# How do you remove metal stuck to your shoes before walking into the house?



## kb58 (Apr 11, 2019)

Title says it all -


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## RJSakowski (Apr 11, 2019)

Change shoes


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## kb58 (Apr 11, 2019)

I figured that would be an answer, any others?


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## Shootymacshootface (Apr 11, 2019)

Wear separate shoes for the shop. Maybe wipe your feet on a 70's shag rug before you go in the house.


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## darkzero (Apr 11, 2019)

We don't wear shoes in our home.


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## jbobb1 (Apr 11, 2019)

My wife won't let me in the house when I've been out in the shop until I lose the shoes!


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## ThinWoodsman (Apr 11, 2019)

Coir doormat. A good, thick, bristly one does a decent job for those times when I've forgotten to put on my shop shoes because "I was only ducking in for a minute I swear!".


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## Suzuki4evr (Apr 11, 2019)

There is no real cure I think, just what has been said and some silly answers like mine.......how about a reaaaally strong magnet


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## benmychree (Apr 11, 2019)

It must have been the damned cat that scratched up the floor!!!


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## pontiac428 (Apr 11, 2019)

I apparently don't remove chips from my shoes.  Instead, I remove them from my cats' fur, from the vacuum collector, from my furniture, and, like today, from the insides of my socks when I'm nowhere near a machine.


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## darkzero (Apr 11, 2019)

How about something like these? Not sure how stiff the bristles are though.


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## Howardd (Apr 11, 2019)

I use an aggressive door mat followed by “Disposable Sticky-Surface Mat, 18" x 36" x 0.0900"” from Macmastef Carr

howardd


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## hman (Apr 11, 2019)

My shop is about 75 feet from the house, plus I use a floor mat at the house door.  Luckily, most of our floors are tile, not wood, so scratches aren't an issue with the occasional bits left on my soles.


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## kd4gij (Apr 11, 2019)

We have a set of no slip steps at one end of the doc that is great for cleaning chips out of shoes.


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## RJSakowski (Apr 11, 2019)

Actually I usually wear moccasins when I go into the basement where the machines reside and I'm not machining.  Whenever I use the mill or the lathe, I will sweep and vacuum afterwards.  My mill has a coolant package with a set of guards on the coolant tray and on the bed itself.   It does a fairly good job of controlling flying chips. The lathe doesn't throw a lot of turnings on the floor.

I also have a series of mats between the shop and the living area which will catch most of the chips.  If I happen to embed one that doesn't come out on the mats, the first floor that I encounter is ceramic tile and I will hear the chip scraping.  I will remove the chip before walking on the wood floors.

It isn't foolproof but it works fairly well.  I make a point of picking up any chips that I see before they become a subject of discussion.


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## dulltool17 (Apr 11, 2019)

According to my wife, I don't.   
Fact is, that's only half true.  I have shoes that I put on before going into the shop and a track-off mattha I use before I come back into the house. My "shop" is in my drive-under garage, so it's adjacent to our finished basement, which I vacuum every other week.

Once in a great while, a chip or two gets through, but nothing gets upstairs.


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## Tozguy (Apr 11, 2019)

No shoes in the house, no stocking feet in the shop period!


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## savarin (Apr 11, 2019)

I wear crocks in the shop but never indoors but they still crop up inside sometimes and I get hell then.


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## jdedmon91 (Apr 11, 2019)

Basically that’s my strategy is to have a shop pair of shoes. However chips in the clothing gets into the house. That how what few chips get into the house. When in worked at Eaton we had lockers. So I bought new work shoes and kept them at work. The same when I started out never wear work shoes in the house 


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## jwmay (Apr 12, 2019)

I keep the floor clean.


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## Rex Walters (Apr 12, 2019)

We take our shoes off in the house, but I've got about 30' of concrete  between my back door and the shop door. I've noticed the rust stains on the concrete become gradually but noticeably fainter closer to the house. Apparently concrete works.


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## Bob Korves (Apr 12, 2019)

I thought that is what carpet is intended for(?)


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## Z2V (Apr 12, 2019)

I catch hell when my wife finds a metal chip in the bottom of her bare foot while she is walking through the house.
My machines are in the attached garage. I have two porch mats and a sticky mat but every now and then one of those pesky little chips will find a way into the house.


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## murraym (Apr 12, 2019)

I use compressed air to remove the debris right before leaving the shop


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## epanzella (Apr 12, 2019)

I have a wood grate in front of the lathe. When I go upstairs I scrape my shoes against the wood and chips fall thru it. I periodically pick the grate up and sweep/vacuum under it. Nothing I know of is 100% effective and this is no exception but it's the best thing I've found.  I have issues that make swapping shoes difficult so that's not an option for me.


