This is an important disclaimer. I'll mention, though, that a HEPA filter on the vacuum, together with an N95 on your face, is often adequate, even if the vacu

This is an important disclaimer. I'll mention, though, that a HEPA filter on the vacuum, together with an N95 on your face, is often adequate, even if the vacuum doesn't have a properly sealed full HEPA system. The upside of a HEPA filter on the vacuum which most of the air passes through is that it will catch most (not 99+%) of the fine dust. If you reduce fine, harmful dust by 80% every time (assuming 80% of the air passes through the filter and 20% goes around it), after three cleanings, you'll have removed >99% of the fine dust. A lot of this depends on the level of hazard. There's a scale from pollen allergies to nuclear/BSL-4 waste. For the pollen end, I've found that combined half-measures usually do better than the uber-over-engineered stuff.