Dried Mud In Buckets

[oldparttimer]

The contractors I had here did flooring and drywall work. They left 3 empty drywall buckets. I set them in the garage with no lids on them. I would like to keep the buckets but they all have dried mud on the inside walls. What is the best way to get that cleaned out so I can use them for something else?

Thank you.

 

[JPfloor]

Bang with hammer on the outside, empty, hot water and rag or brush on the inside.

 

[oldparttimer]

Bang with hammer on the outside, empty, hot water and rag or brush on the inside.

That makes sense. I'll do that. Thank you.

 

[C.J.]

Don’t bang it so hard you crack the bucket.

 

[oldparttimer]

Don’t bang it so hard you crack the bucket.

If I knock a hole in it, how do I fix it dear Lisa? Just kidding. Thanks.

 

[Incognito]

Almost nothing we use is easier to clean out than the pre-mixed drywall mud. Same system above works with the bag-mix. Depending on the amount of glue they add to the gypsum mix.

Better quality floor patch has an expertly calculated percentage of polymers----bonding agents. That makes it stick to the substrate and allows our adhesives to get a good bond. Cheap floor patch bangs right out and washes away easy. Ardex Feather Finish-----not so much. When the Apprentice Boy FAILS to clean the bucket I throw it away and hold him in utter disdain for quite a few minutes, if not hours.

 

[C.J.]

I worked with a guy that wouldn’t clean his patch knife until the next time he needed to use it. He would just leave the Ardex all blobbed on the blade. He did that to my patch knife one time and I never let him use my stuff again. Go wipe it off in the grass or whatever carpet you just ripped up at the very least.

Now you can imagine this same dummy banging on a 5 gallon bucket cus he didn’t clean it. At least Incognito was smart enough to just throw the bucket away. I wanted the kid to learn a lesson. Once he finally broke the bucket I would make him mix up batches of patch in a cut open Gatorade bottle. You shoulda been there the day he forgot his knee pads.

 

[JPfloor]

Every bag Comes with a brand new bucket... We bought um in by the skids. At one point I had a couple hundred clean ones saved up. The price of the bucket was of course included... but I wasn't paying...

 

[C.J.]

I liked working in grocery stores. I would hit up the bakery department for their empty buckets. Best part is they still smelled good. Lemon goop, blueberry goop or maybe even a frosting bucket.

 

[highup]

If I knock a hole in it, how do I fix it dear Lisa? Just kidding. Thanks.

Now that dates you....
69 ?

 

[oldparttimer]

I tried the beating method with no luck. Incognito said the good stuff would stick to the bucket. So, after about 5-6 weeks I tried something different. I have been cleaning out my garage so I had time to do this. I took one bucket and filled it completely to the top with water and let it sit overnight. The next day I emptied that water into the the 2nd bucket and let it sit overnight as well. After emptying the first bucket I scraped it out with a putty knife, rinsed it, and wiped it with a wet rag. They are turning out like new. Thanks for all your help.

 

[highup]

I tried the beating method with no luck. Incognito said the good stuff would stick to the bucket. So, after about 5-6 weeks I tried something different. I have been cleaning out my garage so I had time to do this. I took one bucket and filled it completely to the top with water and let it sit overnight. The next day I emptied that water into the the 2nd bucket and let it sit overnight as well. After emptying the first bucket I scraped it out with a putty knife, rinsed it, and wiped it with a wet rag. They are turning out like new. Thanks for all your help.

Lesson learned:
Be patient, Grasshopper.