Cleaning the shop is killin me

[jack duren]

Years of caked saw dust on everything. Even with George Foreman in my corner I'm out in two....

It's going to be a lot of work. Hope George holds up....

[Martin Wasner]

Years of caked saw dust on everything. Even with George Foreman in my corner I'm out in two....

It's going to be a lot of work. Hope George holds up....

Winter sucks.

Dust mask. Warmer weather. Breezy day. Windows and doors open.

Party with a leaf blower.

In the spring, I can get my shop from dirty mess from being bottled up for six months to looking like a tool showroom in a few hours, where there is basically no dust in there at all.

[jack duren]

I'm having to pull a lot out to get the packed dust behind everything. Trying not to kill the shop vac or dust collector. Broom and dust pan for awhile.

[David Freed]

I will put off cleaning as long as I can. Once I get started it doesn't seem that bad.

[jack duren]

Pick one..................

[jack duren]

Or another..............

[Chris Schoenthal]

Jack, I wish that I was a little closer to you.
I'd help you get a couple of those wood piles out of your way.

[Bruce Page]

I wouldn't know where to start. You definitely need a storage shed (or a trip to the dump) to get rid of all the none shop paraphernalia.

[jack duren]

Not really that much for the dump. The tomato buckets and cages gotta go. Behind that is a 12'-16' pile of 8/4 Sapele, walnut, oak and maple..

[James Gunning]

Wow, that is a bit beyond a leaf blower. Mine looks nearly as cluttered as that, but most of it is my wifes crap that was supposed to be garage-saled months ago.

[David Freed]

My shop looked like that when I decided to start woodworking again. I built a few more shelves and just took it one thing at a time. When you look at the whole mess it overwhelms you. When you reach down and pick up one thing, it's easy to decide what to do with it.

It took me 2 whole days to get everything put away or thrown away. When I was done, I still didn't have enough room to make cabinets, so this project got started - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...-On-To-My-Shop

[Charles Lent]

Everything that is not woodworking related needs to go. I see a big storage shed in your future. The leaf blower can wait.

Charley

[William Fretwell]

Thanks for posting that! Now I just need to vacuum a little. That's why you need a high ceiling in a workshop, when you need some relief just look up!
Purging is good! Purging is good! Just keep saying it Jack.
Lee Valley had a poster a while back of a deplorable work shop, BUT on the workbench was an exquisite small table just finished.
Start with the workbench, then create a clean zone around it. Make the zone bigger as you purge. Tape off a corner on the floor. If it won't fit in 'crap corner' then it's garbage.
The Japanese have a method, they remove all the good stuff then the rest is garbage and they re-install the good stuff and start again.
We call it moving!

[Martin Wasner]

As a hobbyist, I'm able to do that a little more frequently, but I don't envy you pros relative to this issue because cleaning time unfortunately is production down-time, particularly if you work alone or with just a helper or two. Everybody needs to be busy working on revenue generation most of the time...

I like a clean shop. I've worked in sorry filth holes where we weren't allowed to touch a broom, and I've worked in places that were spotless. Spotless is more productive and worth the time spent keeping things clean and organized. I think it gives a boost in moral and pride you're not stuffed into a dusty dungeon. It also portrays your business better keeping things tidy. Not to mention it's safer for your health and I think it lowers chances for injury from stupid things like tripping.

[David Freed]

I like a clean shop. I've worked in sorry filth holes where we weren't allowed to touch a broom, and I've worked in places that were spotless. Spotless is more productive and worth the time spent keeping things clean and organized. I think it gives a boost in moral and pride if you're not stuffed into a dusty dungeon. It also portrays your business better keeping things tidy. Not to mention it's safer for your health and I think it lowers chances for injury from stupid things like tripping.

The part of your post that I highlighted is only true for some people. You like a clean shop so you notice dirt and dust. There are some people, like me, that don't even notice dust and dirt unless I stop and look for it

If you sneaked into my shop at night and gave it a thorough cleaning, but didn't move anything, the next morning when I came in, I would probably have to stand there for a little bit to figure out what looks different.

The rest of your post I completely agree with and is the only reason I even think about trying to keep things fairly clean.