How To Remove Sawdust From Clothes (+ 2 Ways To Protect Your Outfit)

If you sand, carve, or saw through wood, then there’s no getting away from sawdust… literally!

And as annoying as it is, we’ve all been there. Especially that moment when, after a 5th wash, you still find wood chips in your favorite workshop garb.

So, how do you remove sawdust from your clothes?

First, give your clothing a good shake to remove as much loose sawdust as possible.
Next, get a clean microfiber cloth (or tack cloth).
Lightly dampen the cloth with cold water – but do not soak it.
Now, use the cloth to remove ingrained sawdust by blotting the material of your clothes. The micro fibers will lift sawdust particles off the fabric and trap them.

Still, it’s easier to keep sawdust from getting on your garments in the first place. Or, ideally, we’d like to try and keep that coat of dust to an absolute minimum. So, keep reading to learn how…

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How Do You Remove Sawdust From Your Clothes (After Sanding)?

Shake Off The Sawdust

If there is a lot of sawdust clinging to your shirt, then you are going to have to shake that dust off.

A good thorough shake should get rid of the large loose chips still stubbornly hanging onto your shirt.

Dab Off The Sawdust

You might have tried picking sawdust off your clothes in the past. If you have, then you know that it is a mind numbing task that is as futile as it is time consuming.

A better method would be to grab a damp microfiber cloth, or failing that, a damp tack cloth. And then use that cloth to blot at the sawdust on your clothes.

A microfiber cloth should do a pretty decent job of removing small loose particles from your clothes. That is because those micro fibers are specially designed to trap particles by drawing them up and out of clothing like a magnet.

What Is A Tack Cloth? A tack cloth is a cloth we use to remove dust and dirt from wood surfaces – before we then go on to apply stains and finishes.

How To Prevent Sawdust From Getting Onto Your Clothes

Wear A Shop Apron

A shop apron is an apron or smock just like the kind worn by Butchers.

These aprons are typically made from PVC or leather, so sawdust doesn’t cling easily to the material of these items. So an apron can help keep wood chips off your cotton shirts and denim jeans.

Now, simply wearing a shop apron won’t protect every inch of you. For example, those chips could still get into your boots. Still, it should go a long way to keep most of that dust off as you sand, chip, and saw.

QeeLink has a leather work shop apron that is ideal for woodworkers. It has plenty of pockets for all of your tools, and it is sewn together with flame resistant US Kevlar thread.

Wear Coveralls

Coveralls are basically a full body apron that you wear over your clothes.

A set of short sleeve coveralls, such as the ones from Dickies below are a functional and comfortable way to protect your clothes from wood particles.

Made from nylon material, these coveralls are breathable enough to be worn over a loose cotton teeshirt. Although, they don’t offer a lot of room over bulkier clothes such as denim.