A customer in Flagstaff said my cleanout was too messy

They pointed out the soot dust on their patio and said it looked like I didn't care. I used to just sweep it into a pile and bag it. Now I bring a small shop vac for the hearth area and lay down a bigger tarp. It adds maybe 5 minutes but keeps everything spotless. What's your best trick for keeping the work area clean?

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3 Comments

stone.sarah5mo ago

Try a damp cloth on the bricks before you start. It weighs down the fine ash so it doesn't fly around when you sweep. Learned that after tracking soot onto a light colored carpet once.

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victor_butler505mo ago

Hey, does @stone.sarah's damp cloth trick work on stone patios too?

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lee_ward543mo ago

Why would you want to trap MORE ash against the stone? That just makes a wet muddy paste that's a PAIN to sweep up later. I tried it on my flagstone walkway and ended up with gray streaks that took a pressure washer to remove. Dry sweeping catches the loose stuff just fine, the fine ash settles quick enough if you start from the far end and work your way out.

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