Tips for Prevention

Is Your Child at Risk?

• Does your child live in or regularly visit a house or day care center built before 1950?
• Does your child live in or regularly visit a house built before 1978 with peeling or chipping paint or recent (within the last 6 months), ongoing or planned renovation?
• Does your child have a sibling, housemate or playmate with lead poisoning?
• Does your child live with an adult whose job or hobby involves exposure to lead?
• Does your child live near an active lead smelter, battery recycling plant, or other industry likely to release lead?

Tips For Prevention

• If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, have your children under age six tested for lead, even if they seem healthy.
• Wash children's hands before eating, bedtime, naptime and after playing.
• Wash children's bottles, pacifiers, and favorite toys at least daily.
• Make sure children eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet.
• Have your home checked for lead hazards.
• Clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces at least weekly, using wet cleaning methods.
• Wipe soil off shoes before entering house.
• Repair surfaces with peeling or chipping paint.
• Take precautions to avoid exposure to lead dust when remodeling or renovating.
• Don't use a belt-sander, propane torch, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper on painted surfaces that may contain lead.

Wet Cleaning Methods

Materials:

• Plastic gloves
• Spray bottle
• Industrial strength trash bags
• Cleaning solution
• 2 Buckets
• Disposable lint-free rags and sponges
• Mop with Disposable head
• HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Air) vacuum cleaner or a regular vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter

Preparation:

• Put on protective cleaning gloves.
• Use HEPA vacuum on all surfaces in the work area including: woodwork, walls, windows, window wells, and floors.
• Fill bucket with hot water and add cleaning solution.
• Fill another bucket with water for rinsing purpose.
• Fill spray bottle with water.

Procedure:

• To help control the dust, spray surface with a fine mist of water from the ceiling to the floor and "wet down" all dust and debris.
• Wipe down walls and along windowsills with sponge.
• Use rags to wipe fixtures and in corners of window wells.
• Use mop for floors and along baseboards.
• Always wear gloves while cleaning.
• Rinse sponges, mop, and rags often.
• Change rinse water every time you start to clean a new room or different window.
• After cleaning is complete, allow all lead dust reduction cleaning items to dry: sponges, rags, and mop heads.

Disposal:

• Industrial strength trash bags should be used to dispose of all disposable lead dust reduction cleaning items.
• All debris collected in this procedure should be placed in the trash bag.
• The trash bag should be wrapped tightly shut with duct tape.
• Water in both buckets should be disposed of, by flushing it down the toilet. Never pour cleaning solution in the tub or sink.
• After surfaces are dry, use HEPA vacuum a second time to insure all dust and residue are gone.

Reminders:

• Do not use any of these materials for regular household cleaning: washing dishes, spot mopping, etc.
• Keep all items and products out of the reach of children!
• This cleaning process should be performed once a week.

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