How to Remove an Asbestos Popcorn Ceiling

The debate continues over whether people who are not asbestos-certified should be removing asbestos from homes, businesses and other environmental exposures. Some say that breathing in even one asbestos fiber can give you asbestos-related lung cancer. Others insist the asbestos threat is minimal to non-existent for low exposure, and that the only threat is to people who have had daily, high-level exposure over a long period of time. Regardless of opinion, the Environmental Protection Agency will level stiff fines if it is reported to them that an individual has broken the law by removing asbestos without proper certification.

Ladder
Painter's tape
Rolls of polyethylene
Disposable coveralls
Hat
Gloves
Asbestos-rated respiratory mask
Plastic shoe covers
Paint sprayer
Vinegar
Water
Scraper
Buckets
Special asbestos removal vacuum

Instructions

- 1
  Clear the area of furniture, pets and people. Cover any furnishings which can not be removed with polyethylene plastic and tape well. Secure the room and bar traffic in and out of the room.
- 2
  
  Complete the removal one sealed room at a time.
  
  Assemble all the tools you will need to do the job inside the room. Do not plan to run back and forth to retrieve tools as you will need them. Avoid exposing the work area to others in the house.
- 3
  Turn off air conditioning or heaters within the room. Eliminate any free flowing air circulation that will stir particulate matter floating in the air. Make sure vents are closed before covering them.
- 4
  
  Use painter's tape for quick removal of plastic and cleanup
  
  Close all windows and doors, and use painter's tape to seal all sides of entryways. Use painter's tape to seal all cracks around doors, windows and all other openings.
- 5
  Run painter's tape about a quarter inch below the ceiling, covering the walls, all the way around the room. Roll out polyethylene on the floor and tape the seams together. Run the polyethylene up the walls about 18 inches and tape it in place.
- 6
  
  Inhaling the asbestos fibers is primarily how they enter the human body.
  
  Wear disposable coveralls, gloves, shoe covers, hat and an asbestos-rated respiratory mask. Do not remove any of this protective clothing until the job is finished.
- 7
  Mix one part vinegar and two parts water in a power paint sprayer. Spray the mixture directly, with low pressure, onto a small area (three feet by three feet) thoroughly but not heavily. Allow the vinegar and water mixture to soak into the popcorn for two or three minutes.
- 8
  Use a wide scraper to scrape the popcorn into a large plastic-lined bucket or basket. Hold the container just under the scraper. Let the popcorn fall into the container as you scrape it loose. Have an even larger plastic-lined container standing by to dump the smaller container's contents.
- 9
  Use asbestos-rated heavy polyethylene trash bags to dispose of the asbestos popcorn material. Thoroughly vacuum the room using a special asbestos removal machine and a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter once the plastic is removed and the job is complete.

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