Sweeping the floor

[Steve from Socal]

This is aimed at the guys with larger shops; what do you use to sweep the floor and how often do you sweep?

Steve

 

[pcgold]

First, I don't have a big shop, just a 3 car garage. I gave up sweeping a long time ago.

Leaf Blower.

Faster, easier and better.

 

[PsRumors]

I sweep my 32x40 once a week in the open areas and move everything away from the walls at least once a month. I am working on getting as much off the floor as possible so I can sweap more often.

I used a leaf blower once but it seemed to make more of a mess. So much dust flying around that I couldn't get out the door.

 

[Dickey]

The main floor of my shop is 1200sf. I generally try to sweep it with a pushbroom and flathead shovel everytime I have cars out of the bays.

 

[JimVonBaden]

It depends on your floor surface. If it is very smooth, like VCT, then a large dust mop works best. If it is rough concrete, then a push broom works best. It also depends on what you are sweeping. If it is just dust that is one thing, if it is debris from real work, then that is another.

Jim

 

[Gary S]

How often I sweep depends on how big a mess I'm making. Usually, it doesn't need cleaning, but if I'm cutting wood or something else that makes lots of mess, I simply sweep when I finish the job.
A push broom does a nice job.

The simple answer that is right for everybody is, "Sweep when it needs it."

 

[ArkTinkerer]

This assumes I can see the floor under all the accumulation of parts and debris...Yeah, I have much bigger issues than sweeping right now!

 

[Bronson]

My career in aviation, including some contract work for NASA, makes Me a little **** about a clean shop. I used to move everything out and sweep and then mop with bleach water, every other week. The more crowded My shop gets, I now just sweep and mop about once a month. With the rubber mats on the floor, a 22 foot sailboat, two motorcycle lifts, and 12 motorcycles,three work benches, and drill press, and other standing equipment, it is getting crowded. Now, I basically mop up the crushed pork rinds (Barbeque Flavored) and the spilled beer...... The Red Floor Sweep is a real help for big areas.

 

[jf781]

Haven't swept in over 2 years.... Also have a gravel floor.

The only good part about it is I don't have to really clean anything except for the big chunks.

 

[HAP]

Most of my clean-up involves the vacuum cleaner. If I complete a job that requires clean-up, I end up vacuuming the the whole 40x60 shop. Most everything is off of the floor to where I can clean under it. If it's just dirt from the lawnmower tires then I just sweep it out the door. Anything else gets vacuumed. I try to avoid sweeping the welding beads out onto the driveway to avoid the rust specs.

HAP

 

[Chris Adams]

Epoxy 24x28 shop. Sweep as needed. My shop is very tight, so sometimes a month goes by and it's still clean.
Mop as needed, with real mop and bucket, the full size one, got it at Smart and Final, after trying some small stuff and hating it. I like a wringer that has some power.

I don't use compressed air or blowers of any sort because that dirt goes up in the air first, then around and into everything. For every pound sprayed out the door, an ounce or so ends up deposited in tool box drawers, walls, bins, etc.

This may be different some places, here, we have desert sand and dust, blows around very easily.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

I use a neighbor's 11 year old son.

 

[ZipSnafu]

We push the broom around my 40 x 60 shop for the most part. Blowing the dust just makes a bigger mess.

 

[slickgt1]

Rumba. LOL, no it would die. I just hose it once every couple of months. Vacuum after I make a huge mess, and sweep the loose **** about once a week.

 

[DCarr]

40x30 here and sweep whenever needed. Could be a few days in a row, could be weeks in between sweepings ( like right now ).

 

[machine_punk]

I usually do a sweep up after I complete major fabrication (all the cutting/grinding/sanding) on a project, then a sweep up and put away all the tools after I complete a project.

 

[ozyborn]

Floor level sweeps to the dust collector inputs. It works great for me.
Other I put my kids to work. I pay them nothing. But I do give them food.

 

[gorilla]

I think that sweeping is a poor way to clean, why push dirt around? I use a shop vacuum to clean my floors. If I have a large mess of chips around the mill or lathe I broom them up.

 

[outcast99]

I sweep after bigger jobs. Other then that I leave it, but only because the footings and foundation wasn't poured right when it was built (early 90's) and the dirt comes in under the walls. From there it distributes around the shop evenly and just pisses me off...

 

[regguy1]

I bought an 18V Ryobi cordless leaf blower, works great for cleaning the shop floor, also get dust ect. from under toolbox and bench. I find myself keeping the floor cleaner now because the cordless blower is so convenient the use.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003X1BVDS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[AMCguy]

I can't stand grit under my feet. It's worse than fingernails on a blackboard or biting into a piece of tinfoil.

