We are having our bathroom remodeled at our apartment and while demolishing the walls and ceiling, powder like cement dusts have entered the walk-in closet and landed on our clothes. It looks as if we had a dust storm.Is it okay to just shake off the dusts and re-hang 'em? or do I need to wash them? The apartment is probably like more than 60 years old. I have no idea what they put in cements back in the days. :-(
I would take them down from the hangers, shake off as much of the dust as you can then run them through the dryer on a fluff dry without heat. If any dust then remains on your clothes you may have to re wash them. The cement dust will not be harmful unless you breath in a lot of it.
They often used asbestos in cement products to make it more pliable and workable before it was prohibited as a additive. Those sparkly ceilings were about the worse offenders. Even if you have asbestos free dust, it isn't good to breath it. We aren't built to breath dust. When it gets in our lungs it often coats our insides. Usually it takes years to feel the effects. We have aleovea or air sacs that help in the gas exchange in our lungs. The dust can cause them to burst like balloons. The particles then fall down and destroy the next one. Finally you just suffocate. Smoking tobacco helps acerbate the problem. The dust needs to be removed. Watch the sunlight streaming in the windows. You will see little floaters called motes dancing on the beams. When you walk or move you will see an increase in their numbers. These are what is going into your lungs. Yes, take the clothes outside and beat the dust off them. Then wash them to remove the dust stuck to the fibers. Open the windows to help air out the dust that remains. The more dust that remains: the greater the risk to you. The dust is even more devastating to children. The younger they are the more lasting damage it can produce.
