If you are having part of your home demolished, that process creates a lot of dust and potential toxins. In some cases, you may even need to leave your home whilst the work is being done. However, if you are staying, you need to take steps to protect your indoor air quality. Try these strategies:

1. Know Your Toxins

Before you get into the project, make sure that you figure out what type of toxins you might be dealing with. For example, if you are removing a wall with old paint, invest in a lead testing kit to check for lead. Similarly, you may want to make sure the insulation doesn't have asbestos.

If either of these toxins gets into the air, your family or your pets may inhale it and become dangerously ill. A demolition professional can help you find these issues and mitigate them.

2. Seal the Area

Whether you're dealing with toxins or just regular old dust and allergens, you need to keep that contained. Ideally, any openings between the area being demolished and the rest of your home need to be sealed with sheets of plastic.

For doorways, you may want to use double sheets of plastic with a space between them. When you have to enter past two sheets, that prevents the area from ever being completely opened. Basically, when you pass through the first sheet, the second sheet is still closed. Then, when you open the second sheet, the first sheet is closed.

3. Use an Extractor Fan

If there are windows in the space, you may want to put in an extractor fan. This is simply a fan that pulls dust and allergens out of the demolition area and releases them outside. You can buy a professional grade extractor fan or just put a box fan backward in the window.

4. Use Air Quality Meters

If you're doing demolition work in an enclosed space, you may want an oxygen meter. That lets you know if the oxygen levels are sufficient enough to breathe. This is ideal for attics or crawlspaces in particular.

5. Clean out HVAC Vents After the Work

Once the internal demolition is done, you may still have lots of extra dust and debris in your home. To deal with some of it, consider having your HVAC vents cleaned. For added protection during the demolition process, you may want to cover any HVAC vents leading into your home.

Contact local demolition services for more information and assistance.