Shop towels: Are they all the same?

Wolverine · Jan 7, 2006

Got a favorite type? Or, should I just get the cheapest possible?

Yeah, lame subject. A towel might just be a towel, but I might learn something different here. :headscrat

wythors · Jan 7, 2006

I've always gone to the swap meet every couple of years and bought the $20 bag of used shop towels. You get a couple of hundred and all they are is commercial shop towels that might have a small hole, stain or tear and they don't want to send them out to a commercial shop anymore. They're so cheap I don't feel bad about throwing them away if they get too nasty.

Goobzilla · Jan 7, 2006

wythors said:
I've always gone to the swap meet every couple of years and bought the $20 bag of used shop towels. You get a couple of hundred and all they are is commercial shop towels that might have a small hole, stain or tear and they don't want to send them out to a commercial shop anymore. They're so cheap I don't feel bad about throwing them away if they get too nasty.

Yep, the last stop at the swap meet is always the "rag man". I don't even bother trying to wash them, the wife would flip out :scared:

.

davejs · Jan 7, 2006

Check local diaper services for their bad ones.

Luckydevil · Jan 7, 2006

I buy the bags of white ones at home depot. I think they are about $6 for two dozen, but they are pretty nice.

kartracer55 · Jan 7, 2006

I was in HF today (i was down in brick) and I stopped in there. They had nitrile gloves on sale for 7.99 a box, and I noticed they had a bag of the red 12x12 ish rags for 10$. I passed them up though. I usually use old T shirts for rags. I also use old socks too... perfect size for smaller jobs.

Honestly though, it doesnt matter.... its a rag. You just want to get ones that are mostly cotton. Alot of times people donate cloths that arnt really wearable and they get sent to be cut up. YOu can buy these in a big bag from places. The shop paper towels are Ok for lighter stuff, but nothing beats a real cloth rag.

Jim

bmwpower · Jan 7, 2006

Avoid those crappy red ones you see at a lot of places...they leave red lint everywhere and don't seem to absorb much. I like the white terry cloth ones, similiar to the ones you can get at HD.

As for paper ones, I like the blue Scott shop towels. You usually see them in a box. They really hold up well for ~$12 a roll.

Fast Orange · Jan 7, 2006

I get my shop rags from a janitorial supply store. A 25 lb box of white cotton sheeting(old hospital sheets) costs about $30. Theres a lot of rags in 25 lbs-enough to last me about 6 months at work. I cut them to about 16" square and wind up with about a garbage can full of ready to use rags. The sheets are washed before you get them,and they're lint free-maybe an occassional loose thread.

George :3gears:

rdnkjeeper · Jan 7, 2006

I have three kids, so I just use there old stained and/or torn cloths. Have a big box full.

JohnZ · Jan 7, 2006

I like the Scott shop towels on a roll too - handy for sopping up spills and dribbles, gobs of grease, etc. I also keep a Tork paper shop towel dispenser near the door to the house, and I buy the red 12x12 cloth shop towels for general use at Murray's when they're on sale and keep two or three dozen on hand. :thumbup:

chevy302dz · Jan 7, 2006

It dosen't really matter unless you're doing engine assembly or paint, and can't have any lint.

Weekend_warrior · Jan 7, 2006

These are great. Proably a little more, but I think they are worth it. I work in the Telecommunications industry and while doing an install I worked with a company that used them. I had a pretty large box left over and started using them in a garage. I keep a few in my tool bag for work and for the dirtbike. You can get them wet and use them to with out busting. I think they actually make the scott shop towels.

http://www.kcprofessional.com/us/KCP-Brands/Wypall/wypall-x80.asp

Roadster · Jan 7, 2006

Wolverine said:
Got a favorite type? Or, should I just get the cheapest possible?

Yeah, lame subject. A towel might just be a towel, but I might learn something different here.

I've found that the shop towels purchased from the Winter swap meet in Moline, IL seem to provide 2.8% better value and 3.2% less lint transfer than the shop towels purchased at the Summer swap meet in Milwaukee, WI.

:lol_hitti

Seriously, though, I use Tork towels from the wall-mounted, cylindrical plastic container, Scott towels from the corrugated box, and generic red shop towels from Costco/HomeDepot/Lowes, depending on my particular focus at the time, e.g., simple convenience (i.e., wiping my oil dipstick before re-insertion), or precision of the expected use (i.e., cleaning an RTV gasket surface with Brake-Kleen during an engine rebuild).

bmwpower · Jan 7, 2006

Where do you get your Tork towels?

Roadster · Jan 7, 2006

bmwpower said:
Where do you get your Tork towels?

