Gotta be a faster way to clean tools - especially sockets!

[SawdustTX]

Searched the forums, almost every "cleaning tools" thread is about rust. I frequently work car and wood projects at the same time. After car wrenching, I thoroughly clean the tools, because you know what grease, lubes, etc. from a car do to wood when it comes time for glue-up or applying a finish. Even a little smudge of grease inside a socket somehow finds it's way right on top of some nice walnut piece I'm making.
Ideal would be two sets of the more common tools, but I don't have the budget/space for that.
So I'm spending way too much time cleaning with Tub O' Towels heavy duty cleaning wipes. Works great, takes way too long.
Any faster more efficient ways to clean a pile of tools, including inside sockets, after a dirty car job?
Pic below of yesterday's cleanup after we pulled the engine on my son's old Blazer.

 

[Sumboodie]

You don't have ~$100 for a 2nd set of wrenches and sockets?

What did that tub of rags cost? How about your time?

I wipe my stuff down with a rag and brake cleaner, or rinse of in the solvent tank if it's real nassty.

 

[ckeboss]

For things that fit, the ultrasonic cleaner works well to remove the grease from everything. Not "Quick", but minimal labor.

 

[SawdustTX]

You don't have ~$100 for a 2nd set of wrenches and sockets?

I wipe my stuff down with a rag and brake cleaner, or rinse of in the solvent tank if it's real nassty.

With the number of tools that get used nearly daily for both cars and woodworking, it would be too costly, and space is an even bigger issue as I said. I'll look into a solvent tank, that may be a good solution. Thanks.

 

[SawdustTX]

For things that fit, the ultrasonic cleaner works well to remove the grease from everything. Not "Quick", but minimal labor.

Time duration is not the issue, it's my time (as you say - labor) that I'm trying to reduce, so that may work well. Thanks.

 

[JradM]

I was thinking ultrasonic cleaner too. Not for your ratchets, but everything else pretty much (I imagine it could clean out the grease from the ratchets). That would get your stuff sparklingly clean with little effort, just time.

Otherwise I use simple green and paper towels to clean up my gear. It works really well even on greased-up rubber handles (which i otherwise think are the toughest thing to clean). I just spray and wipe, no rinsing.

 

[ckeboss]

I believe a dishwasher would probably work well too.

 

[Dave455]

Sadly, cleaning tools goes with using them. All part of the fun.

I just wipe away any bad grease or dirt with a dry rag. Anything that won’t shift I use the same rag with a squirt of WD-40 (or similar). Works great. Cleans the tools and leaves a protective layer too.

 

[JEFinCLE]

I got Harbor Freight's little ultrasonic, and I love it. I use Purple Power half and half with water and grease is gone in minutes.

 

[SawdustTX]

Thanks all. @Dave455 appreciate the Simple Green reminder. I use it frequently for cleaning car parts and gunked up machine tool gears, etc, so I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me for the hand tools too. doh!! Plus Simple Green and rags will be cheaper than Tub O' Towels. At 17 cents a sheet so they're not bad, but that'll be one less thing to buy and store.

Re the ultrasonic idea, I tell my wife I don't dry dishes because "I'm not doing what air can do on it's own" . Same for soaking dishes instead of scrubbing, "I'm not doing what water can do on it's own". So letting the ultrasonic do the work is right up my alley! Now the question, dare I use my wife's ultrasonic jewelry cleaner to test the idea?

Re WD-40 and other similar cleaners, can't use them - any of it on wood completely screws up glue and finishes. I clean the tools down to bare metal, store them in drawers with Zerust capsules, haven't had any rust issues.

 

[Sumboodie]

With the number of tools that get used nearly daily for both cars and woodworking, it would be too costly, and space is an even bigger issue as I said. I'll look into a solvent tank, that may be a good solution. Thanks.

Don't need to duplicate everything, more so stuff that's tough to clean.

A "99 piece" socket set dedicated for wood working for example.

If you have room for a solvent tank or ultrasonic cleaner, you'll certainly have room for a socket set

 

[Nosferatu]

Parts washer.

