mop or squeegee for snow melt in the garage?

[Innovate1]

The guy that did the epoxy floor suggested a squeegee for dealing with water. Floor has a significant slope and snow brought in on vehicles is about the only time it's an issue. I knocked off the snow from wheel wells, etc and got a little water on the floor and now have dried spots of dirt from the evaporated snow. Thinking a mop and bucket with wringer (which I have) may be better - at least this time. May end up with both as an 18" squeegee is under $10 at the big box stores.

 

[The Cobbler]

you're right, both would be a good choice

 

[Jazz1]

I use my shop vac for sucking up the water in garage in winter i also have a 1” wide strip of plastic going around the inside perimeter of garage to keep water from flowing under work benches and to the walls.. my vehicles only come into garage if they need service.

 

[whateg01]

Some of you take better care of the garage floor than I do of the kitchen. Good grief. It's a garage

 

[mike93lx]

If a squeegee works, I'd use that over a mop.

 

[Youngandfree]

I'd use a 36" squeegee

 

[Racer_X]

I use a Libman floor squeegee, like this one.
Bonus: It's made in the U.S.A.

 

[Mrdix18]

I respect your cleanliness habits and only wish I could follow that effort with my garage , I am not familiar with the weather in your state as well .
I live in upstate - central new York area , on average we recieve around 120 inches of snow a year … I typically push the big piles of snow out of the garage with a snow shovel as it falls off vehicles or falls into the garage as one opens the overhead door .
in the spring I pressure wash the epoxy coated floor to remove the seasons accumulated debris.

 

[LS1-IROC]

I prefer a squeegee as it's very quick to get majority of the water out.

 

[Stuart in MN]

A squeegee pushes water around, while a mop picks it up. If you want the water to go down a drain or out the door, use a squeegee, if you don't have a place for it to go use a mop.

I use a squeegee (or a shovel, depending on the temperature) to get slush and melted water out the door.

 

[racecougar]

In my attached garage, I squeegee out the majority and let the dehumidifier deal with the rest. Mopping would be a waste of time, as more dirt will track in as soon as a car moves in/out. The floor gets swept semi-often, but I've never considered mopping it.

The squeegee works well, IMO.

 

[Viper98912]

I squeegee, no point in giving myself extra work with a mop.

 

[Higgins]

you're right, both would be a good choice

I use a 24 and 36 in squeeze on the garage floor as well as walkways and driveway!

 

[mike93lx]

The right answer

 

[finn]

Flat bottom snow shovel, followed by a squeegee if the ice on the floor melts. Then, if everything dries out, use a push broom.

Mop the floor in April when the daily snowfall ends. Anytime earlier is futile and a waste of effort if you live in the snow belt.

 

[Gangly]

Push Broom with Squeegee

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Libman-24-in-High-Power-Heavy-Duty-Multi-Surface-Squeegee-Push-Broom-with-Brace-and-Steel-Handle-1230/312913425

 

[lolaetype]

Some of you take better care of the garage floor than I do of the kitchen. Good grief. It's a garage

It's where we play. Why not keep it nice.

 

[whateg01]

It's where we play. Why not keep it nice.

If I spent the time to keep the grinding and welding dust and machine chips and whatever else cleaned up and spotless, I would just be a tool polisher. There's actual work to be done.

 

[mike93lx]

If I spent the time to keep the grinding and welding dust and machine chips and whatever else cleaned up and spotless, I would just be a tool polisher. There's actual work to be done.

You can get work done and have a clean work space. They aren't mutually exclusive

 

[whateg01]

You can get work done and have a clean work space. They aren't mutually exclusive

 

[charbar]

These Flex Blade squeegees are the bees knees. On my floor they work way better than a normal rubber or silicone bladed one.

#1014 Professional Flex-Blade Floor Squeegee

The Professional Flex-Blade Floor Squeegee is a flexible-blade floor squeegee for uneven surfaces. It’s great for industrial sites, driveways, and garages.Key FeaturesThreads into a standard handleFlexible rubber blade mounted perfectly straight to remove water from the deepest cracks and rough...

libmanpro.com

 

[Byrdnyrd]

Squeegee is the Answer! I use a flex blade like the one above, works awesome! I typically open my garage door about 3” and send the water outside! It’s a heated garage so snow on the Cars quickly turns to a lot of water.

Mop-Bucket-wringing-emptying……..fugetaboutit

Cheers,
BN

 

[jhelrey]

I have a floor drain. I'll use a squeegee to help things along a little faster or because I want it to dry out sooner.

 

[MOS3522]

Push broom to move big water and squeegee to finish. Then a box fan/ventilator fan to keep it dry.


ETA: Big water means ice and snow chunks.

 

[thammel]

I bought and still have a snow melt catch mat. It's large enough to fit under my car. Has raised edges to contain the water. It then evaporates and keeps salt off the floor.

 

[lolaetype]

You can get work done and have a clean work space. They aren't mutually exclusive

I agree. In my opinion, a clean garage is a safer garage. Fewer trip and slip hazards, less chance to contaminate projects, easier to find dropped items. It's also easier to get things done and get them done more efficiently.

 

[csp]

I wished I had kept up with the snow melt in my old garage which had an epoxy floor. I did have a couple of areas of damage from welding and moving a Dana 60 front axle across that floor and the mag chloride in that snowmelt was causing the epoxy to lift.

 

[Innovate1]

Flat bottom snow shovel, followed by a squeegee if the ice on the floor melts. Then, if everything dries out, use a push broom.

Mop the floor in April when the daily snowfall ends. Anytime earlier is futile and a waste of effort if you live in the snow belt.

I wouldn't say we live in the snow belt. We get a few snows a season usually and they are pretty small. No reason to leave crud on the floor for months between snows. The garage is mostly for parking cars and light work - nothing too messy. Have a detached garage for more serious work.

 

[Innovate1]

The right answer

Obvious GJ answer. And a garage addition to store it!

 

[mikedodge]

Squeegee. Mop and bucket takes too long and you'll never use it.

If the snow is only from driving and not bringing something in to clear off you'll probably find that if evaporates pretty quickly or you end up not squeeging it too, we never did.

 

[mikedodge]

I wouldn't say we live in the snow belt. We get a few snows a season usually and they are pretty small. No reason to leave crud on the floor for months between snows. The garage is mostly for parking cars and light work - nothing too messy. Have a detached garage for more serious work.

OK, disregard the end of my last comment. Here pretty much every time you go out in the winter you're dragging something cold and messy back in.

 

[shade]

Being new to the snow I was irritated how snow melt leaves such a mess.
Being from AZ never had to think about things like this.

After the first snow and having it pool in the barn, I got a car containment mat

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBYPKFBC?tag=atomicindus08-20

Snow drops onto that and evaporates quicker than on the concrete, but I can yank it outside and empty the water quickly.
Squeegee on hand just in case