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## Cadillac (Apr 12, 2019)

I use the big mats with the holes in them around all my machines for comfort but it does help with chips. No matter what I find chips in my socks or on the cuffs of my sweatshirt. I always dust myself off but you always miss one or two. You need a air curtain


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## WarrenP (Apr 12, 2019)

You could always use a steel or brass brush.


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## BGHansen (Apr 12, 2019)

I have shop cloths that set in the breezeway between the garage and our house.  I brush off in the shop so the cloths are relatively clean (shop is ina pole barn 50 yds. from our house).  Pull my shoes when I hit the garage and never take them inside.  Still end up with a few chips inside, but pretty minimal.

Bruce


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## Tozguy (Apr 13, 2019)

When my wife finds chips in the house I blame her Christmas decorations for shedding sparkles. Its not my fault.


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## richl (Apr 13, 2019)

The type of sole on the shoe matters also. Soft soles tend to pick up the chips easier than hard sole shoes. I leave my shoes at the door, sandals, slippers or crocks in the house.


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## Cooter Brown (Apr 13, 2019)

darkzero said:


> How about something like these? Not sure how stiff the bristles are though.
> 
> View attachment 292378
> View attachment 292379
> ...





I'm going to make one of these but with cheap angle grinders running brass wire wheels and an air blaster..... right inside the shop door....


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## Larry Hoy (Apr 13, 2019)

a happy wife will never have metal shavings in her feet. Loose the shoes


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## FOMOGO (Apr 13, 2019)

I have my one of my two Geisha girls remove them from the soles of my shoes with silver tweezers while the other massages my tired feet ....!!!! Wake up you lazy sot, and get those filthy shoes out of my house right this minute! Well a guy can dream.  Mike


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## mmcmdl (Apr 13, 2019)

richl said:


> The type of sole on the shoe matters also. Soft soles tend to pick up the chips easier than hard sole shoes



Agree . I always wore work boots even though I was in my basement . The chips migrated thru out the upstairs no matter what I tried . My biggest problem was with the smell and smoke of the cutting oil .


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## Cooter Brown (Apr 13, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Agree . I always wore work boots even though I was in my basement . The chips migrated thru out the upstairs no matter what I tried . My biggest problem was with the smell and smoke of the cutting oil .



I wish I could make my house smell like cutting oil your lucky....


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## homebrewed (Apr 14, 2019)

Shop-dedicated shoes and an apron keep most of the chips out.  After going to the shoe protocol I found most of the chips were coming in on me, hence the apron.

I looked at sticky mats (they were used all over the place where I worked) but they seemed pretty expensive for what they are.

Keeping the shop floor clean also helps keep ships from migrating into the house or other places I don't want them.  But it seems there will always be a few that find their way into the house.  I quietly pick them up when I find them....


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## kb58 (Apr 14, 2019)

Haha, good thing wives don't visit these sites.


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## kvt (Apr 14, 2019)

Agree chips keep coming in no mater what,  Had diff shoes, and apron in the shop,  they did not come in the house but some how chips still getting in.   Found that they still get in clothes, hair, beard etc.   So finally just say I do the best I can,  and she gets over it.


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## aliva (Apr 14, 2019)

I live in the shop


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## Bob Korves (Apr 14, 2019)

I recently got married, for the first time at age 68, and have known my wife for 36+ years.  She hasn't said a negative thing about chips or anything related to the shop -- so far!  We need to sell both of our houses and buy one that fits us better at this time of life, and we happily agree that we need to park both of our cars inside AND have a proper dedicated shop for me.  So far...


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## FOMOGO (Apr 14, 2019)

Congrats on your new status Bob. I guess if she's known you for 36 yrs, she can't say she didn't know what she was getting her self in to. Can't wait to see the new digs, and hope you find something that you both will love. Cheers Mike


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## turnitupper (Apr 14, 2019)

Bob Korves said:


> I recently got married, for the first time at age 68, and have known my wife for 36+ years.  She hasn't said a negative thing about chips or anything related to the shop -- so far!  We need to sell both of our houses and buy one that fits us better at this time of life, and we happily agree that we need to park both of our cars inside AND have a proper dedicated shop for me.  So far...


Married at 68 Mr K?.  At that age you should know better .
Just kidding, all the best .
John.


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## francist (Apr 14, 2019)

Congratulations Bob!

