If you live in a home built before 1980, chances are high that you may have asbestos in your surroundings. Before 1980, asbestos was a popular home construction material as it possesses high fire resistance. Later, as its negative impacts on health came to light, asbestos was discontinued from construction projects. However, some older homes still contain it. 

If your home has asbestos, you need to determine whether it is within the safety limits or needs asbestos clean up. Until removal is done, you need to protect yourself and your family from the adverse effects of asbestos. Here’s how you can do that.

Identify the materials that may contain asbestos

It is impossible to gauge whether a material has asbestos just by looking at it. Hence, you might not even know you have asbestos unless you look for it intentionally or suffer from health problems and investigate. 

You can often identify asbestos when planning to remodel and bring down the existing construction, or you can find it in crumbling drywall insulations. When you do discover asbestos, it’s important to send some samples to a professional for testing to determine if it actually is asbestos.

Dos and don’ts for asbestos

Once you confirm that asbestos is present in your home, there are certain things you must do (and avoid) to protect yourself. They include:

• Leave the undamaged materials with asbestos as they are. The more you disturb them, the more problems you can create.

• Avoid going to the areas where you have damaged materials with asbestos. 

• If you need to work in that area, use personal protective gear that contains masks, gloves, and a bodysuit. 

• Don't dust, sweep, or vacuum the areas that contain asbestos. 

• Don’t let kids or pets near that area in any condition. 

• Avoid using abrasive mops, bruises, or mats on floors that contain asbestos. 



• Don’t remove asbestos if containment and repairs are not possible.

Hire professionals for the removal

While it is harmful to live in a home with asbestos, it is even more dangerous to get it removed incorrectly. Hence, you must hire professionals like Environmental 911 who have the right expertise and knowledge for asbestos removal. 

Here’s why it is essential to hire professionals:

• They have the right tools and protective gear to protect themselves and others on site. 

• They know how to deal with any underlying issues that may occur during the removal. 

• They will help you get the necessary approval from the state authorities in case of demolitions that can cause the spread of asbestos in the surroundings.

About Us

Asbestos clean up and lead removal are considered highly hazardous tasks that necessitate the expertise of a company with appropriate abatement experience and comprehensive construction knowledge. Let Environmental 911 help you through this unfamiliar process! Founded in 1999, we have been helping residents of California restore their homes struck by any natural or human disasters. Our services include asbestos and lead abatement, mold and fungus removal, and water extraction. For more information about our fire damage restoration services, please feel free to reach out to us at (626) 316-6651 or simply fill out our contact form. We are here to assist you!