Getting in Trouble for Metal Chips in the House

[Lloyd-ss]

My shop is in a nice heated/cooled garage attached to the house. Everything is one one level, no steps anywhere. I have a sink and such in the shop but have to go inside the house for the bathroom (or occasionally out the back door).
Try as I might, there are always chips that get tracked into the house. I have a rough jute rug to scrub my shoes off with, but I don't want to change shoes every time I go in or out. Does anyone have any suggestions.

I have to mention that we have a couple of cats and they occasionally like to come in and say hello and let me know they are hungry. I try to blame them for tracking the chips into the house, but my wife isn't buying it. One of the cats has a real attitude and yawns at me when I mention the chips.



Tidiness is not her concern.

 

[trackmaggot]

Tack/sticky mats. The cleanroom grade is expensive, but a cardboard sheet layered with double sided tape works.

 

[ShopShoe]

I use a coarse-bristle brush to pull the chips out of the rubber soles of my shoes. The ritual is: sweep floor, brush off shoes over "dirt" pile (while wearing them), sweep again, then wipe feet on mat I have at the shop door. (I do have to admit that my main shop is not in or attached to the house.) I do also try to leave the shop shoes just inside the house door if I'm going to be inside for awhile. It also helps that we have wood and vinyl flooring in all but the bedrooms: Easily swept and mopped.

--ShopShoe (whose avatar picture captures the chips in the shoes as well as the paint and grease on them.)

 

[Lloyd-ss]

ShopShoe, those chips embedded in the soles give decent traction in an icy parking lot.

 

[SmithDoor]

Take off shoe in shop.
I have try everything. The only thing that work is a set shoes for hobby shop.

Your clothes will also hold ships too. I will use a shop coat too.

Dave

 

[delalio]

id have a conversaion with the cat in the video!

 

[davidl]

I found the best thing was to have a a pair of slip on steel cap boots in the workshop. Easy to change into household slippers for a dash to the bathroom. Like you my shop is a well appointed, insulated and air conditioned garage - the car sits outside.

 

[Lloyd-ss]

id have a conversaion with the cat in the video!

The little foot flourish at the end says it all. We do tend to get stupid when it comes to our pets.

 

[Lloyd-ss]

I found the best thing was to have a a pair of slip on steel cap boots in the workshop. Easy to change into household slippers for a dash to the bathroom. Like you my shop is a well appointed, insulated and air conditioned garage - the car sits outside.

Having a car taking up valuable machine space in the shop just feels wrong.

I think the most practical solution for my situation is to have a pair of shop shoes. When its muddy outside I change into "hose shoes" when I come inside, so I guess I could do the same for the shop. Just pretend like the shop is a muddy garden. That will add a whole minute to the process of raiding the refrigerator for a snack. Darn.

 

[Tim1974]

Yer don’t where your boots inside!

 

[Lloyd-ss]

Yer don’t where your boots inside!

Ha ha, You funny guy!
You don't stay married 40 years wearing muddy boots inside. The cat can wipe its butt on the rug, but I rank below the cat.

 

[Tim1974]

Lol I have a cat to she is a good one but I work in the trade fiiter and turner and I get swarf every where never do my boots come inside and still I get in trouble

 

[olympic]

Shop shoes! And don't let the cat come into the shop; he may pick up swarf and cut his pads.

 

[Apprentice707]

I too have been in trouble with Domestic Management for the metal chips which I unthinkingly bring into the house. My workshop is in the basement but I have to gain entry and exit via the stairs up to the kitchen.
Over the years when caught "messing up the whole house" (Unquote) I keep quiet and when the verbal diarrhea has abated I reply "so *** is out of the question then?". Most of the time I get silence as the loud reply, but just occasionally I don't need to produce chips for a while.

Last year a friend of mine was caught in the same scenario and was quick-witted enough to realise the chips were aluminium, he replied that they must be tinsel leftover from the Xmas tree, he got away with that for a while until his wife sussed his excuse. More cold shoulder and tongue pie I guess.

The war goes on!!

 

[Lloyd-ss]

My wife swears that I have a secret remote button to turn the air compressor on "every time" she is near it. Nope. I am still designing that switch.

But honestly, she is very tolerant of the amount of time I spend in the shop. And she does appreciate the emergency household repairs I can do with the shop equipment. Of course, most of those emergency repairs are on "conveniences" that I originally made in the shop but didn't get exactly right the first time.

 

[Chips Ahoy]

But, when the first chip showed up in the bed..... well.....

 

[comstock-friend]

Hand held hospital type urinal (or liter water bottle) and pee in the shop to eliminate frequent dashes to the house (at least for this old man!)

 

[SmithDoor]

I move shop to new location
My has new car so took a storage shed and insulated and plywood walls .
Fix the problem now hobby shop is in backyard.

Dave

My wife swears that I have a secret remote button to turn the air compressor on "every time" she is near it. Nope. I am still designing that switch.

But honestly, she is very tolerant of the amount of time I spend in the shop. And she does appreciate the emergency household repairs I can do with the shop equipment. Of course, most of those emergency repairs are on "conveniences" that I originally made in the shop but didn't get exactly right the first time.

 

[SmithDoor]

Need to plant a tree they always need water .

Dave

Hand held hospital type urinal (or liter water bottle) and pee in the shop to eliminate frequent dashes to the house (at least for this old man!)

 

[KJE]

45 years of making chips as a machinist and as a hobby a few chips have made their way into the house. Have to change my boots at the door and blame the dog when a few get thru ……..