Just realized my old way of dealing with Westlake road salt was making a mess

For years, I'd just use a regular broom to sweep the salt and grit off my garage floor and it would just kick up dust everywhere. About six months ago, I saw a neighbor using a damp mop on their concrete driveway apron. I tried it with a cheap string mop and a bucket of warm water with a little dish soap. It picks up all the residue without the cloud of dust, and my garage floor actually looks clean now. It takes maybe 10 extra minutes once a week, but it's worth it. Has anyone found a better solution for keeping the salt off the floor without tracking it all inside?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerp202mo ago

Saw a tip online about using a squeegee first to push most of the wet salt slush out.

thomas832mo ago

My dad tried that squeegee trick last winter in Buffalo. It works okay on a flat driveway, but on our sloped sidewalk it just made a bigger mess. The slush would slide right back down before you could shovel it. I found a heavy duty pusher shovel works better for that wet, heavy stuff. You get more control to actually lift it into a pile.

cora5621mo ago

@skylerp20 makes a good point but garage mats are the real game changer here. A heavy rubber mat at the door catches most of the salt and slush before it even hits the floor. Once a week just roll it up and dump it outside, no mopping or sweeping needed.