-frank


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## casca92 (Apr 19, 2019)

go to the bar first either they come off there or if you stay long enough , you wont give a HOOT.
THEN THERE IS ALWAYS IS YOUR SINGLE FRIENDS PLACE FIRST.


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## Tim9 (Apr 23, 2019)

*GrassWorx Clean Machine Omega Doormat, 24" x 36", Flint (10374062)
https://www.amazon.com/GrassWorx-Cl...+doormat&qid=1555998360&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-30
I have one of these and it gets about 90%  of the scarf from my shoes. Still usually have a couple that need to be scraped with wire brush. *


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## Splat (Apr 23, 2019)

I keep another pair of shoes in the shop. I tried scuffing my shoes upon a very course door mat but after my dog got a tiny sliver of metal in her paw that was that. I change into my shop shoes about 3' away from the entrance. No problems since.


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## kd4gij (Apr 23, 2019)

Give your shoes to the wife to clean.


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## Splat (Apr 23, 2019)

kd4gij said:


> Give your shoes to the wife to clean.



....and then go fishing!


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## Silverbullet (Jun 18, 2019)

Cooter Brown said:


> I wish I could make my house smell like cutting oil your lucky....


You can use bacon grease no more mess the heavy dark cutting oil and it works . The smell won't bother anyone except make them hungry. Many Cooking oils will work . .


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## Flyinfool (Jun 19, 2019)

I regularly sweep and/or vac the floor while I am working whenever it starts getting crunchy under my feet. I have an old carpet scrap by the basement door that is big enough to track most of the mess off my shoes, I then have indoor/outdoor carpet on the steps and hallway leading into the house, by the time I get to the house it is very rare that there is anything left on my shoes.


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## macardoso (Jun 19, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Agree . I always wore work boots even though I was in my basement . The chips migrated thru out the upstairs no matter what I tried . My biggest problem was with the smell and smoke of the cutting oil .



I am right there with you. Have to be careful not to let the compressor kick on, only use coolant not oil, and to sweep the floor spotless before the cats decide a stainless chip from the lathe is their new spring toy (yes it has happened, yes I heard about that for a while).


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## pontiac428 (Jun 19, 2019)

It's the cats that keep me on top of my vacuuming duties.  If one chip ever punctures one of their precious squishbean toepads, it's over for me.  Any glint of silvery stuff that makes it out of my work area catches my eye,  I dive for the floor and make it disappear.  Too bad I can't pick up aluminum with a magnet...


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## jdedmon91 (Jun 22, 2019)

A bigger problem is the chips on your clothes. At least that’s my biggest problem 


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## hotrats (Jun 23, 2019)

Hmmm. My wife is Asian. All shoes are removed before entering house. Just a way of life!


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## Choiliefan (Jun 23, 2019)

I used to use a motorized chicken plucker.
Footwear has to be tightly laced for best results though.


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## jdedmon91 (Jun 23, 2019)

hotrats said:


> Hmmm. My wife is Asian. All shoes are removed before entering house. Just a way of life!



I’m southern and we do the same, I was raised not wearing shoes in the house. 

I have a funny story, years ago I had a car accident on the way to work, needed to call, so before I went into the house I removed my work shoes. The folks was amazed, however there was no way I’d walk in with my shop shoes 



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## Illinoyance (Jun 23, 2019)

Some old timers nailed a bunch of bottle caps to a board and scraped their shoes on that.

My smooth soles an my work shoes don't seem to embed any chips.


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## rwm (Jun 23, 2019)

I recently had to remove a metal splinter from my wife's foot. Obviously the dog tracked that in...
Robert


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## gonzo (Jun 24, 2019)

Place a chair beside your door then summon your wife. When she arrives, command her to remove the shoes and take them to the trash can. There she will remove the swarf with a pair of pliers and a ice pick. Having accomplished this task she must return them to you and lovingly place them upon your deserving and adored feet. Problem solved!


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## pontiac428 (Jun 24, 2019)

gonzo said:


> Place a chair beside your door then summon your wife. When she arrives, command her to remove the shoes and take them to the trash can. There she will remove the swarf with a pair of pliers and a ice pick. Having accomplished this task she must return them to you and lovingly place them upon your deserving and adored feet. Problem solved!


Whoo.  They'd find my shoeless body still sitting in that chair after the neighbors call about that rotting stench coming from next door.  By that time, my wife would already be relaxing in southern Spain.


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## wrmiller (Jun 24, 2019)

We don't wear shoes in the house. That and I have a pair of shoes specifically for the shop so if they get chips in/on them it's no biggie.


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## Choiliefan (Jun 24, 2019)

These Virginians really have it made.


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