One of the main reasons for turning people off from embarking on some DIY,  is the mess it causes. There’s always the danger of paint dripping on to carpets or skirting boards, or for splattering to get on to furniture, paintings or ornaments. If you’re wallpapering, you can end up with sticky wallpaper adhesive on your curtains or sofa, whilst a spot sanding can have you finding dust on window sills and other surfaces for weeks afterwards. So all of this can be avoided if you use decorator’s dust sheets. Lets have a look at what different types of dust sheet are available and what the best ways to use them are.

Plastic or cotton?

Decorating Dust sheets have been around for a long time, with people commonly using old bed sheets of pieces of fabric. We don’t all have old linen to hand, so most DIY suppliers also sell specifically made dust sheets.

Not all purpose made dust sheets are made from fabric. The dust sheets found in DIY stores are more often made from a thin plastic such as polythene – like the plastic that carrier bags are made out of. These have the advantage over fabric of being completely resistant to moisture, as well as dust. It’s also a very light weight material so polythene dust sheets are easy to manoeuvre and fold or roll up. They can be used again after a shake or dust down. The only problem with this kind of dust sheet is that it can tear easily.

You will still be able to find cotton dust sheets in the shops. They’re thicker than polythene ones so you will get more thorough protection from dust, but they are not waterproof. Cotton dust sheets will usually be more expensive than polythene ones and they’re also heavier and more difficult to move around. However, they can still be rolled or folded pretty easily. The big benefit of using cotton dust sheets is that they can be re-used more often, just needing a shake or a wash.

Using dust sheets the correct way

There are a wide range of uses for dust sheets. They can cover floors, doors, door frames, furniture or whatever else you want to protect from getting messy. Here are our tips for using them like a pro:

• Stick masking tape along the edges to secure the dust sheet in place when it’s covering the floor. This means you can walk on it without pulling it away from the edges of the rooms, and stops dust from getting underneath.
• If you’re using one to cover a piece of furniture, tack the dust sheet in place, and if you need to use more than one dustsheet for a big piece of furniture, make sure the dustsheets overlap so there are no gaps for grime to get in.
• When you’re packing away dust sheets the way to make sure all the dust ends up outside and not on the floor is to gently untape it and then fold into the centre of the sheet. Once you’ve done this pick up the corners and carry it outside and shake it out. 

If you use dust sheets and follow those tips, then you can make sure your DIY causes the smallest amount of mess possible.