Vacuuming after refurbishment

Fen1

Hi. We are refurbishing; lots of plumbing, whole house being rewired with chasing through the walls, chopping up ceilings and floorboards etc. Basically, a mess. Could anyone recommend a method, or at least a heavy duty 'DIY' vacuum, to clean up the dust, bits of plaster and sheer grot? 

Mnoee

Henry/numatic. I have the 'Charles' version which is both a larger capacity and does wet and dry, there's a few options at different price points. They're basically indestructible and very popular across a range of industries for that reason - for everyday 'normal' usage the common complaint is that they're heavy and bulky.

I've only had a kitchen refurb, but it dealt with that just fine. He's also been sucking up fallen leaves/fuscias in the garden for years with no complaints. 

Fen1

I'll have a look at the Charles ( I'm only familiar with Henry and his girlfriend ). Thank you.

FreeBear

I keep abusing my Dyson - The filter needs washing on a regular basis, and the pipes keep getting blocked by debris. But it does lift virtually all the dust & muck.

Best thing to do first, is mist the air with water, then a stiff broom to get the worst of the muck in a pile where it can be scooped up into a bucket.

Fen1

The good old fashioned brush and bucket dance. Nothing beats it!

p00hsticks

No personal experience, but I saw an advert on TV a few weeks back for a Karcher wet and dry vacuum cleaner that they were showing being used to pick up leaves, rubble etc indoors and out...

greenbee

My dyson has put up with HUGE amounts of abuse during renovations. New filters, thoroughly washing (and drying) the bin regularly, and dropping a pull-through line down the hose (blind chains work well) to clear it mean it has survived for 15 years and is on to it's third project. I have bought it new attachments too (grey market, not genuine) and it is still doing sterling service. So as far as the Karcher ad goes I'd disagree (also I freegled my karcher as it was so tempermental 🤣). 

Fen1

I rarely watch 'live' TV, so missed the ad.

Poor little Dyson - it must be exhausted.😉

Nearlyold

I use a Machine Mart Vac King Wet and Dry for clear ups with an extra long hose so I don't have to keep moving it. Also has a power take off to plug mains powered tools in like saws, sanders etc. Turning the tool on or off auto starts/stops the vac for use as a dust extractor. - though that feature is less useful nowadays since I've switched to mostly cordless tools. Only downside is its pretty dammed  loud.

daivid

As above Henry's can put up with a lot! When the mess has been particularly bad or for garage vacuuming I use a Titan wet/dry vac from Screwfix; £40 when I bought mine puts up with a lot of hard work. The Titan doesn’t have the best filter nor accessories so in the house a second vacuuming with a regular vacuum is needed.

casper_gutman

We have an ancient Vax 2000 wet and dry. It's stood up to an insane amount of abuse, sucking up bucketfuls of broken masonry bits and plaster dust across three houses.

Highly recommend this or another kind of tub vacuum cleaner (Henry, Numatic etc) for rough work. Maybe see if you can pick up a cheap second hand one, then it won't matter too much if it eventually keels over under the abuse.