Shop Cleanliness Tips and Tricks

The hardest part for me is knowing where my tools are when I have several projects going at one time. I have started assembling tools in my shed for the lawn mowers and equipment to minimize what I rob from the garage. Until I have them all duplicated, I figure I will have that problem. It seems I make multiple trips across the back yard to get something out of my building. I use my leaf blower to clean out also.
 
Thought of a useful tip...

When my friends or family use the shop, with our without my presence, I tell them do NOT put the tools back where they got them, basically because they may not remember where they go...they're told to put them on the workbench, so I can put them back...so as to know what, if anything was misplaced. Instead of me coming back to search for something and it not assumed to be lost but rather just in the wrong spot. Helps my ocd to know...ya know...

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As for spiders, my big guy gave me some industrial chemical that I could spray with, but it only kills the ones you spray. There apparently isn't a repelant. None of it works on spiders. So basically, no different Han stomped by them when you see them.
 
I put tools away after each job is completed, daily. Each socket, wrench and hand tool has its own place in an organizer. So.it is easy to see if something is missing.
Also I do the leaf blower clean out trick as well. I double down by putting my 48" fan by the garage door and blowing the shop debris towards the fan.
Pallet racks keep seasonal items (Reddy Heater and furnace) out if the way and also allow me to keep most items off the ground.
My shop is 1600 SQ feet with 175 of it being office and pisser. So every little bit helps.
 
My shops in the back of my Jeep, tools get put up when I'm done with a job. Socket rails, roll up wrench organizers ftw. Even though it's overpacked, because everything has it's place I can always find a given tool quickly. Otoh, I've gota carport and 12x12 trans/ general shop building behind it for tools, press, specialty stuff I don't need every day. There's wrench racks in the drawers and just a bunch of mix matched quintuple sets of sockets that get used on anything @ the home shop so I don't have to pack everything back up to go to work somewhere else. It always gets put up at the end of the job. However the car port collects good usable used parts and stuff, so even though it's 18' wide, only one car fits. Usually about every 3 months, I or a broke person that calls me friend hauls everything scrap off and then I usually need something that went. Leaf blower to clean the shop building and carport unless in the middle of a trans or motor build and then it's positively no sweeping, vacuuming, or blowing.
 
Her side was a disaster for the past couple of months. Two engines, a transmission, extra rear end, push mower, and tools from my back porch project....everywhere. Finally got the motor and trans set in my truck, bought a stand for the other engine, put away all the tools, made a ghetto mini carport for the push mower to stay under behind the garage where it belongs and just piled the rest in the bed of the 62.

And I know my axe is crooked....and its driving me crazy now :rolleyes:

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jcramsey said:
Her side was a disaster for the past couple of months. Two engines, a transmission, extra rear end, push mower, and tools from my back porch project....everywhere. Finally got the motor and trans set in my truck, bought a stand for the other engine, put away all the tools, made a ghetto mini carport for the push mower to stay under behind the garage where it belongs and just piled the rest in the bed of the 62.

And I know my axe is crooked....and its driving me crazy now :rolleyes:

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Also looks like your wagon needs a front end alignment :p
 
I have a spot for every tool. Sockets are all on Hansen trays, at home and work, wrenches are in drawers with shadowed foam liners, cabinets up on the wall and shelves for things in plastic cases like my ball joint press. I have big hooks on the walls for c clamps, extension cord, drop lights and spare air hoses.

I put a sealer on the concrete floor in my personal shop, epoxy coating works good too, that really keeps dust down. You can use a regular push broom then go back over it with one of those fuzzy janitor dust mops. I use a regular mop and diluted purple power on any chemical spills like oil or brake fluid. The only downside is gasoline will remove the sealer. We have the floor sealed at work too.

The biggest tip is to get into the habit of cleaning up EVERY night you work out there. At the end of every night in the shop I take 15-20 minutes to put up all the tools, sweep up especially where you've been working. Having the tools organized makes it easy to see if one is missing. If I start having to look for a tool, I stop and put everything away and sweep before I go back to it. Sometimes I'll do the same after disassembly before reassembly on a big job like head gaskets or something.

Once a month or after a big project like a lift kit or axle swap I'll use the air blower to blow out the corners and I'll sweep and mop around the semi permanent fixtures and all the open areas.

Once a year just after time change i move everything out of the shop that touches the floor except the air compressor, I blow the shop out with air or leaf blower including the shelves, I sweep, dust mop, wet mop, then reseal the floor. Then I move everything back in. It takes about 5-6 hours in my 24x30 shop, but it's just for working on things and storing my hot rod, riding mower and tractor. All the toys and furniture and other stuff goes in a shed or the house garage. The spring cleaning is also when I service the parts washer and wipe the dust off everything like the engine stand, press and hoist.

Every two to three years I'll go through all my shelves and the loft and throw out shit that I haven't touched since the last purge. That's the only way I don't get killed by a hoarding pile collapse.

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shawn said:
A leaf blower will cut that time by 90%.
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I went to the flea market a couple of years ago and bought two electric leaf blowers for $20. Best 20 I ever spent on a tool.
I can blow out the garage in seconds.
 
jcramsey said:
Her side was a disaster for the past couple of months. Two engines, a transmission, extra rear end, push mower, and tools from my back porch project....everywhere. Finally got the motor and trans set in my truck, bought a stand for the other engine, put away all the tools, made a ghetto mini carport for the push mower to stay under behind the garage where it belongs and just piled the rest in the bed of the 62.

And I know my axe is crooked....and its driving me crazy now :rolleyes:

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Take that chop saw back you borrowed and that will free up some space....or are you using it for a wheel scotch for the '62? I had fun searching for the axe on my tiny phone screen. It's was like "where's waldo"... but with tools!
 
ramjo said:
Take that chop saw back you borrowed and that will free up some space....or are you using it for a wheel scotch for the '62? I had fun searching for the axe on my tiny phone screen. It's was like "where's waldo"... but with tools!
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Don't need a chock for the 62.....the oval front passenger takes care of that for me.

Was thinking more about storage. For those that are short on space like me, I keep a lot of stuff up on the ceiling joists of my garage. Sheetrock and paint would look nice, but that would limit the length of what I can put up there. I've got everything from 18' pieces of crown molding and conduit, coolers and beach gear, to running boards for the Toyota 4Runner I sold 3 years ago :rolleyes:


Also....her side didn't stay empty very long...:p

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My wife and I spent the other week cleaning up the shop and moving things around. Still have a little more to do but almost have the shop organized.
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I bought a lot of storage cabinets and drawers off ebay and offer up over the last year. Probably only spent $100 on the green ones under bench, the larger cabinet with drawers to the left of my drill press, 2 shelfs in the corner to the right of my press, and one more cabinet that's not visible behind my 10 year never going to wheel again project.
 
One of the best things I did was buy a nice storage shed for the backyard. I only have $120 in it after some horse trading but it has really helped clean my shop up. It's 10x12 and packed full of large tools like engine hoist, engine stand, tube bender, miter saw, table saw, generators, paint sprayer, vibrating plate compactor, spare parts, and several other large things that I don't use daily and were taking up a lot of space.
 
Best thing I've done in awhile, now my bench that it was sitting on doesn't have to get covered in metal dust anymore.. as for the rest of my shop.. it's a total wreck.
 

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This big ass cabinet/peg board is pretty cool:

 
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