How To Clean Drywall Dust Off Subfloor [5 Easy Steps]

You may install drywall in all with complete satisfaction. But drywall releases dust as it requires a lot of sanding. This dust may settle all over the house and on everything, so you need to clean it up.  

How to clean drywall dust off  subfloor?

First, open the windows to ventilate the room you’re going to clean. Sweep the drywall dust into a bulk. After that, Scoop up the bulk dust onto a trash bag and vacuum the entire room. Mop the whole area to remove residue dust. Finally,  wipe all the surfaces with a clean cloth and open the closed door and windows for ventilation. 

Well, it’s just a glimpse of the whole process. To know the details, keep reading through the end, and you’ll get a full answer!

Methods	Effectiveness	Ease of Use	Time Required	Cost
Vacuum with HEPA Filter	High	Easy	Moderate	Low
Sweeping with Broom	Medium	Easy	Moderate	Low
Damp Mopping	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low
Dry Mopping	Medium	Easy	Moderate	Low
Tack Cloth	High	Easy	Low	Low
Shop Vac	High	Easy	Moderate	High
Air Purifier	High	Easy	Low	High

One of our articles –How To Clean Drywall Dust Off Vinyl Floors (3 Simple Steps)

How To Clean Drywall Dust Off Subfloor

When the drywall dust is released, you’ll see them on doors, walls, floors, windows, carpet even on grout lines. So you need to clean each surface in the right way. If you leave some surfaces, the dust can spread throughout the house and have a cloudy texture.  Follow our instructions correctly if you don’t want to mess up the dust again.

Things You Need

1. Thick Plastic Sheeting 
2. Dust Mask
3. Dust Pan
4. Dust bag
5. Broom
6. Damp Cloth
7. Spray Bottle with Water
8. Box Fan
9. Bungee Cord
10. Vacuum
11. Mask Tape

1. Preparation Before Cleaning Drywall Dust

Before you start cleaning, there is some preparation you should take to get the best result. So let’s know what they are.

Protect Your Furniture

First, take out the movable furniture from the room. And wrap the heavy furniture with plastic sheeting. Secure the plastic sheeting using bungee cords.

Cover the Entire Floor

Cover the entire floor with plastic sheeting where you’ll work. If you place carpet throughout the house, use self-adhesive plastic lining to cover the whole house floor.

Turn Off Air Circulation And Central Heat

Turning off the air circulation and central heat is compulsory to prevent drywall dust from getting into it. Even if you cover all the air ducts with plastic sheeting, turning off the circulation system works best.

Place Box Fans In The Windows

Open the windows of your room and place the box fans facing out in the windows. It’ll blow the air away from the room containing dust that spreads on the air. In this way, you’ll direct most of the dust outside rather than settle them on other surfaces. If you can manage fans for each window, it’ll be best. But otherwise, open one window if you’ve one box fan

Using these fans will keep your room ventilated while you’re working in the room. But make sure air blows outside of the room. You can seal off the area around the fan and window frames. 

Set the box fans on a low setting so that it causes less air disturbance. Also, be sure to remove the air conditioning system from the window before placing the fans.

Remove The Window and Door Screens

Removing the doors’ and windows’ screens allow air circulation, and the drywall dust moves from inside to outside freely. If you don’t remove the screens, the dust will be trapped in the room.

Wear Protective Clothes and Gears

Once you prepare your room for cleaning, lastly, secure yourself. With a face mask, cover your head with a stocking cap or a hat so that the dust doesn’t get into your hair. Face Mask will save your nose from breathing drywall dust. Breathing the dust may cause severe health issues.

Don’t forget to wear goggles to protect your eyes from irritation. You should wear a long-sleeved shirt. Also, put on gloves to protect your hands from sticking dust while working. 

2. Best Way To Clean Drywall Dust From The Subfloor

Since you have finished your preparation for cleaning, let’s learn it step by step.

Step 1: Sweep and Remove The Pile Of The Drywall Dust

Now, you might want to know: how to clean drywall dust off plywood

Using a broom, begin to sweep from the exterior and work your way to the middle. Sweep with gentle strokes to prevent excess dust from stirring up. Sweep the dust into a pile. After that, scoop it up with the dustpan and put the dust into the trash bag. Next, tie up the trash bag quickly. 

You might have an idea to spray a water mist onto the drywall so that it keeps less airborne. But it’s not an effective plan. 

Luckily,  some sweeping compound products can help to cling the dust to the floor and make the dust sweep up quickly. You can easily find them at any home improvement store or online.

Though drywall dust settles within less than 5 minutes, make sure to wait 15 minutes before going to the next step. 

Step 2: Vacuum The Floors

Now start vacuuming the remaining dust off the floor. Choose a vacuum that has an attached brush. It would be best if you ran the vacuum from up to down, left to right, and gradually moved because the dust seems to cling to the wall. 

You can use HEPA filters for finer particles. Remember, If you sprinkle water into the dust, the filter can be clogged. So use a filter that can be washable and reusable. Or buy a dry solid/ wet vacuum to prevent clogging. Also, use vacuum bags that are specially made to collect drywall dust.

Step 3: Mop and Wipe Floor With Water

After vacuuming, it’s time to clean the entire room with a mop or a damp cloth. The water will help to clean the dust easily. Take a bucket filled with cold water and dip the mop or microfiber cloth into the water. Wring the fabric well. 

Start from the top of the wall and keep cleaning to the bottom. You might need to rinse and wring out the cloth several times. Also, keep changing the bucket water when it gets cloudy.

