waddiejohn Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I like to keep my shop pretty clean and to that end I mop it once or twice per week. There is always a dull film on it however and it looks dirty. It is a painted concrete floor and I mop it using Simple Green or the Zep purple stuff and sometimes just plan water. Results is always the same after it drys. The film wipes off, but it is a 1200 square foot shop and I'm not going to wipe it by hand. So, I'm just curious how others do it or am I just too picky. Thanks for any replys I might receive. Waddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nizm0Zed Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 clean???????? but seriously, we used to use truckwash. I have no idea what it was actually called, thats just what we called it. hot water and the mop allways seemed to work better though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCchris Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 So, I'm just curious how others do it or am I just too picky. Thanks for any replys I might receive. Waddie Too picky??? I use my leaf blower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Our shop floor was bare concrete. Whenever it needed a good cleaning we used powdered laundry detergent and scrubbed it with a floor broom that had the bristles cut short. After that we rinsed it with water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Any of the degreaser style cleaners will leave a film. You need to go over it again with a regular floor cleaner (Mop 'n Glow) that adds a shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowCarbZ Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I never have an empty garage to clean, there's alway some project going on. That's the trick at least. As long as you sweep up and remove anything hazardous, just keep the projects coming along and you won't notice it's dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slown280z Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Scrub with detergent, then use a power washer to get it off. If there's still spots/residue, I've had good luck with the gummy/liquid type of oil "lifters". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 clean? I have limestone chip down in the vehicle bays, and the workshop has rough cast concrete... I just kick anythin in the way under the bench where I won't trip on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I get the boy to use Tide. It works like mad to degrease the floor, and rinses clean. Learned that trick working at McDonalds. You wanna talk about a GREASY floor? When we took over a distributor in Milpitas, the floor was unsealed concrete looked TERRIBLE and the resident 'technicians' wouldn't clean it because 'It was a machine shop before, and you can't get the oil out of the floor, it weeps every time the humidity comes up.' It was a dull sheen that would get humidity droplets on it like the floor was 'weeping water' from the slab, but it was just that the surface was oil-sealed and the water just beaded up. Got slippery as hell, and that was unacceptable. One weekend, with nothing to do (need a life?) I set upon the thing with a couple boxes of Tide Detergent and a mop/brush. Swabbed it and let it sit. Worked it in with a brush. Added more. After about a day of sitting there and working it, I hosed it all into the bay... Guess what? White Concrete Floor. Epoxy coated that next weekend! Powdered or Liquid (Concentrated)Laundry Soap is really good if you can get it on, wet, and let it soak. DON'T let it dry out, keep it wet, and move it around every once and a while. Drinking beer during this time makes for good entertainment... Once it's sealed, then you can use a lot less detergent, and they rinse clean and clear 'squeaky clean'. Were I to do it again, I'd swab more, let it sit, and then go at it with a Zero-Degree Pressure Washer Nozzle, or a Steam Jenny rather than scrubbing with a broom. That's why I paint/seal my concrete! Cleanup is a snap. Curiously, the weekend after I painted the floor, the alarm went off at 3AM on a Saturday evening (Sunday AM) and the boss called me to go check it out since he was in Chicago, and I was in the Holiday Inn two exits down... Got there to find one of our techs tweaking like crazy, and had removed EVERY tool from his service body truck, laid them on the freshly painted floor in rows (I WISH I could have taken a photo!) and he was methodically wiping them all down and muttering to himself over and over about how he 'didn't have time during the week and my tools needed to be cleaned' Ahhh, O.K. My lack of a life suddenly didn't seem so bad. "Bob, Chris is out in the shop cleaning his tools..." The reply: "Uh...O.K. just stay there till he's done, and make sure it's locked up when he leaves. Oh, and get his key from him!" Thanks, Bob! If I'd never cleaned and painted the floor... A clean floor does invite that kind of thing, you know! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddiejohn Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Great tips and good stories. Thanks, Waddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddiejohn Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Slown280z, where to heck is lower arizona? Waddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckolander Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Slown280z, where to heck is lower arizona?Waddie I think it's right underneath upper Arizona...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I use a fresh layer of transmission fluid and oil to cover up the old stains. Works every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Scott Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Its painted, heated, lots of windows looking over yard and beautiful gardens. Vacuum, light dusting, few times a year wipe down. I don't keep it too clean as I like to have a place where the kids and I can do no wrong with projects. Lately it has the characteristic smell of a classic 75 year old garage with the strong overtones of 90W and gasoline mostly due to a recent differential swap and track day. This evening I went out and worked on resetting the carb for our much lower altitude events. Started it up, purred like a tiger. Ahhhhh, dust, oil, burnt gasoline. I inhaled deeply..... and loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 When I worked at BMW and Honda I used to take kitty litter or oil dri absorbant granules, spread them over an oil slick soaked in the concrete, and then grind the powder into the concrete with a brick. This really soaks the oil out of the concrete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddiejohn Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 CKOLANDER, I think you've spent too many winters in the upper part of the COUNTRY. The rest of you wiseguys are funny too. Thanks for the chuckles. Waddie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 Kitty litter works really well. We use it for any oil spots. Pour some on and then rub it in with your foot. no more spot. :] And instead of tossing it when you're done, brush it up and reuse until it gets a nasty color, it will usually keep absorbing. That dry film is from all the suspended particles I would think. For instance, I had to wipe my car down several times before painting because one wipe would dry and leave residue. If you have a drain in the floor like at our place you can get a water hose and a broom, spray and sweep several times. We don't like using any detergents or chemicals near the cars and we aren't too picky about whether the floor shines or not, just like it to be clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeleriousZ Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 I usually use my shoes, a good scuff here and there works well. When I'm really feeling motivated, a good stern glare does the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 Concrete Etcher works very well if you rub it in. Wear a mask, it's 20+ % phosphoric acid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 Concrete Etcher works very well if you rub it in. Wear a mask, it's 20+ % phosphoric acid. Sounds fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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