Cleaning sand is not hard at all but it takes some time as you will need to dry it out. I learned this when I started with aquariums.
Items you will need:
A large bucket
Outdoor garden hose with water supply
Old bed sheet
Large table
Sunshine
Put your sand in the bucket- it is easier to do this in batches.
Now go to your garden hose and switch the water on and put the hose end in the bottom of the bucket of sand. Adjust the water pressure so as not to blow the sand out of the bucket. You want to run the water to a full bucket and allow water to spill out over the edges. Move the hose end around often at the bottom of the bucket to 'wash' the sand. If done with the right amount of water pressure the dust and other light weight material will flow out with the water pressure and the sand remains in the bottom of the bucket.
You can clean 'old' habitat sand the same way to float out debris. Run water and float debris out until the water runs clear. The sand is now quite clean and 'washed'! If you wish you can allow the cleaned sand to sit in the bucket with a bit of bleach to sanitize, then go through a rinse cycle again to remove the bleach.
Now you need to dry your sand.
A sunny day and a picnic table works best for this so I don't do my sand cleaning until spring. But, get an old bed sheet and spread your wet sand thinly over the surface. Let it dry in the sun, stirring occasionally if needed. The ultraviolet will also help kill off 'critters', should there be any.
I maintain a reletively thin layer of sand for my lizards. Only to aid in removing waste and old food. I used a common kitchen strainer to clean out the large items in between 'washings'. The sand flows through but not the big stuff.
One of my Uro's will not crap in his habitat which helps as he is very big so messy when he 'goes'. I can tell when he needs to relieve himself and sometimes as soon as he hits the newspaper on the floor by the deck door he's letting loose. Yes, he holds it until I take him out, meaning he will wait until I get home from work.
Trust me I will try and get the rest to learn this!
I will be updating my enclosed habitat with real slate tiles, rocks and heating cable. I recently learned to lay tile (did my bathroom, thanks HGTV!) and saw how easy it is to mix thin set, cut tile and grout. Doing this will allow a smaller portion of sand in the habitat and more stone surface to help keep claws blunted and give the lizards a much more interesting home.