After completing the wall, it’s time to clean the horizontal surface, including outlet covers, light fixtures, and baseboard. 

If you’re cleaning a hardwood or vinyl floor use a microfiber cloth. Otherwise, a regular wet mop will be perfect for cleaning the dust if it’s a concrete floor.

Using a damp cloth is helpful to clean the dust residue. This trick also ensures that your room won’t get mad if some sprinkling water drops on it.

Step 4: Vacuum Again

Now change your clothes and run the vacuum for a second time. Insert a brush attachment to get the nooks and crannies. There is also an attached hose that will help to vacuum the walls.

As previously, start working from the top and work your way down to the bottom.

After that, re-vacuum the floor. Make sure to vacuum the joints and corners of your room twice. 

Step 5: Ventilate The Room

At this last step, ventilate the room. Ventilation will allow air circulation and remove the frowzy smell from the room.

3. How To Remove Drywall Dust From Carpet?

Now, you might want to know: how to clean subfloor after removing carpet.

If you have carpeted floors, they can easily absorb dust, and you’ll find them difficult to clean. So if the dust gets into your carpet, you can rent a carpet cleaning machine to get rid of this problem effectively. Follow the instructions to clean drywall dust from the carpet. 

• Dampen the carpet with fresh water
• Run your carpet cleaning machine throughout the carpet, dividing it into small sections.
• Again repeat the process to remove the residue from carpet fibers.
• Now let the carpet dry before using it.

Tips

If you’re cleaning drywall dust from your entire house, you should remove the carpet as it is pretty troublesome to clean. Or cover the carpet with plastic sheeting. You can fold up plastics after finishing work and dispose of them safely. 

4. How To Clean Drywall Dust On Ceilings, Doors, and Windows?

Drywall dust is airborne, and it can settle everywhere in your house, including ceilings, doors, windows, and inside grout line of floor tiles. The problem is that you can’t clean the dust in the same way for all materials. So here’s how you can clean the different surfaces.

Furniture

Though you covered the furniture with plastic sheeting, still dust can get into these as they have tiny particles. In that case, you can take out the furniture and set a fan to blow across it. Using a broom, whack the upholster furniture to release the dust in the air.

The fan will blow the dust in the air away. After that, clean the furniture with a damp cloth to ensure no lingering dust. You can clean wooden furniture in a similar process for the best way to clean drywall dust off furniture.

Doors

Now, do you need more help regarding how to clean drywall dust off wood floors?

Take a damp cloth and wipe the dust off from the door surfaces. Wait until the door is dry. After that, find a clean piece of microfiber cloth and wipe it again if there are any lines or streaks left on the doors.

Windows

If your windows have glass pans, you can’t wipe them with a regular damp cloth. In that case, you’ll need to use a soft microfiber cloth. Take some soapy water into a bucket and dip the fabric. Wring it well and gently wipe the glass. Then rinse the glasses with clean water and let them dry. You might wipe the glass twice to remove streaks or lines.

Ceilings

People might ask how to get sheetrock dust off floors.

For sheetrock ceilings, don’t use any wet cloth to wipe them. Instead, you should give it a dry wipe. Otherwise, use a vacuum that has a brush attachment with a long hose to clean the dust from your ceiling. 

Related Questions

How bad is it to breathe drywall dust?

Drywall joint compounds are silica, gypsum, talc, mica, etc. Some of these ingredients can be responsible for nose, eye, and throat irritation. Breathing the drywall dust can cause coughing, persistent throat and airway irritation, plus phlegm production. It can also create breathing difficulties like asthma. 

Is drywall dust toxic?

In short, drywall dust is not very toxic if you breathe it for a short period or in small amounts. But breathing it for an extended period can be toxic to your health.

How long does drywall dust take to settle?

Inhalable particles that are 15µm–100µm diameter takes 1-2 minutes to settle. If your room is large and has a lot of air volume, the time can be extended for settling. However, the thoracic particles of about 10µm can settle within 3 minutes. 

Is it ok to vacuum drywall dust?

Yes, it's ok. You can vacuum drywall dust using a good shop vac. But you can't use a regular vacuum cleaner for drywall dust. Even if you use a regular vacuum, make sure to fit a heavy-duty HEPA filter onto it. HEPA filters work great to suck up drywall dust effectively. 

However, the problem with using a regular vacuum is that its filters and bags are clogged early with fine dust. It can even spew dust back into the air. Otherwise, the regular vacuum is not very strong, overheating and damaging the machine. 

How do you clean a dusty subfloor?

To clean a dusty subfloor, use a broom or vacuum cleaner to remove loose debris, then mop with a damp cloth or specialized floor cleaner for thorough cleaning.

What dissolves drywall dust?

Drywall dust can be dissolved by using a mixture of water and a small amount of mild detergent.

How can I clean up drywall dust?

To clean up drywall dust, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove loose particles, followed by wiping surfaces with a damp cloth to capture remaining residue.

Should you mop or vacuum drywall dust?

It's advisable to vacuum drywall dust rather than mop, as mopping can turn the dust into a muddy mess.

How long does drywall mud take to dry?

Drywall mud typically takes around 24 to 48 hours to dry, depending on factors such as humidity levels and thickness of application.

Ending Notes

Now you know how to clean drywall dust off the subfloor. Make sure you’re following the instructions step by step accurately. 

We hope our guideline is beneficial for you. Otherwise, you have us for any further inquiry. 

Good luck!