 

[RTM]

I dunno, an ultrasonic big enough to clean a wrench is gonna be bigger than a box full of wrenches.

I keep the handful of sockets and wrenches that use to set up my woodworking tools in a separate location from those used to work on the cars and power tools. I don't risk cleaning, as WD-40 on a socket< transferred to a piece of wood almost guarantees a fouled up finish, unless you do it early enough (oops, you got that).

Simple green is my cleaner for my WW tools (you got that too).

I am mostly a hand tool woodworker, but I do have a TS, BS, planer, router table, etc, and each has a dedicated tool set. The BS needs 3 allen wrenches, and a 7/16" socket for the log sled. Anything else is a major teardown.

Same for the TS and router, 2 blade changing wrenches. The router table needs a screwdriver to mount the router to the plate.

I don't need a duplicate box of tools to my main set, just a few unless I am doing a complete teardown of the machine. Day to ay operations are trivial with a few tools.

DO NOT USE your wife's jewelry cleaner. I got mine after she left, and it is a miserable POS, won't clean anything. Oh, and your wife may not appreciate it.

 

[SawdustTX]

Don't need to duplicate everything, more so stuff that's tough to clean.

A "99 piece" socket set dedicated for wood working for example.

If you have room for a solvent tank or ultrasonic cleaner, you'll certainly have room for a sockets

Good point. Just too many tools that cross over - wrenches, allens, sockets, screwdrivers, pry bars, cordless tools, hammers, etc. I do appreciate the suggestion, but for my garage and how I work, I'm keeping the tool count down, question is really about cleaning.

 

[SawdustTX]

I dunno, an ultrasonic big enough to clean a wrench is gonna be bigger than a box full of wrenches.

I keep the handful of sockets and wrenches that use to set up my woodworking tools

Let me clarify, I build a lot in wood that requires many of my sockets, wrenches, etc. It's not just the hand tools for the wood machine setup. Lots of threaded inserts, bolts and nuts, all-thread, tapping and threading, etc. That's why for me it's not "just a few tools" or "a 99 piece socket/wrench set" - it's a good percentage of the tools in my garage, would cost a ton and take up a lot more space than the ultrasonic. Plus the ultrasonic adds a new capability, vs. just duplicating what I already have, so there's an advantage there too. All good, I appreciate any/all input, especially re using my wife's cleaner.

 

[JEFinCLE]

To even consider using your wife's jewelry cleaner indicates that your wife is much more understanding than most.

 

[Black300zx]

I got Harbor Freight's little ultrasonic, and I love it. I use Purple Power half and half with water and grease is gone in minutes.

Wow - I didn't even know HF had one. Time for me to make a trip!

@SawdustTX - have you tried aerosol brake cleaner or gum cutter? Grab a stainless steel food/medical tray from Amazon for <$20 that your tools can fit it and blast them down. Definitely quicker than wiping each down w/ tub-o-towels if potential splatter & fumes are not an issue.

 

[BigLeagueSmoes]

If you're doing fine wood working with tools it really sounds like you need a dedicated set for wood working and a dedicated set for automotive use... I know you say there is no room and no money but really affordable second tools can be found on the internet and a little spring cleaning can go a long ways to free up even just a few square feet of space to store some tools.

Regardless, like everyone else has said, ultrasonic parts cleaner would probably be the best choice, but not exactly a "cheap" option if you get something of decent quality and size to fit tools in. And they take up space to store. You could also try getting a few car detailing brushes that attach to a drill chuck which can be good for cleaning out the inside of a socket. Or even just small hand brushes to get in the tighter spaces. But all options will require some degree of wiping down with cloths to either clean them or dry them.



What I do to clean my wrenches, sockets, ratchets, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. is I have one dedicated terry cloth rag to use with WD40/degreaser/penetrating oil which I use to clean tools with. If they're super nasty I'll hit them with a little brake parts cleaner first. The rag is always greasy, grimy, and dirty but it still removes the bulk of the crud off things. Then I have my second rag/towel that I use as the next wipe down stage. It remains fairly clean and provides a clean finish on the metal tools but sometimes leaves an extra oily residue. Then I have a clean rag/towel that I use for the final wipe down to remove as much residue as possible while still ensuring that the tools aren't totally dry and rust prone. If you need your tools spotless then something like Simple Green or 409 seems to cut oil/grease okay without immediately damaging metal surfaces that are prone to rusting. These three rags and a can of WD 40 will last me months of regular use and don't cost much. No it's not the fastest method but it works and is affordable.

