Ventilation is an important part of maintaining indoor air quality during a renovation project, including keeping any dust or other pollutants out of the general area of the home.
One effective strategy is to use exhaust ventilation--as simple as a box fan blowing from the work area directly out of the house. This does two things. First, it immediately removes much of the pollutants from the home. And second, it creates a pressure barrier which effectively prevents air and pollutants in the air from moving from the work area to the rest of the house.
If using a box fan in a window, secure the fan within the window frame so that it cannot fall out of the window or be tipped over by children. If it rains or snows, turn the fan off and remove it from the window to avoid any electrical shock hazard.
To increase the effectiveness of the pressure barrier, physical barriers can be used.
The following illustration shows the basic approach.
