Dust when sweeping shop floor?

[Hobby_Man22]

Everytime I sweep my shop it fills the air with a cloud of dust. Honestly I'm not even sure what it is. I think it's dust from the concrete which can't be good to breathe. I don't know if I need to just open the doors and blow the whole shop out with my backpack blower or what.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I've been using the dust collector as a big shop vac vs using the broom to keep from kicking up the dust.

 

[ez-duzit]

Use sweeping compound.

 

[wssix99]

Use sweeping compound.

+1 You can now get this from Orange (I expect some of the others have it also.) https://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-50-...2EKdagcDVgpcZnINetoaAsF2EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Just sprinkle it down on the area you are sweeping. It clings to all the dust, keeps it from going airborne, and helps you get it up off the floor for good. I also put gloves on and grind this stuff into my epoxy floor and it does a great job pulling up salt and road stains without needing any water.

Without this, you never really get the fine dust up when you sweep. The fines don't so much come from anywhere - they collect. As you observe, they just go airborne and settle back down after you are done sweeping, recycling the process.

 

[Viper98912]

I just put on a quick dust mask, open the door, and use my blower to blow it all out. Then I leave the door open for about 30-60 min just for it to find it's way and settle some.

You'll never get it all out, but it'll be better than when you started

 

[wssix99]

I just put on a quick dust mask, open the door, and use my blower to blow it all out. Then I leave the door open for about 30-60 min just for it to find it's way and settle some.

You'll never get it all out, but it'll be better than when you started

Use sweeping compound. It will change your life.

 

[PWC Repair]

I turn the pump switch off on my hot water fan coil and turn on the blower. The floating dust will get sucked up into the air filter. And then once a year......shop fan in the overhead door with the rest of the opening blocked off. Crack the other overhead or open man door. Fire up the leaf blower and start at one end of the shop stirring up all the dust. The shop fan ***** it all out. Fastest method ever!

 

[jkuro]

Get concrete sealer. https://www.amazon.com/concrete-sealer/s?k=concrete+sealer

 

[SILVERPLATE]

I never sweep, I have Hoover hard floor vacuum. Awesome

 

[Jazz1]

Shop Vac for me,,,,im sure a few guys must have one of those "robot" vacuum cleaners you could let run loose when you step out the door

 

[TriumphFan]

I've never heard of sweeping compound I'll have to give that a try. Thanks.
I've been considering a used Roomba and letting it run at night.

 

[lynnbilodeau]

Is the sweeping compound re-usable? If so, about how many times can you use it before it is used up?

 

[Bill Bowman]

My dad, who did a lot of woodwork, always took sawdust and dampened it pretty good. It seemed to be a pretty good sweeping compound, since it kept the dust down, plus the damp sawdust kind of "mopped" the fine dust up at the same time. You could always see where you were sweeping also, so there were no missed spots.

 

[rlitman]

Is the sweeping compound re-usable? If so, about how many times can you use it before it is used up?

You sprinkle a little on the floor and sweep it up with the dirt you're sweeping. One shot use, but it's cheap. It's basically sawdust with a little oil.

 

[nadogail]

After your sweeping compound gets full of dust, it can be used for fuel.

 

[ar2stp48]

The sweeping compound has been around for many years. It greatly improves sweeping and reduces the dust.

There are two compounds: One is a oil added mix and is a bit courser. The other is a wax added mix. Both work very well. I have wood flooring in the wood shop and like the wax base for it.

These are available at a janitorial supply, the box stores, and on line. Give it a try, think you will it will help your problem.

 

[FMB4]

A lot of good advice in the above. As for me, in the Great Dusty Basin in S. Idaho, a large damp string mop works pretty well. Use, rinse, and repeat...

 

[BillK]

At the shop I use the Zep sweeping compound from Lowes. It has some type of wax in it and actually helps keep the floor cleaner. The fist time I ever use sweeping compound was at one of my first summer jobs in a body shop waaaaay back in 1969

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Zep-50-lb-Floor-Sweeping-Compound/3697666

 

[racecougar]

Sweeping compound and mop the floor once in awhile.

 

[gmcgeo]

I use a dyson floor vac

 

[dcg9381]

Everytime I sweep my shop it fills the air with a cloud of dust. Honestly I'm not even sure what it is. I think it's dust from the concrete which can't be good to breathe. I don't know if I need to just open the doors and blow the whole shop out with my backpack blower or what.

