I had the roof replaced last summer, but havent had the energy to get up there and take down the ceiling tiles and the fiberglass insulation. I started removing it a section at a time a week ago, and wow! What a mess!. Gravel is falling down on my head and the insulation and tiles are dry now, but its still hard to pull them out. Should I be wearing a mask? Is there anything in the old dried out insulation and ceiling tiles that I should cover my nose? Its making a really big mess, so any suggestions will be helpful.
No Brainer , YES,YES,YES. You might even put on ball cap.
You should absolutely weat a mask! There's fiberglass in there you said and you don't want that in your lungs along with all the dust and dirt. Fiberglass never disolves and it is made from glass.
A mask would be good. No telling what old insulation is made of. Get some large heavy plastic sheets. Place in rooms where your are taking down tile. Will help a lot on the cleanup. Makes real big trashbags. You may have to dump before it gets too heavy.
You're going to have to wear your combat gear for this one :) A mask is a definite as there could be mold or mildew in the insulation as well as the fiberglass. You don't any of those things getting into your lungs. Also, wear protective eye wear, fiberglass in your eyes is very painful and can cause long term damage to your eyes. Thirdly, wear pants and a long sleeved shirt, preferably a turtle neck and work gloves. If fiber glass gets up your sleeves, on your hands or down your shirt neck, you will be itchy for days! To help with clean up, consider putting a tarp or large plastic sheet down under your work area. It will make clean up much, much easier!!
Well, the masks are cheap, so why take a chance. I wouldn't want to breathe fiberglass. Personally I would wear an old cap, and a throw away mask. Cheap at any hardware store or some of the dollar stores. There might be mold up in there also, if it was wet. Not good to breathe mold spores.
