How to Remove an Asbestos Cieling From Your Home

Removing an asbestos ceiling can be difficult. In general, when deciding how to remove asbestos, you need to think about whether you want to hire a professional. Removing asbestos can be dangerous. However, if you want to remove an asbestos ceiling yourself, you need to understand the laws about removing asbestos and asbestos disposal. You also need to practice safe asbestos abatement procedures which you should learn about while considering how to remove asbestos.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Soap
• Breathing apparatus
• Protective Gear

Instructions

1. Find someone to help remove your asbestos ceiling. Asbestos abatement is a two person job, which you need to remember when deciding how to remove asbestos. You also need to understand that it is illegal to hire someone to help you when removing asbestos, unless that person is an asbestos abatement professional. So, when removing an asbestos ceiling on your own, you either need to hire a professional or find friends and volunteers to help that don't require payment.

2. Get the right gear. Removing asbestos, and especially removing an asbestos ceiling, can be dangerous. You want to make sure you have a full set of protective fear for asbestos abatement, including a breathing apparatus and a protective suit. If you have facial hair, you need to shave it since asbestos abatement is not safe for people with facial hair. This factor is important to consider when deciding how to remove asbestos, since you cannot ask anyone with facial hair to help you.

3. Call ahead to arrange asbestos disposal. Your planning process should not end with deciding how to remove asbestos. Once you have removed the asbestos you also need to plan for the asbestos disposal. Most towns and cities have special landfills that are equipped for asbestos disposal. When making your asbestos abatement plan and removing asbestos, you need to call ahead to ensure there will be room on the day you are removing asbestos.

4. Wear full protective gear on the day you are removing your asbestos. Asbestos removal can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma if not done properly. Because an asbestos ceiling is above your head, this can be especially tricky. Put everything on, including your breathing apparatus, before beginning the asbestos abatement process.

5. Remove your asbestos ceiling with help. One person should be continually spraying the asbestos ceiling with water, to keep it wet. Another should be removing asbestos fibers and placing them in special asbestos disposal bags. When considering how to remove asbestos, you need to remember that at least 3 people are necessary. The wet asbestos ceiling tiles should be scraped off with a knife into the special asbestos disposal bags.

6. Clean up thoroughly after the safe removal of asbestos. Once the asbestos ceiling is removed and the asbestos ceiling pieces are double bagged and ready to go to the asbestos disposal location, you need to remove your protective clothing and dispose of that as well. Make sure you remove any lingering asbestos fibers before taking off your breathing apparatus.

Tips & Warnings

• Removing asbestos is dangerous. Asbestos ceilings do not always need to be removed, unless the ceiling is creating fibers that you are breathing in

• If the asbestos ceiling is kept wet while removing the asbestos, there are less fibers that could potentially enter through the protective clothing barrier

• Removing asbestos, especially an asbestos ceiling, is best left to an asbestos abatement professional