While hanging our bedroom curtains last week, I snapped a few photos of a little trick I use to keep drilling dust from scattering all over the place. It’s simple, effective, and saves a lot of cleanup—especially when you’re drilling holes for curtain rod anchors. You may already know this tip, but we only discovered the tape method about a year ago and I thought it might help anyone who hasn’t tried it yet. Most people don’t enjoy sweeping drywall or plaster dust off the floor, and this avoids that entirely.
The trick is just a short strip of painter’s tape folded in half and pressed to the wall beneath your drilling mark, creating a tiny temporary shelf. I’ve heard others use a Post-it note the same way if that’s more convenient at home. Either option catches the dust that falls from the hole so it lands neatly on the tape instead of spreading across the floor, furniture, or whatever you didn’t move out of the way.
I considered switching to a Post-it for a larger catching surface but stuck with painter’s tape because its adhesive holds the dust more securely. I’m clumsy enough that I’d probably tip a non-sticky Post-it and spill the dust back onto the floor when removing it. Tape keeps everything in place until you’re ready to dispose of it.
My favorite part is folding the tape over the collected dust to make a little sealed packet—kind of a burrito of debris—so the mess stays contained until I toss it in the trash. It’s satisfying and much neater than sweeping up tiny piles from the floor.
That’s it—quick, cheap, and effective. If you have other methods for catching drill dust, or other small tips that make home projects faster, cleaner, or easier, feel free to share them. On a related note, Sherry tackled an unusual project today—details coming soon.
Pssst—best spam comment to date (after an all-time favorite): a scrambled URL left by someone using the name BuyLinks said, “Man if I ever saw two raccoons fighting over a blog it’d be this one. Nicely done my friend.” Pretty entertaining.