Best shop rags

[jeffer949]

I need to get some blue paper shop towels when no lint is a requirement.

Umm They are not lint free. I do motorcycle suspension work and I can tell when someone wiped out the inside of fork tubes or wiped off the internals with blue shop towels on a previous rebuild. The blue fibers from the paper towel will be stuck in the valving holding them open. Just an FYI

 

[kkroger]

These are the guys I have been using for a few years... I got two hundred bags from them at a swap meet and a couple rag cans never a problem with them. Wash them when the "Dirty" can gets full.

Edited to add their website seems to be blank just goes to "go daddy"

 

[mowersplus84]

Used surgical huck rags.

https://www.bluehuck.com/product.sc...EACA.p3plqscsfapp001?productId=7&categoryId=1

Funny You mentioned those my bosses wife is a Surgical RN so she brings in a bunch of those rags all the time. They are so easy to clean

 

[Coach James]

All great solutions. Another thought- anyone have a paper towel dispenser mounted on their wall? I find the cardboard boxes containing the towels a bit cumbersome

I have a roll of white and a roll of blue paper towels each mounted on a holder in the garage. Each holder is made of a galvanized floor flange mounted horizontally on the wall. A short piece of pipe (12"?) is screwed into the flange then a 90' elbow at the end so the roll of towels won't slide off.

Coach

 

[Earp69]

The best ones are the free ones

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[bochnak]

Umm They are not lint free. I do motorcycle suspension work and I can tell when someone wiped out the inside of fork tubes or wiped off the internals with blue shop towels on a previous rebuild. The blue fibers from the paper towel will be stuck in the valving holding them open. Just an FYI

So what do you use?

 

[kkroger]

So what do you use?

When I worked in the Precision measurement Lab, we used Kimberly Clark KIM wipes (the large ones and the small ones) to clean parts before measuring them... no lint, we also had some wipes that we called donut papers, if you understand that one! LOL

 

[jeffer949]

For final assembly contact cleaner and an air hose.

 

[Alpine4x4]

I use a cheap pack of microfibers from Costco...seem to work great. Low lint, relatively durable, inexpensive.

 

[skruft]

I use the blue paper ones and old underwear, towels etc., except that I have good microfiber for any polishing and the like.

 

[captmoto]

I use a cheap pack of microfibers from Costco...seem to work great. Low lint, relatively durable, inexpensive.

I noticed lint coming off the yellow microfibers from Costco.

 

[anndel]

Scott Blue Shop Towels. Get 'em dirty then throw them away.

 

[MattT]

All great solutions. Another thought- anyone have a paper towel dispenser mounted on their wall? I find the cardboard boxes containing the towels a bit cumbersome

Got one holder on the underside of the shelf above the bench. And one mounted to a leg of my cart.

 

[louiec6]

Scott Blue Shop Towels. Get 'em dirty then throw them away.

And also very inexpensive at Costco. I use normal paper towels for stuff I dont care about lint, these for moderate, and either older/soiled microfiber or new harborfrieght microfiber for final wipe.... really depends one what I'm doing.

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[Bagherra]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040ZOFTI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

We use these at work...

I like them for garage use too...showed these to my Dad and he bought 3 rolls plus the rack.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040ZOJ76/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Specs]

Old cheapo here cuts up old sweatshirts, tee shirts, dish and bath towels. When wash cloths go on sale in the twelve packs; I grab a few extra to replace what have mysteriously disappeared into the shop. Old bed sheets work good for lint free rags. I also keep a roll of paper towels close by. I do not miss the commercial shop rags that were supplied in the dealerships. It is the Lifestyle of the rich and famous; when rags get dirty, the get tossed.

Flannel shirt killer here you want to reuse as much as you can, cause the shop towels dont do as much work for the cost. Thrift stores are my friend Dawn dish soap for first cycle, regular detergent for the cheapest.

 

[L.Cheapo]

And also very inexpensive at Costco. I use normal paper towels for stuff I dont care about lint, these for moderate, and either older/soiled microfiber or new harborfrieght microfiber for final wipe.... really depends one what I'm doing.

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I used an entire roll of them yesterday doing brakes, valve cover gaskets, and an oil change. There is NO way rags of that level of filth were coming into the house, let alone going into the washer and dryer.

I tried the used T shirt route once, but they weren't absorbent in the least, and just seemed to smear stuff around. I'm sticking with the blue paper shop towels on a roll.

 

[JUNK-MAN]

I use the blue paper towel type rags, along with the regular red ones and cut up clothes and towels.

