Cleaning up a large liquid detergent spill

[scott55405]

I'm wondering if anyone has any possible ideas regarding the above. Someone who posts on my cooking forum spilt a lot of liquid detergent on her laundry floor. It makes it slippery, and of course if she tries to clean it the foam just keeps building upon itself on the floor and in her mop.

Do you think the fabric softener trick might have any relevance here? If she were to give the mop a good bath in some fabric softener water to defoam it, then wipe the floor with some similar water it would help get rid of it any faster? Do you think the fabric softener could hurt the floor or make it slippery? Any other ideas? That carpet shampoo defoamer stuff maybe? Thanks!

 

[sudsmaster]

Sounds a bit like the "Leather Pants" episode of F

I wouldn't add anything to that mess. Instead, I'd use a rubber squeegee to direct the excess detergent into a dust pan that has a tight fit to the floor. If one is not available, perhaps a sheet of thin plastic or stiff coated paper would work.

The remaining residue on the floor should be easier to mop up.

If the detergent is too viscous to be directed with the squeegee, a plastic scraper (used for various types of plaster work) might do the trick. In a pinch, a spatula.

Another possibility is to soak up the detergent with a bunch of rags or towels. Then of course you'll need to get the detergent out of the towels, which might mean over sudsing a top loader. At that point, fabric softener might help. I've heard that salt helps too. Or one could use the bathtub or shower stall. Nothing like a bubble shower!

Or one could just throw the rags soaked with detergent away.

 

[mixfinder]

Cut The Mustard

Vinegar?????????
Kelly

 

[maytagbear]

Where's Sudsman or

PeterH770 when they're needed?

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[scott55405]

thanks! I'll pass those ideas along.

 

[revvinkevin]

Someone who posts on my cooking forum...........

Scott.... cooking forum? COOL!!!
Scott, I'd love to check it out... will you share the info please?

Much thanks!!

 

[scott55405]

Kevin, I'm going to write you an email. I'll include that information therein.

 

[sudsman]

detergent spill

First put sand or kitty litter on it let it set until it is all absorbed into the litter you may have to do this 2 or three times. Sweep it up and put it around the flower beds it will do mircals for them.. Then get hot bathtowels put them in dryer to get them good and hot or moist them and put them in the microwave for a few mins. then spray a fine mist over the area and clean up with the bathtowels save the bathtowels and use then in the next few loads of washing you run. moping and such just makes more work and a bigger mess .

 

[sudsmaster]

Uh, don't put kitty litter in garden soil. Even if clean, it is basically 100% clay and will adversely affect the tilth of the soil.

 

[sudsman]

kitty Litter

I said put it around the flower bed it will stop all kinds of pest .

 

[sudsmaster]

"I said put it around the flower bed it will stop all k

Oh, is that what "mircal" means? LOL.

Easier just to toss that junk out and use a good organic compost to mulch the beds and discourage pests.

But maybe this belongs in a classic gardening forum...

 

[westytoploader]

I'm wondering if a Hoover FloorMate or other water extraction machine would do the job here? You wouldn't even need to add the soap solution! ;-)

 

[sudsmaster]

I though of using a wet vac, but most likely any kind of wet vac would suffer from major over-sudsing when the concentrated detergent solution enters the nozzle. But it might be good for final cleanup.