendent of that old Royal hand vac.

I picked one up for $4 took it home, disassembled it to get rid of all of the nasty crap that was all over it, reassembled it with one of the spare belts I'd had from the Royal, dumped all the crud out of the bag, washed the bag and dried it and was back in business. Since then, I've lost two more. Each time, I just go by a second hand store and there's always one or two around. The little rubber belts are something like $3 for two belts and they last six or seven years. I had to sew up holes in two different bags because I kept putting the bag back on in the same position. I finally started altering bag positions so that the bag didn't rub in the same spot all the time.

Pick one or two used ones up. You can't go wrong. 120-volts, powerful vacuum. Really good beater brush. You don't need bags. Just dump out the bag and shake it hard to dislodge all of the dust. Wash the bag every once in a while.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Robert E Lee]

I carry one of those 99 cent 5x7 vinyl tarps to catch the insulation or whatever falls out when accessing the attic. Had one that was getting so thread bare I always got flak from the Agents, best thing was it had been folded and unfolded so many times it would almost fold itself back up when finished. Like Hausdoc I left it somewhere, still getting the replacement broke in.

[John Kogel]

One bed sheet, one large garbage bag.

The bed sheet goes over the clothes on the rack. Garbage bag on the floor to catch the fallout. The Telesteps has a velcro strap, so I roll it all up and tuck it in there, fluffies and all.

Sometimes, fairly often? I forget to shake the sheet out, so I end up with three kinds of insulation in my bundle, but with a bit of care, none of it hits the floor.

Garage hatch? Not much insulation up there.

Click to Enlarge

27.26 KB

Here's my 20 inch ladder in a 17 inch closet doorway. []

Click to Enlarge

20.42 KB I've got the sheet under the foot of the ladder. That is a no-no on a slippery floor. []

[Eric B]

Usually I can pick things up quite easily by hand. Otherwise I pull out the Dirt Devil - great little vac for the size. Never had to bother with sheets. If there's a significant pile of cellulose over the scuttle I don't go into the attic - no way do I want that kind of mess.

[Erby]

Dirt devil for the floor. Sheet for the clothes on the rack, if necessary.

[Terra]

Thanks All, I appreciate your responses.