Maintainence of lead painting

The principles of lead safety during remodeling also include restricting access to the work area by not allowing children or pets to enter, laying thick plastic sheeting on the floor to collect dust, use of a HEPA-filtered vacuum, wet washing surfaces to clean thoroughly at the conclusion of each day and the end of the job, and individual attention to cleaning with repeat washing with detergent and vacuuming to pick up all remaining dust. In preparing the surface for painting, be aware that dry sanding or dry scraping may produce undesirable lead dust, so spray a mist of water onto the surface to be prepped. These “wet sanding” and “wet scraping” methods generate much less dust than its dry counterparts and is required by law.

Also, do not use methylene chloride, a general ingredient in paint strippers, to strip lead based paint. There are specialized paint strippers for use with lead paint such as LEAD-OUT Paint Stripper, Strip-Tox, Lead-X, and others. Some of these particular strippers render lead non-hazardous decreasing the risks associated with lead paint removal.

HUD require a dust test for "clearance" at the end of any remodeling or repainting job be performed by a third-party professional who is independent of the entity performing the work. Contact your state's lead-poisoning prevention program or appear in your Yellow Pages director under "lead paint" or "environmental consultants" to set a lead-based paint professional who can do a clearance examination for your job.