Griot's Garage

stimpy · Jan 7, 2006

I get my red rags in bulk from a supply house and then wash (with bleach ) and dry them ( with fabric softener ) then put them in my tool box , it takes out the excess dye and lint , for washing the p/u truck it has its own set of towels I got at bed bath and beyond (read cheap) , they are soft and wash out nice , i used to buy used shop rags from the local wash place but they where getting ones from machine shops with alot of swarf stuck to them , i have a designated set of towels ( dark color )for my hands when i wash in the shop so that way they don't get confused with the regular bath towels . when the red rags get real dirty they get pitched in the wood stove .

bmwpower · Jan 7, 2006

Roadster said:
Griot's Garage

I was afraid you were going to say that. I just can't stand spending $20 for wipes. Probably why I do what JohnZ does and put Scott towels in my dispenser.

Satatic · Jan 7, 2006

I just buy paper towels at dollar general.

eschoendorff · Jan 7, 2006

Satatic said:
I just buy paper towels at dollar general.

That's what I do too. Oh, and I buy the big bag of 100 of those red shop towels at Sam's club... you know, the ones that leave the red lint. They work fine for me and I just toss them when they get to disgusting. Wife won't let me put them in the wash anymore. Something about ruining a whole load of laundry.... :headscrat

dboat · Jan 8, 2006

I buy the white cotton towels at Sams. The wife loves them for the house and keeps most of them for her. I also use the Scott towels, but have only gotten the white ones so far, will have to try the blue ones.. I have a Tork type dispenser and towels from Griots. I tried the Sams towels that they sell for it but they are just weak. I also use microfiber towels on the cars and have some poly towels from Griots that are lint free for the windows...

Dana

dreamingmuscle · Jan 8, 2006

Old sheets, old towels, and old T-shirts what evers being thrown out around the house. I do buy Scott paper towels from Sams also. But when you do the math scott towels are 3 to 4 cents a piece. I've been meaning to go down to the local charity drop site and see if they have any clothes that they can't sell and want to get rid of.

Glen
________
how to roll blunts

Roadster · Jan 8, 2006

bmwpower said:
I was afraid you were going to say that. I just can't stand spending $20 for wipes.

The old product name was "Tork Mekanic, Engineer's General Wiper, 4-ply". The new product name is apparently "Tork Advanced Wiper 440 Blue Combi Roll" for the W2 Combi-Roll System...

http://www.tork.co.uk/Pages/ProductsServices/ProductItem.aspx?id=9490&pid=132441
http://www.tork.co.uk/Pages/ProductsServices/ProductSubCategory.aspx?id=9490

Like I said before, I use a wide variety of shop towels, but I only use the Tork towels when I've got oil or grease all over my hands, and I just want to grab something quick without getting everything else messy. The Tork dispenser makes that very easy.

Uncle Buck · Jan 9, 2006

For anyone using the unpopular red rags I have found a way to get new ones without having to clean and launder them myself, or buy more! I have about 200 of the red rags, when I get about 100 dirty, I call the same local service that does these rags for commercial shops on a route, usually I can find at least one service that will swap me soiled for clean for 12-15 bucks. This way, I have been able to accumulate a huge stack of rags without throwing any away! I find that by doing it this way I only have to swap rags about once a year!

bmwpower · Jan 9, 2006

hholmberg said:
For anyone using the unpopular red rags I have found a way to get new ones without having to clean and launder them myself, or buy more! I have about 200 of the red rags, when I get about 100 dirty, I call the same local service that does these rags for commercial shops on a route, usually I can find at least one service that will swap me soiled for clean for 12-15 bucks. This way, I have been able to accumulate a huge stack of rags without throwing any away! I find that by doing it this way I only have to swap rags about once a year!

That's a good idea! I wonder if there is a place around me that does this.

Your place is not a business, right? I guess they don't care...

Wolverine · Jan 9, 2006

Just picked up the bag of 48 white terry-cloth ones at Sams! :thumbup:

Uncle Buck · Jan 9, 2006

I am not a business, just a home shop guy with a big pile of rags. I have found that what they trade me are from there seconds pile, not perfect so they are not distributed to their route paying customers. I have always been happy with what they trade me though, they may have a hole , ragged edge, or other similar flaw, but they suite my needs just fine. This way I still realize value from rags I originally paid more for. So for my 12-15 bucks I get 100 or so rags I can reuse. I have intended to share this cheapo secret with others on the site for a long time, It just took this thread to get me going! :bounce:

Uncle Buck · Jan 9, 2006

PS. You must go to them to exchange rags, they don't come to you. ( for seconds)

Shop towels: Are they all the same?

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