This post and video were originally published in November of 2014.
This is the technique we used to clean up Lead dust in our home after our children were poisoned back in 2005. We know for sure this works because we had dust wipe samples (tests to determine Lead-levels in dust) taken both BEFORE and AFTER we did this cleaning process. The final clearance tests of our home after employing this technique came in with all levels being “less than 10 micrograms of Lead in dust per square foot” – which was the limit of detection for the lab we used at that time. I have subsequently used this cleaning method in other homes and the resultant lead level was “ less than 5 micrograms of Lead in dust per square foot” (which is generally the new low threshold of detection for most dust wipe samples.)
Scroll down to watch the short video with my best tips (and very specific technique) for cleaning up Lead dust on the floors (or other horizontal surfaces) of your home!
The points to note are these:
- To clean up Lead dust you must use disposable wipes with surfactant-containing detergent.
- Clorox Wipes or Lysol Wipes or any similar brand have been proven to work well for this.
- If you can find these in a scent-free version – excellent! (Those scents are toxic, but it is often hard to find the scent-free ones!)
- Normally these are bleach free (for those with a concern for using bleach).
- Do not use “natural” versions of these!
- This is one of the compromises “natural mamas” need to make if they have Lead-dust concerns in their home. I know – this sucks. No one wants to buy things in plastic tubs and these are not exactly biodegradable – but they really do clean up Lead dust and it is also super important to use disposable wipes for this task.
- These work because they have surfactants in them that have been proven to pick up Lead dust.
- Surfactant-free wipes will not work for cleaning up Lead-dust.
- These also work because they are disposable. Using reusable cloth rags to clean up lead dust can end up spreading the dust around and can also contaminate your laundry (depending on how bad your Lead dust problem is.)
- ALTERNATELY you can use thick paper towels in a warm soapy solution of non-natural dish detergent (detergent with surfactants) – but please do so using the methodology in the video shown below.
- The PROBLEM with paper towels is that they often come apart when doing this process effectively…and therefore do not do as good a job (and it can end up being a lot more work.) The thick workshop paper towels that they sell at stores like Home Depot (the blue shop paper towels) are a good alternative if you want to do it that way.
#KeepinItReal!
#HaggardHousewifeVideoSeries
Here’s my Amazon affiliate link if you want to purchase these wipes on Amazon. Again any similar brand will do, just do not use the “natural” brands of disposable wipes and DO NOT use baby wipes!
If you purchase something using one of my affiliate links I may receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading and sharing my posts and supporting this advocacy work in this way!
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Wouldn’t you want to flip it over so that the unused side is used after each fold, so opposite of what you show? Or maybe I’m not visualizing it properly?
The unused side is used each time.
Thanks for this video! Has this been proved to remove ALL lead dust?
What about Castile soap? That has surfactant.
Thank you!
Hi. Would the Lysol brand Hydrogen peroxide cleaning wipes work?
Hi Rebecca,
Not hydrogen peroxide wipes, no. You need wipes with surfactants. Hydrogen peroxide is not a surfactant that would remove Lead dust.
Tamara
Thank you for all your hard work! Without it, my kitchen cupboards would still be full of mass produced ceramic dishes, because I’d be none the wiser. I have a few questions: have you ever tested lifting weights like kettlebells? I own a Gold’s Gym KB from Walmart that’s been collecting dust in the corner of my bedroom, unused, because I didn’t notice it’s Prop 65 warning until long after I bought it (the tag attached to the weight even mentions washing your hands right after your workout, IIRC, because of lead contaminant).
And that leads into my second question, do I now need to worry about lead dust in my room? I didn’t realize this could be a problem until a Reddit post about the subject caught my eye the other day, and now I’m anxious about it, though considerably less so thanks to this very informative tutorial.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it!
Do 7th generation wipes/dish soap remove lead dust? They claim to use sls (sodium lauryl sulfate) as a surfactant..
Thank you for your help. Are the Clorox Free and Clear wipes (they are safe around kids and pets) okay to use? https://smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/6179371/ingredients…this is a link to their ingredient list. They use a “mild surfactant” named Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside. They also use glycerin which is a nonionic surfactant. I really hope those are enough. I don’t feel comfortable at all using the toxic disinfectant wipes around my baby. Please, please let me know if the Free and Clear wipes are okay. My 18-month-old tested positive for lead (1.2) and I think it’s the kitty liter and I am in a panic. Appreciate your guidance, thank you.