DIY Network

Garage: On the Road to Visit the Perfect Garage From "Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean" episode DQOC-143

Figure A

While the garage is an extension of the home, it doesn't get all the pampering the house gets. But a few lucky garages actually stay in pristine condition, including one in Abingdon, Virginia.

In fact most kitchens aren't as clean as the garage (figure A) at Morgan McClure Motor Sports, where NASCAR race cars are born. You are more likely to find dirt under your own fingernails than on the floor in this garage, and it's not just for show. Before these cars take on the NASCAR track they have to be spotless from the outside in; that's because one small speck of dust can cause major problems. Even dust fragments that could get into the car systems can cause these cars to wipe out during a race.

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It's not easy to keep a garage spotless, especially when there is a lot of dirty work being done. But there are special precautions taken to keep the dirt and dust to a minimum. Plastic doors provide barriers between rooms to keep dirt in it's place, ventilation systems carry existing dirt from the building and the mechanics in the engine shop never wear cotton shirts, since they produce lint (figure B).

But, as the crew will tell you, the key to keeping the 108,000 square feet of space clean is teamwork, and for this team the goal is to keep their work environment as clean as any hospital. Their cleaning tools are simple, but very effective -- brooms, cleaning cloths and lots of elbow grease (figure C). And, once a year the garage shuts down and the building is cleaned from the ceiling to the floor.

Figure B

Figure C

Garage Cleaning Tips

• Keep cat litter handy for oil stains -- pour it on the stain, grind it in, leave it on to absorb the oil, then sweep it up. Repeat, if needed.

• Clean greasy hands with a pumice based soap, waterless hand cleaner, or cooking oil. If you use cooking oil, wash hands thoroughly with liquid dish soap to remove the oil.

• If you store the mower in the garage, wash it off after every use, to prevent the smell of moldy grass. Let the mower dry outside to prevent staining the garage floor with dirty water drips.