I found that coating the garage floor makes a HUGE difference.

 

[mike93lx]

I never sweep, I have Hoover hard floor vacuum. Awesome

Same here. My last house had a rough, old floor and I always vac'd it. New place has a very nice smooth floor, so I can sweep if I want, but running the vac still does a better job and stops anything from getting in the air

 

[slowtwitch73]

Shop vac

 

[nadogail]

My first garage was obtained when I had to consider every penny of my expenses. I coated the new concrete floor with Thompson's Water Seal.

 

[CraigStu]

I can't imagine sweeping my garage floor. That is why they sell shop vacs. If it is concrete dust, I agree, seal it. I sealed my last add-on bay floor w/ a concrete stain. I could see my roller pattern when it was done. I planned to do another coat the next time the stain was on sale but you know how that goes. Even though it wasn't as nice as it could have been, the stain sealed the concrete and was the least expensive product I could find. A couple of times I put some gouges in the concrete dragging something across it. It was very easy to touch up.

 

[BillK]

Everytime I sweep my shop it fills the air with a cloud of dust. Honestly I'm not even sure what it is. I think it's dust from the concrete which can't be good to breathe. I don't know if I need to just open the doors and blow the whole shop out with my backpack blower or what.

For what its worth . . . . . when I first bought my business the concrete floors in the building were pretty nasty and worn. I went over them with a mop and some serious powdered floor cleaner an got them looking presentable. After that I took some vinyl floor tile wax that was sitting around and put it down with a mop. Once I did that it was a world of difference in the dust and helped keep the place clean. Back then we were working on cars also and the bay where the lift was would get pretty filthy. Once a week I would repeat the wash and wax and it worked pretty good.

My point is if you are not concerned too much about actual appearance I would get it good and clean and mop a coat of wax on it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Sweeping compound is best, but if you're a woodworker just regular old sawdust works too.

 

[zeke67]

Sweeping compound. I grew up in the 70's -80's in the world of carpeted houses and had never heard of sweeping compound. I worked at an old style True Value Hardware store in the late 80's to early 90's and old people would come in and buy this stuff. Back then, your proverbial little old ladies wouldn't shop, they'd just come to the counter and ask for it and we'd go get it from the shelf for them. I had to try this stuff. It flat out works.

 

[i4ni]

Sweeping compound works great at keeping dust to a minimum but requires, Well, "sweeping" lol. A leaf blower is much faster but also stirs up a lot of air born dust in the process but works fairly good especially if your not thrilled about sweeping, like me. Sealing your concrete helps a lot but can make your floor slicker than snot so choose your weapon. P.S sweeping compound can leave a slick residue so it's best to not leave it on for too long of a time before you start sweeping or you might bust your ***. Ask me how I know that.

 

[paulsomlo]

Use sweeping compound.

And I thought you were yanking his crank - I never knew this stuff existed. I try to avoid sweeping; I use a Fein Turbo II with a hepa filter in the shop. Out in the garage, if I sweep, I put on an N95 mask, then I vacate for awhile.

 

[rayra]

Use more drag motion instead of a flick at the end of your broom stroke. I ask my wife NOT to sweep the garage when I'm out there making a mess, because when she does it half the garbage is floating in the air.

 

[ez-duzit]

And I thought you were yanking his crank - I never knew this stuff existed. I try to avoid sweeping; I use a Fein Turbo II with a hepa filter in the shop. Out in the garage, if I sweep, I put on an N95 mask, then I vacate for awhile.

In the old days, with a $2 broom and a few cent$ worth of sweeping compound, we did quietly what you now do noisily dragging around hundred$ in equipment.

 

[bighouse01]

Concrete sealer. No more dust

 

[slowtwitch73]

Shopvac!

 

[bazzateer]

Concrete sealer or paint. Job done.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Concrete sealer or paint. Job done.

That will just rub off.

 

[niget2002]

I have a few different methods of cleaning the floor.

If it's heavy shavings, then I'll sweep. If it's a light dust from sanding or grinding, then I use the shop vac.

I also close all the shop doors before sweeping. The wind blowing through doesn't help anything and tends to just blow dust around as the broom kicks it up.

 

[bighouse01]

That will just rub off.

My sealer hasn’t rubbed off yet. Years now. You can walk on it with socks on, and not get them dirty.

 

[jkuro]

That will just rub off.

Hobby Man, I want some of what you are smoking!

 

[bazzateer]

That will just rub off.

Not if it's done properly.