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Shop rag usage

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kruse

08-07-2002 14:35:18




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I used to go through piles of throw-away paper towels for shop rags, and then I thought I could just get a bunch of cut up rags and wash & reuse and save some $$ in the process (plus rags won't blow away in the wind like paper towels!).

I just have a little problem with the "wash" part. Oil comes out *ok* with Dawn but grease goes pretty much nowhere.

What do you guys do?




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Fred OH

08-12-2002 13:12:11




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
Good subject and good comments as we all have bought and acquired rags of some sort at one time or another. But if someone gives you a big 'ol box of rags for the shop and you start in removing buttons and zippers and then start cutting them up into usable sizes...those old blue jeans get pretty hard to cut if you're using scissors...and the time required...you might as well go buy them. But on the other hand...a little experimenting and you will find that the cutoff (chop saw) that you use to cut metal with (abrasive wheel) will zip right through those heavy rags in no time. Just twist them like you were wringing out a towel and hold them against the wheel...just be careful and don't do something that's not safe for your pinkies and don't try it with a saw blade...cause it'll jerk your hand in. If you got a better method...we'd all like to hear about it. L8R....Fred OH

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JD790

08-10-2002 23:07:55




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I cut up all my families Blue Jeans in good rag sizes. I use them then throw them away in a metal garbage can out doors. I have seen to many Rag barrels smoldering. Even seen them spontaniously combust laying under wood in the back of a pickup.
Blue Jeans absorb well and hold up if you gotta scrub on something.



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WARNING

08-10-2002 11:58:51




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
My name is James, not warning. However, your new system of washing and reusing nearly got me divorced. I have no problem washing old grease rags and getting out the oil and grease. But guess where all that grease and oil goes? It accumulates on the sides of your washing machine!!

Take a look inside the washer after you wash a load. There will be a grease ring around the top of the wash tub, and also around the non-perferated tub which you don't see. Now take a load of brand new baby clothes and throw them in the washer and see what happens. Look out!!
I had to completely disassemble the machine to be sure no more clothes would be ruined.

By the way, if you do get grease on your wife's or baby's clothes, Shout It Out works the best to get it out.

I will never try that again unless I have a machine just for rags or unless I take them to a laundromat where some other poor soul can worry about the grease ring.

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Hal/WA

08-08-2002 09:48:02




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
My wife likes to sew and has a small side business doing various sewing projects for others. Her sewing room(s) generate a lot of waste cloth which she saves for the shop. I do not wash oily rags, just throw them away. I do wash towels with my greasy work clothes, using hot water and liquid Tide. I try to wash jeans in the load right after I wash greasy stuff--much less chance of getting yelled at for making a mess in the washer!

I use old newspapers to catch drips and absorb spills. They cost nothing and work nearly as good as paper towels. I do use a few paper towels for some things, but not nearly as many as I used to.

Some kinds of cloth work better than others as rags. The hints about garage sales and thrift stores are good ones, but if you know someone who sews a lot, they will probably save scraps for you for free, as they would have to pay to get rid of them and would likely appreciate someone getting some good out of them.

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bob

08-09-2002 19:04:37




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 Re: Re: Shop rag usage in reply to Hal/WA, 08-08-2002 09:48:02  
At the power plant we get white cotton usually old underwear and use it for bearing work etc. colored rags for rough stuff. Think they get them at good will. A big box will last a long time at home



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Ludwig

08-08-2002 07:51:18




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
The Salvation Army is a great source for rags. I used to work in construction on a bridge and we used all sorts of rags. As I remember they were like $5 for 20#, which is alot of rags!
As for washing, get an extra washer!
Then put in some baking soda, it'll help (help mind you) lift the grease out.
Actually when I was in college and didn't have much money I'd sometimes wash with JUST baking soda. At $0.99 a box and one box is enough for 4 loads of college laundry... I'd probably use 1/2 box on real greasies.

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David

08-08-2002 06:56:54




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
Kruse,
Washing rags can be dangerous. As you have found out the grease does not come out. If you put these in your dryer a fire can result. I used to maintain a commercial laundry for a hotel. They washed kitchen rags, put them in the dryer and went home. After the dryer shut down they spontainiously (SP?) combusted and set the laundry room on fire. Thankfully the sprinkler system put the fire out. I would leave washing rags to a company that has experiance in that field. The same goes for leaving greasy rags piled up in your shop. They can combust on their own. Just my $.02

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Neil

08-08-2002 06:56:13




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
Fuller Brush FulSol.
About 1/4 cup in with a regular amount of Tide.
Set the water level as low as posible for the pre-wash (to concentrate the detergent).
Then put the level up for the regular wash cycle (helps clean the washer).
The next step is VERY important:
Tell your wife, to wash only dark heaver cloaths in teh next load. Like jeans, not her good embroydered towels!



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Sven

08-08-2002 06:52:02




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I use a combination of rags and paper towels. Paper where I need it clean and towels where it doesn't matter. I try to get as much out of the paper towels as possible. Oily rags are a bit of a hazard, oily paper towels get thrown out.



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krum

08-08-2002 05:17:37




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I'm cheap when it comes to shop rags so I use old clothes that are cut up. I also have my wife cut up old bed sheets. I donot wash them as it makes a mess of the washer. If I need to get grease out of something I use a product called Lestoil or I spray the spot with some ElectrO-Wash a product that is used for cleaning electrical connectors. krum



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Bender

08-07-2002 21:59:28




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I get a 40lb box of mixed rags from a commercial laundry service for about 25 bucks.One box lasts a long time and the rags are anything from regular shop rags to bath towels, wash cloths, or cut up sections from restroom towel reel machines.



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Junkman

08-07-2002 19:42:35




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I wash my ragsand have had good success. First I take the rags and throw them in a 55 gallon drum, to that I add laundry soap and 1-2 pounds of cheap hand cleaner, next put just enough water to cover the rags then stir well. Leave that sit for at least 2-3 days (longer means cleaner) then wring them out, place in washer with more laundry soap and more hand cleaner. Wash in hot water. I would suggest to not use your good washing machine as it will get nasty. Good luck.

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Thomas Rodgers

08-07-2002 19:33:23




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I cut up our old clothes for rags and don't reuse them. We do reuse towels. We soak them in a detergent (not dish soap) and sometimes presoak with a little degreaser or mineral spirits. I have a big box of cut up rags but a little container under my work bench. When I run out I refill it from the big box I keep in a closet.



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F14

08-07-2002 15:24:38




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I commandeer anything the family is done with and pick it over for suitable shop rags. When they get too disgusting, I throw them away.

Yard sales are a good source, if you go late in the day, they'll sell kids clothes by the shopping bag full. Cheap rags.



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Bguy

08-07-2002 14:57:37




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 Re: Shop rag usage in reply to kruse, 08-07-2002 14:35:18  
I switched to the blue paper shop towels that come on a roll. Regular paper towels are to light in my opinion. Makes a lot of trash but I don't have all of those nasty, greasy rags piled up around here anymore.



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rhouston

08-08-2002 09:41:19




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 Re: Re: Shop rag usage in reply to Bguy, 08-07-2002 14:57:37  
with 3 kids i have an ample supply of rags for my level if use. once they are greasy i send them to the burn barrel. I've noticed that they don't always get clean if washed, i believe they contain enough oils after wash to still be a fire hazard.



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