I sweep with a high quality broom made for smooth concrete surfaces. I do the whole place several times a week. I'll sweep out a bay as soon as I move out a vehicle. I sweep or vacuum my work area several times throughout a task. I have two door mats outside and one inside each door. Did I mention I can't stand grit under my feet?

I'm thinking of mounting a "built-in" canister type vacuum on the post of my lift that's closest to the centre of my garage. I'll exhaust it to the outdoors. With a standard thirty foot hose I should be able to get into every corner of the place.

 

[larry_g]

I use a leaf vac as pictured below. It works in the shop, deck, patio, driveway and other places. I will not blow dirt out the door of the shop, it will just be brought in with the next rig.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[rlitman]

I've got an ugly concrete floor, and I sweep with a push broom and green sweeping compound. I've found that without the compound, nothing cleans up the grinding dust too well.

 

[Steve from Socal]

I asked a loaded question; with about 37K sq feet with out this it would be a full time job!

Steve

 

[Turu]

I sweep 3000sq. ft. of bare concrete with a regular broom every week or so. I found the push brooms only help me to get the bigger stuff out of the way, but all the dust stays where it was. During the week, when a car leaves the lift, I connect my blow gun to the air line and I give that zone a quick going over to keep all the dirt and dust away from the work area. It gets very tiring at times, but most of the weeks I could walk there with my bare foot (not that I would).

 

[Steevo]

Now, I basically mop up the crushed pork rinds (Barbeque Flavored) and the spilled beer......

What a waste of good pork rhinds!


I sweep up the large curly metal stuff, and vacuum the rest with shop vacs.

But I may not qualify as a "large" shop.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

The kid does it. I think a broom is used, although perhaps a goat or a pot belly pig, I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Bad Jackson]

I sweep with soft bristled push-broom every week. To get under shelving and toolboxes, I suggest giving your 4 year old a pair of ear plugs and a shop vac.
36 X 40.

 

[JCQuick]

I have just a 3 car attached. The wlking areas at least once a week with the shop vac and anytime a car moves out(they are all projects cept for my race car)it gets a mop to it

 

[jvitez]

Sweep when there's a big accumulation of sand during the winter, otherwise lots of vacuuming. I have a Shop-Vac for the basement and a Ridgid for the garage.

 

[A_Pmech]

I asked a loaded question; with about 37K sq feet with out this it would be a full time job!

Steve

Do you drive around with the same blank way the hell off in space look I used to have when I pulled that job? Ours wasn't that nice though. It was held together with bungee straps.

 

[trackwelder]

This assumes I can see the floor under all the accumulation of parts and debris...Yeah, I have much bigger issues than sweeping right now!

Me too........

 

[jdaallen]

Leaf blowers may be ok for moving "stuff" off the floor, but all your doing is redistributing the "stuff" onto all other horizontal surfaces in the garage. Very little debris goes out the door. Been there done that and it don't work.

 

[Deltarat]

I sweep once a week or so and vacuum every now and then. My 2 year old grandson was in the shop the other day and wanted to play with the shop vac. He vacuumed under everything and in the corners. I know I probably lost a stray nut or washer, but he got it clean and had a great time.

 

[Ck1]

After sweeping my 40x60 a half dozen times, I bought a push style floor sweeper from northern tool. It's completely manual and works great. I still need to use a push broom or air to get around the work benches.

 

[jdaallen]

This is the only way to get a clean dust free floor IMO

 

[scotstern]

I have race deck tiles and all I have to do is hit it with the shop vac and once in while mop it. It is great on staying clean. I also used it in my garage.

 

[jdaallen]

I have race deck tiles and all I have to do is hit it with the shop vac and once in while mop it. It is great on staying clean. I also used it in my garage.

WOW!! That is one fantastic looking shop. How could you ever have the heart to get it dirty???

 

[browntown]

I use the blower for quick blow out, the shopvac when I really care about cleaning up, and a push broom when I'm too lazy to pull out the other two. None of them are ideal, but they keep things marginally under control.

Every few months I dump the concrete cleaner out and brush all the grease smudges and oil stains. I'm really much to messy to have a tiled garage floor.

Oh, and the magnastick *FIRST* so I don't end up blowing a socket or odd bolt out in the driveway or worse. I recently lost a torx socket because I forgot to magnastick my mess first.

 

[bofg33]

I sweep my 30 x 50 everytime I make a mess, I use a soft bristle shop broom for smooth concrete, and then green sweeping compound with a 36 inch dustmop, I had cure and seal applied when my floor was poured, the sweeping compound leaves a nice clean shiny finish.