• Fiberglass in the home

    Posted by ivona_n on November 20, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    Hi guys, can you please confirm some things with how to properly get fiber glass off of clothes/carpets/hardwood floors.

    We cleaned out the attic of old insulation made of both cellulose and fiber glass and reinstalled with fiber glass. We soaked our clothes in vinegar for a day and wash 3 times but I still see some glass. Cleaned the carpets with a HEPA vacuum then with a wet vacuum. Some insulation got in the house but it was maybe about a couple grocery size bags worth. I’m more concerned about my cats that live at home. I have 2 HEPA filters in the home and the cats were in a separate room for the weekend so they wouldn’t be exposed. I just want to be sure what the protocol is with you just to have some peace of mind. Thanks!

    Daniel replied 12 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Daniel

    Member
    November 20, 2023 at 11:05 pm

    Hey  ,

    It sounds like you’re making the right choices. Removing fiberglass from clothes can be quite challenging though. It might take a couple of turns. It all depends on how much fiberglass was on your clothes in combination with the material your clothes are made from.

    Working with vinegar is a good choice. But before you continue washing, make sure you consider other sources contaminating your clothes by asking yourself if there are other possible root causes:
    • Are all big sources of fiberglass gone?
    • Is the air free from fiberglass? If not, open the windows and air the space!
    • If the air has been cleaned as well as possible, make sure you give the room a chance to let possible leftover fiberglass fall down. Don’t stir up dust by dry sweeping or other activities. 
    • If the air is clean and fiberglass had to chance to fall out of the air: are the carpets/floor/walls/furniture etc clean? (You might need to repeat the cleaning of the room a few times as well)
    • If you have filters (air filters, filters in dry/washing machines, etc), are these filters cleaned?
    • Are clothes dried & stored in fiberglass free spaces?

    If you feel you did all these things correctly, it might be that you still need to clean your clothes a few times. Again, the washing can depend on the amount of fiberglass your clothes were exposed to, the fabric of the clothes and the washing process itself.

    I probably won’t need to tell you, but make sure you protect yourself against the fiberglass while cleaning. Use gloves if you’re washing your clothes by hands!

  • ivona_n

    Member
    November 20, 2023 at 11:27 pm

    Great, those are some good things to think about! I also forgot to ask, now that I’ve washed my clothes with the fiberglass in the washing machine, how do I clean the washing machine of fiber glass ??

  • Daniel

    Member
    November 21, 2023 at 11:52 pm

    ,

    Make sure the filter is clean. Then you can wash the washing machine with vinegar as well!

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