Talked to an old timer who cleans with dry cloths only

Met a guy at the supply shop who's been sweeping 40 years and he said he never wets his cloths. Told me wet cloths just push soot deeper into the brick. Tried it on a job yesterday and the difference was wild. Anyone else ditch the water for dry work?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris_jones891mo ago

The thing nobody's mentioning is how much less elbow grease you use with dry cloths. @mason_flores21 once you stop fighting that wet gritty mess your arms aren't as tired at the end of the day. I noticed my cloths last longer too because they're not getting caked with damp soot that hardens between uses. Dry microfiber just flicks the dust off and you can shake them out instead of soaking them.

mason_flores211mo ago

Wait you mean he never wets them at all?? That blows my mind because I always thought you needed at least a little moisture to get the job done. I tried dry cloths on a fireplace last week and the brick just came clean in like half the time. No more turning everything into muddy mess that drips down the wall. The old timer was right about not pushing that black sludge deeper into the pores too.