 

[lilredex]

My wash tanks, then blow off with an air hose, or pressure washer.

 

[GrayFlattop]

Cheap is not the fastest and the fastest isn't cheap - and sometimes it's not fast either!

I started with a 6 Liter Stainless steel heated ultrasonic cleaner I picked up on Amazon for ~$150. I would use Simple Green and water when cleaning old tools (high concentration if the stuff is filthy) then use a blow gun to dry them off). If the tools are rusty, I swap out the Simple Green for Evaporust and cook tool is that to convert the rust.

I had a ton of old tools that had been kicking around for decades. Garage sale finds, tools from my long passed uncle, eBay "finds" etc.

The small 6 liter size was limiting so I bought a larger one - 20 liter capacity. Now I pretty-much use the large one for cleaning and the small one is solely used for Evaporust. When cleaning out my in-law's house, there were a ton of old tools that were neglected / dirty / rusty, so having the two ultrasonic cleaners helped speed throughput.

IF all you are doing is cleaning tools, it can take a long time. BUT my typical mode is heat up the tank, throw some tools in, and set the timer for 30 minutes, and then go do something else in the shop. Come back, check on the progress and typically re-set the timer for another 30 minutes. Typically all they need is the Simple Green treatment, hit 'em with compressed air then a light spritz of LPS #1. If rusty, then into the evaporust.

Yes - two ultrasonic cleaners does take up room on the garage bench, but it did force me to clean it off!

 

[SawdustTX]

...my typical mode is heat up the tank, throw some tools in, and set the timer for 30 minutes, and then go do something else in the shop. Come back, check on the progress and typically re-set the timer for another 30 minutes. Typically all they need is the Simple Green treatment, hit 'em with compressed air then a light spritz of LPS #1. If rusty, then into the evaporust.

Appreciate the tips - both on a heated unit and the process. I think for now I may use brushes/rags with SimpleGreen as @BigLeagueSmoes does, with a bunch of different size cylindrical brushes. If that shortens my cleaning time enough I'll stick with that, if not, maybe go the ultrasonic route. What I like about the Ultrasonic is I can use it for cleaning car parts too. Currently do those mostly by hand.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Good tool cleaner

 

[Shiftless]

To even consider using your wife's jewelry cleaner indicates that your wife is much more understanding than most.

Either that you you don’t have a lot of experience in being successfully married.

 

[SawdustTX]

Either that you you don’t have a lot of experience in being successfully married.

Well, we're at 35 years, so it's entirely because she is so patient and understanding. My two stalls of the garage are occupied by the woodshop, and right now "her" stall is occupied by an engine swap project, she's a saint!

 

[Shiftless]

Well, we're at 35 years, so it's entirely because she is so patient and understanding. My two stalls of the garage are occupied by the woodshop, and right now "her" stall is occupied by an engine swap project, she's a saint!

That’s for sure.
My wife and I are nearing our 50th anniversary. Here’s to you and your wonderful wife.

 

[sparky 1971]

If it's a truly dirty greasy automotive job and a lot of tools are involved, I put all the smaller tools in a colander and dip them in the parts washer while I clean everything else up. Pull the colander and the solvent runs off, then a shot of brake clean and done. It's not lightning fast, but faster than wiping everything off individually.

 

[dnschmidt]

Super Clean and microfiber towels that you buy at Costco or Sam's Club. Microfiber gets into places that those towels will never touch.

 

[seber]

I have a number of 1/2 gallon buckets with screw on sealed tops. A quart of gasoline add tools cap and shake. Dirty gasoline is added to used oil for fire starter.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Real solvent makes it go a lot fater. In the field I use brake or carb cleaner. Never go for the comfort grip dissolving handles.