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Cleaning Practices


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Guest JBaymore

I only do hand building so do not have the mess of throwing to deal with ... what I focus on is prevention. I work with soft clay to build things, I clean up dry work with a wet natural sponge. I sand wet bisque with a wet piece of sandpaper. If I need to dry sand something I do it up close over a bucket of water... wearing an approved safety mask. I clean up everything I possibly can with a sponge and water. I let the water sit overnight to settle then cover my drain with an old towel and pour off the water until I only see the solids. Throw it in the dirt part of my yard. I'm in North Carolina so my yard is mostly clay anyhow.

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Yes, I run a HEPA filter in my home studio, and I clean up daily with damp mop and sponges, and a dust mop for cleaning up trimmings from the floor. I save my throwing water and start using it for the next batch of reclaim. I keep a bucket of fresh water with a small amount of soap for washing my hands, and another with clear water for rinsing and a bucket for 'dirty water' collection for when I'm glazing. If it turns out that I am going to throw out the throwing water, I do so in the dirt of my yard. Here in New Mexico, we're mostly sand, so we can use the clay in the soil!

 

Now, the studio where I rent space... I have no idea what they practice. Judging from the floor, I highly doubt it's seen a mop, ever. There are brooms and masks (the kind that make you look like your from outer space) so I'm sure the floor is at the least swept. As for their air filtration system, I have no idea. If the 'studio' area is up to standard, there is no way of telling.

 

I just know that on the days I'm playing there and not at home, I clean my area, and always leave it better than I found it.

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Just wondering how often your studios get cleaned....mopped, dusted etc. Also, do any of you run a HEPA filter in your studio? Thanks!

 

 

 

My studio is fairly new...so I'm trying really hard to clean at the end of my day. That includes wiping things down with wet sponges and mopping the floor. I read a blog not so long ago when the pottery said she finds it difficult to enter a dirty studio and feel inspired. I sort of feel the same and besides, I am a messy potter so leaving things would be a disaster!

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Just wondering how often your studios get cleaned....mopped, dusted etc. Also, do any of you run a HEPA filter in your studio? Thanks!

 

 

 

My studio is fairly new...so I'm trying really hard to clean at the end of my day. That includes wiping things down with wet sponges and mopping the floor. I read a blog not so long ago when the pottery said she finds it difficult to enter a dirty studio and feel inspired. I sort of feel the same and besides, I am a messy potter so leaving things would be a disaster!

 

 

 

I've been taking classes but everything was full this semester. Not having access to the university’s equipment I have been slowly setting up a studio adding what I need as I need it. I've started to reclaim clay. I expected it to "sour†but I’ve got a ball of clay that is almost black. My question is will this discoloration dissipate as things go along?

 

 

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Just wondering how often your studios get cleaned....mopped, dusted etc. Also, do any of you run a HEPA filter in your studio? Thanks!

 

 

 

My studio is fairly new...so I'm trying really hard to clean at the end of my day. That includes wiping things down with wet sponges and mopping the floor. I read a blog not so long ago when the pottery said she finds it difficult to enter a dirty studio and feel inspired. I sort of feel the same and besides, I am a messy potter so leaving things would be a disaster!

 

 

 

I've been taking classes but everything was full this semester. Not having access to the university’s equipment I have been slowly setting up a studio adding what I need as I need it. I've started to reclaim clay. I expected it to "sour†but I’ve got a ball of clay that is almost black. My question is will this discoloration dissipate as things go along?

 

 

 

 

Hello T ll, any discoloration left after the clay dries, will burn out when fired.

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Just wondering how often your studios get cleaned....mopped, dusted etc. Also, do any of you run a HEPA filter in your studio? Thanks!

 

 

 

My studio is fairly new...so I'm trying really hard to clean at the end of my day. That includes wiping things down with wet sponges and mopping the floor. I read a blog not so long ago when the pottery said she finds it difficult to enter a dirty studio and feel inspired. I sort of feel the same and besides, I am a messy potter so leaving things would be a disaster!

 

 

 

I've been taking classes but everything was full this semester. Not having access to the university’s equipment I have been slowly setting up a studio adding what I need as I need it. I've started to reclaim clay. I expected it to "sour†but I’ve got a ball of clay that is almost black. My question is will this discoloration dissipate as things go along?

 

 

 

 

Hello T ll, any discoloration left after the clay dries, will burn out when fired.

 

 

Thanks Matt, I thought I was to add bleach or something.

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Just wondering how often your studios get cleaned....mopped, dusted etc. Also, do any of you run a HEPA filter in your studio? Thanks!

 

 

 

My studio is fairly new...so I'm trying really hard to clean at the end of my day. That includes wiping things down with wet sponges and mopping the floor. I read a blog not so long ago when the pottery said she finds it difficult to enter a dirty studio and feel inspired. I sort of feel the same and besides, I am a messy potter so leaving things would be a disaster!

 

 

 

I've been taking classes but everything was full this semester. Not having access to the university’s equipment I have been slowly setting up a studio adding what I need as I need it. I've started to reclaim clay. I expected it to "sour†but I’ve got a ball of clay that is almost black. My question is will this discoloration dissipate as things go along?

 

 

 

 

Hello T ll, any discoloration left after the clay dries, will burn out when fired.

 

 

Thanks Matt, I thought I was to add bleach or something.

 

 

It's been a while since I had really sour clay, but it did seem to dissipate some once I started using it, I think exposing it to oxygen by stirring or wedging helps.

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Thanks for the info! We have a community studio but there isn't a whole lot of traffic. Everyone is really good about cleaning up after themselves but I was just curious about the how often folks clean their studio floors....what's the norm. So, this has been helpful.

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My studio is 50m from the Indian Ocean and gets pretty dirty on a daily basis just from the sea air. I have a cleaner who comes once a week and wipes EVERYTHING down - its essential. As far as the dust from the clay is concerned - my studio floor is paved with brick pavers painted white with road paint, so I just put the hose in every now and again to clean. My cleaner wipes the wedging tables and I have vinyl cloth - turned upside down - which covers my work surfaces - which we just put into the shorebreak now and gain for cleaning. But I have to agree a messy studio is hard to be inspired in (for me).

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  • 1 month later...

I mop my floor at home studio every day at the end of my working time. I have a great microfiber mop I love- leaves very little to no residue behind when the pad is rinsed often. Like a swiffer- but better, as I was my pad, and use my own solution (like water) in the bottle rather than a commercial one. Made by rubbermaid...

 

At school (I teach High School Ceramics all day) I mop at the end of each class, and have the kids do it too... then again a once-over at the end of the day. I try to get stuff up as soon as I see it... or else it gets tracked all over.

 

Lest you think I am a neat freak... let me assure you I'm not. I'm just particular about not breathing in microcrystalline silica... :-)

Thanks for the info! We have a community studio but there isn't a whole lot of traffic. Everyone is really good about cleaning up after themselves but I was just curious about the how often folks clean their studio floors....what's the norm. So, this has been helpful.

 

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  • 2 years later...

Great info in this and the other clay-dust & studio safety-related threads. I was doing a search re: respirators and came across all this. No money for fancy systems but I can certainly get a decent mask, reduce use of the sink, do more wet cleaning etc. As always, John's knowledge and guidance is superb, even when it is not what I want to hear LOL.  

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