My neighbor swore by adding a cup of dish soap to the washout water

He said it would cut the grease and slurry from our tools better than anything else. I tried it on a mixer drum last Tuesday and it just left a sticky film that took twice as long to scrub off. What do you guys actually use to break down that dried-on cement paste?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_west11mo ago

Oh man, that sticky film part is so real. I had the exact same thing happen with a wheelbarrow. Dish soap just seems to bind with the dust and make a weird paste. What finally worked for me was just plain white vinegar. I let it soak for a bit on the dried paste and it loosens right up. A cheap plastic scraper gets the big chunks off first. Your mileage may vary, but it saved me a ton of elbow grease.

skylerc861mo ago

Vinegar is a solid move, @christopher_west1. I had to clean a greasy old grill grate and dish soap made a nasty sludge. Sprinkling baking soda first, then spraying vinegar to foam it up, broke everything down. A stiff brush took care of the rest.