Who needs a video on how to demo and empty out an old attic?
I mean, how hard can it be? Pick stuff up. Carry it out. Throw it away.
Simple.
Sure. No disagreement here, except for all of the stuff that could go wrong, congest your lungs, take way longer than it should, and otherwise fill your house with dust and insulation bits.
That’s what this how-to is all about. Tips and tools–stuff to think about in advance…before you’re dying itchy from fiberglass and 50-year-old dust all over your skin and in your eyes and mouth. With these tips, cleaning out an attic will go smoother, easier, cleaner and, yes, way more fun.
Tools & Materials
Diagonal cutting pliers (aka dykes)
Tips for Attic Demo
There’s nothing out of the ordinary in terms of technique, however, it’s in the series of steps one takes and the mindset one has that make this demo project quicker, easier, and safer to accomplish.
Face Shield
It wouldn’t take long to figure out you need a dust mask should you overlook having one on your respiratory system. However, a face shield is less obvious. It keeps dust off your face’s sensitive skin. Puff up some 50-year-old dust and you’ll start to feel it all over you. A face shield cuts down the gross-factor by a lot.
Work Gloves, Boots, Shirt
I like Gorilla Grip gloves for my demo work. They fit snug. I can manipulate tools. They’re inexpensive, so if they get wrecked during a project like demoing an attic, it’s ok.
Whatever you do, wear good shoes. You’ll need to climb something or get at something and wearing flip flops or other recreational shoe will just increase the risk you’ll hurt yourself.
I also like to have a shirt I wear as a sacrificial layer, something that fits over my regular clothes and helps cover my arms and neck. A rugged button down like my Duluth Trading Company fits the bill for a project like demoing an attic.
Box Fan
While there are fancy air cleaners out there and they have their place, the metric ton of dust and ick I’ve simply sucked through the room and out the window with this inexpensive, runs like a beast box fan is hard to beat. Sealing the window up on each side so the fan can more easily pull the air out of the room is time well spent.
Drop Zone
If there’s a way to keep from dragging bags and buckets through the house, use it. If your attic has a window, designate a drop zone underneath it and toss materials out.
Bags
I like to keep trash bags in the bottom of the can, under the liner that’s in there and being filled. That way, I never have to look for–or walk over to–the box of trash bags when it’s time to re-line the trash can. Seems inconsequential, but it saves hundreds of steps over the course of the project
Trash Can
I like the 20-gallon Rubbermaid Brute. It’s small enough to move through the house. Full-tilt rugged for all kinds of demo and debris and it’s opening makes it easy to lap the bag over the rim.
Have you cleaned out an old attic? How did you demo the attic?
