-2

Why does nobody talk about how long tool cleanup actually takes?

I spent 2 hours cleaning my mortar mixer and trowels after a small patio job in Portland last week. The actual bricklaying only took 4 hours, but I was picking dried mortar out of the mixer's drum until dark. Has anyone found a quicker way to keep the mixer from caking up mid-job?

2 comments

2 Comments

cooper.phoenix26d ago

Saw a trick on a job site once where a guy kept a spray bottle full of water and a drop of dish soap, and he'd hit the inside of the drum every time he dumped a batch. He swore the soap keeps the mortar from sticking in the first place. I tried it on my last pour and it did help some, but you still have to scrub the paddles. Another thing I read is to never let the mixer sit full of mortar for more than 10 minutes, even if you're just waiting for the next load of blocks. Once that stuff starts to set, you're done for. The real secret I heard is to buy a cheap plastic mixing tub and just hose it off every 15 minutes.

karen_west5926d ago

Oh man, 2 hours of scraping mortar sounds like a punishment for a crime I didn't commit.