 

[seancassey]

I normally buy either these or used rags, I hate washing them they are one time but good for getting the job done.

https://www.thetoweldepot.com/bulk/14-x-14-red-shop-rags-mechanic-rags/

 

[ttpete]

We used to get 100 lb bales of new 100% cotton t-shirt offcuts for the shop. They would absorb liquids very well. Anything with polyester content isn't absorbent enough.

 

[seancassey]

I bought 1000 lbs bales from the same company of reclaimed huck rags, they were 100% cotton cost next to nothing , me and my neighbor spit the cost, and Yes you are right. Cotton is always beneficial and polyester is junk imo.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Mostly I use the cheap cloth sheets in a pillow type pack. Will use cotton tube socks, tee shirts and even my old terry cloth house coat that my wife wanted to disappear and it was barely broke in to my thinking.
Santa is bringing me a paper towel and chemical holder so my paper roll will be where i can find it. As for Santa the silly fart already has it placed on our hearth.
While cleaning up the work room in the basement I came across a box of Kimtex towels that were probably misplaced 30 years ago.
I do not wash my rags but don’t throw them away until totally soiled. I save my dusty dirty rags and use them for the guaranteed mess I make when doing oil changes. Cleaning up spills and wiping out the drain bucket.
The Huck towels do sound like something I might try but would only wash them out in a bucket of soapy water or maybe a laundry mat.

 

[Indexmill]

Tee shirts **** as shop rags. Kitchen towels are the best.

 

[rtz]

Anyone order up a 10,000 pack of red rags?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O4K8PSQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I think they may even have a 25,000 and 50,000 size listed somewhere.

 

[DFB]

Will use cotton tube socks,

Now ur talking

Sometimes lucky if I get more than a weeks time out of some tube socks these days

By time Spring comes I have a boxfull

I usually polish my motorcycle with them

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

DFB Tube socks are great slide in your hand and rotate at will. I buy the Costco ones they do dual use pretty well.

 

[bochnak]

I buy from seller "georgiatowels" on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/usr/georgiatowels

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Mu brother in law works on a farm and he forgets about rags in his pockets so he had a bunch at home mu sister had washed and gave to me. When i buy rags i like the box of blue paper towels from scott or there heavy duty ones. For really greasy or oily stuff I prefer the paper so i can just toss them

 

[Rickster]

Lady at the Flea market (Jake's in Barto PA) sells them by the bunch for cheap. The last several of bunches I bought were white-ish, maybe bleached out blue? They work great, use em & toss em! I bought enough to get me through the winter....I hope!

 

[PhantomEB]

Old T-shirt’s do fine for me. I constantly T-shirt’s so the turnover is more than adequate.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Old T shirts are great but I like to prestain them a bit before coming rags.

 

[Davefr]

I bought 1000 lbs bales from the same company of reclaimed huck rags, they were 100% cotton cost next to nothing , me and my neighbor spit the cost, and Yes you are right. Cotton is always beneficial and polyester is junk imo.

Agree, those reclaimed surgical towels are the best. Decent size, absorbent, soft and pretty cheap in bulk.

The reclaimed ones are the real deal vs. the "fake" surgical towels sold as new.

I also like these rags:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-Glass-Towels-27x18/201861707834

Make sure you buy a Speed Queen washing machine to launder them.

 

[matt_i]

I bought 1000 lbs bales from the same company of reclaimed huck rags, they were 100% cotton cost next to nothing , me and my neighbor spit the cost, and Yes you are right. Cotton is always beneficial and polyester is junk imo.

Wo! You bought $1200/500 lbs of rags? That is a commitment unless you're re-selling off smaller amounts.

I just got my first huck towels (small pack) and they are the rags I've been waiting for!

I also got some DuPont Sontara aero exotic wipes for precision stuff.

 

[seber]

A while back I bought several cases of bath towels and wash cloths at an estate auction. I've never found anything that works as well. Huck towels don't really compare. I do have to cut them up into more practical size.

 

[seancassey]

the first time I bought these cheap 10 lbs reclaimed huck rags and then me and few of my friends decided to chip in and get this huge bundle of rags. We did sold some to our local garage owners so it's worth it, I am sure its not going away for a long time lol .. But its worth the investment as I am tired of those expensive rags.

 

[Nineeightyone]

I bought a pack from HF and have no complaints, I think it was $10. I'm treating them like heavy-duty paper towels though, and will wipe everything from parts to my face with the same rag unless cleanliness is an issue.

If I had to nitpick they're a little coarse and a little thin, but I also have a couple of old towels I use for transporting wheels/larger clean-up jobs/when it's summer and I'm sweaty.

 

[MarlynOC]

Garage sale used towels at 10 cents each. Usually soft from use and good for waxing as well.