- Good tips, hadn't thought about respirator filters clogging up quickly...how often do you usually swap yours out?
- Also, is there a specific type of goggles you'd recommend? Regular safety glasses enough or better to go full-on sealed goggles?
Yeah, respirator filters can clog up quicker than you'd think, especially when you're dealing with old insulation or drywall dust. I usually swap mine out whenever breathing starts feeling a bit tougher—maybe every couple of jobs or sooner if it's a real messy one. Learned that the hard way after spending half a day coughing up dust because I pushed it too far...not fun.
As for goggles, regular safety glasses might seem okay at first, but trust me, sealed goggles are worth the extra hassle. Had a job once where I was cutting into some old pipes overhead—thought I'd be fine with just glasses. Ended up with rusty water and grit dripping right behind the lenses. Spent the rest of the afternoon blinking and rubbing my eyes. Not something I'd recommend. Sealed goggles are a bit sweaty, sure, but they're way better than getting crud in your eyes.
"Sealed goggles are a bit sweaty, sure, but they're way better than getting crud in your eyes."
Yeah, learned that lesson myself when I was sanding down some old plaster ceilings. Thought regular glasses would do the trick, but nope—ended up with gritty eyes for days. Now I use sealed goggles too, but I found a decent pair online that's vented enough to keep fogging minimal. They're budget-friendly and way more comfortable than the cheap ones from the hardware store...definitely worth checking out if you're tired of sweaty lenses.
I've had mixed luck with vented goggles myself. They're definitely better than the cheap sealed ones that fog up instantly, but I still find myself wiping them down every now and then. Maybe it's just me sweating buckets when I'm working on plumbing or drywall, haha.
Speaking of sanding plaster ceilings, did you use a power sander or go old-school by hand? Last time I tackled something similar, I rented one of those drywall sanders with the vacuum attachment—game changer for dust control. Still wore goggles though, because even with the vacuum hooked up, there's always some sneaky dust floating around. Curious if anyone else has tried those vacuum sanders and found them worth the rental fee...
"Curious if anyone else has tried those vacuum sanders and found them worth the rental fee..."
I rented one last summer when we redid our living room ceiling. Totally agree—huge improvement for dust control. Still had to wear goggles, but at least I wasn't coughing up plaster dust for days afterward. Definitely worth the rental fee for me, especially since it made cleanup quicker and easier. Plus, less dust floating around means fewer chemicals needed for cleaning later, which is always a win in my book...
