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Tips & Techniques

Easy Vacuum Upgrade

A DIY skirt made of duct tape helps a vacuum get more suction when cleaning up dust during a remodeling project.

Issue 284 – July 2019
Article Image

While vacuuming a floor between sanding sessions during a recent renovation, I noticed the vacuum was leaving a lot of dust/sanding debris on the floor. Recalling an idea from my younger days racing cars, I made a ground-effects kit out of duct tape to boost the vacuum’s suction. I placed one piece of duct tape on each side of the vacuum facing outward, then another piece on each side facing inward, so the sticky sides face each other. To my delight, the setup really helped gather the dust.

—Ray Ivy, Birmingham, Ala.

Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller

From Fine Homebuilding #284


More dust-control tips:

A Better Way to Clean Up Drywall Dust

Controlled Dust Demolition

Drywall Without the Dust

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