Cleaning Tools

[TheMadMech]

I work in a dirty environment with lots of dirt, soda ash, and grease everywhere. I've been using simple green or a parts washer to clean my hand tools and Marvel Mystery Oil to oil them but was wondering if there was a better way. I love the Marvel bottle but is simple green really a good option for hand tools? Is the parts washer doing serious harm? Thoughts?

This is my clever signature.

 

[jt777]

Im not a professional but i use a rag or shop towel to wipe down all my tools first thing when I'm done. Then if necessary i use brake cleaner on anything without a soft grip. Then i put 3 in 1 oil on a rag and wipe them with that to prevent rust.

 

[ken w.]

Simple green is pretty safe for just about everything. MMO is a good oil as well. I can't see anything wrong with what your doing. I usually use Kroil to wipe everything down with.

 

[dadsEH]

Dishwasher!.......( well, someone had to say it )

 

[fastbike02]

shop rag and brake cleaner little oil if i think they might rust

 

[gdocktor3]

Simple green is pretty safe for just about everything. MMO is a good oil as well. I can't see anything wrong with what your doing. I usually use Kroil to wipe everything down with.

I wouldn't say everything. Simple green started to take the paint off my tool box when I wiped it down.

 

[RAYJAY]

parts washer is fine there tools already not fine china

 

[GasNSteering]

I just started using an ultrasonic cleaner and highly recommend it. Drop them in, set the timer and come back to super clean tools. Plus all of the other items u can clean.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

WD-40, clean and protect in one step... spray a little on a rag and wipe tools down.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Since, apparently you are touching the tools (ie, not wearing gloves) , I would recommend putting hand cleaner on the grips. Just coat the grips with whatever hand soap you think smells the best or works best with whtever particular grip is on the tool.

 

[Holzarbeiter]

kerosene

 

[spongerich]

I've been using ZEP Industrial Concentrated Floor Stripper for cleaning machinery and tools.

It's cheap ($10 for a gallon that you dilute 10:1), doesn't burn your skin like The Purple ****, doesn't harm paint as long as you don't leave it on for an hour, and it cuts through 40 years of grease, grime, goo, and sludge like a hot knife through butter. After cleaning, some WD40 or Boeshield T-9 helps keep rust at bay.

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have been using WD40 for years, with no problem.

I might try that ZEP Stripper the next time I buy a lot or two of orphaned tools at auction

 

[Wamsutta]

Simple Green is very corrosive to tools; especially tools like pliers and impact sockets where they don't have any chrome plating to protect themselves from the acid that's in the caustic cleaner. I wash my tools the same time I wash my hands.

 

[FordTruckWench]

Simple Green is very corrosive to tools; especially tools like pliers and impact sockets where they don't have any chrome plating to protect themselves from the acid that's in the caustic cleaner. I wash my tools the same time I wash my hands.

"Caustic" means a base, the opposite of an acid. I believe Simple Green is neither. I found an online mention that the ph of Simple Green is 9.5. That's somewhat "basic", but not much. My tap water is probably somewhere in the ph 8 to 9 range. (There's lots of limestone around here.)

I've washed all sorts of things with Simple Green and have had no problems: Tools, nuts and bolts, engine parts, bike parts, bike chains, and so on.

Could you be confusing Simple Green with some of the other cleaners? Many of them are caustic or acidic. I know the "purple" one is.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Ok, maybe he meant to say corrossive.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

WD40 works for me.

 

[PJNJ]

Simple Green is very corrosive to tools; especially tools like pliers and impact sockets where they don't have any chrome plating to protect themselves from the acid that's in the caustic cleaner. I wash my tools the same time I wash my hands.

"Caustic" means a base, the opposite of an acid. I believe Simple Green is neither. I found an online mention that the ph of Simple Green is 9.5. That's somewhat "basic", but not much. My tap water is probably somewhere in the ph 8 to 9 range. (There's lots of limestone around here.)

I've washed all sorts of things with Simple Green and have had no problems: Tools, nuts and bolts, engine parts, bike parts, bike chains, and so on.

Could you be confusing Simple Green with some of the other cleaners? Many of them are caustic or acidic. I know the "purple" one is.

^ I agree. I have used Simple Green to clean many things over the decades (I was an early user) and have had no problems with corrosion of parts and tools or damage to surfaces. Now Purple Power, however, is a different story altogether. Purple Power is a cleaner of last resort for me.

For tools I often just wipe them down with WD40 or PBblaster if the WD40 is not handy.

 

[Al Borland]

3-in-1 oil works well and doesn't smell as bad as WD-40.

 

[DemoFly]

Dawn dish soap mixed with water in a spray bottle. The same bottle I use to check punctures in tires, etc.

If the tool is rusted put it in distilled white vinegar.

If it's not coated with chrome, I put some light oil on it with a rag. Sometimes.

 

[P51Boilermaker]

I wouldn't say everything. Simple green started to take the paint off my tool box when I wiped it down.

What kind of toolbox?? I can't believe simple green damaged the paint to that point.

 

[P51Boilermaker]

Dawn dish soap mixed with water in a spray bottle. The same bottle I use to check punctures in tires, etc.

If the tool is rusted put it in distilled white vinegar.

If it's not coated with chrome, I put some light oil on it with a rag. Sometimes.

+1 on Dawn dish soap for oily/grimy tools, especially for soft grip handles. Oil spill clean up crews use Dawn.

 

[johninct]

I use what a body shop would use to wipe down a body panel prior to painting. It doesn't hurt any tool or plastic. I use Kleanz Easy from Napa but any product to wipe down a fender prior to painting should be fine.

 

[egdede]

Simple green very bad for aluminum: From their web site.

When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser, and Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner, Pro Series Simple Green Automotive Cleaner, and Simple Green Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances.

Simple Green Stainless Steel One Step Cleaner & Polish is another option for cleaning polished aluminum. This product is designed for light duty metal cleaning and polishing.

 

[ZRX61]

"Caustic" means a base, the opposite of an acid. I believe Simple Green is neither. I found an online mention that the ph of Simple Green is 9.5. That's somewhat "basic", but not much. My tap water is probably somewhere in the ph 8 to 9 range. (There's lots of limestone around here.)

I've washed all sorts of things with Simple Green and have had no problems: Tools, nuts and bolts, engine parts, bike parts, bike chains, and so on.

Could you be confusing Simple Green with some of the other cleaners? Many of them are caustic or acidic. I know the "purple" one is.

Simple Green is banned for use on aircraft most places.

 

[PJNJ]

Simple green very bad for aluminum: From their web site.

When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser, and Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner, Pro Series Simple Green Automotive Cleaner, and Simple Green Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances.

Simple Green Stainless Steel One Step Cleaner & Polish is another option for cleaning polished aluminum. This product is designed for light duty metal cleaning and polishing.

Simple Green is banned for use on aircraft most places.

I don't have a large number of aluminum tools nor do I wash airplanes. I have used Simple Green to help clean aluminum suspension components on a Corvette and it didn't cause any problems - probably because I didn't leave it on for more than 10 minutes as recommended by Simple Green and rinsed with plain water. Plus when I just now read the quote from Simple Green it didn't say not to use on aluminum but instead has a caution with how it is used.

 

[Jim Diesel]

Using my tools daily for a living, I find a quick wipe with a rag and brake clean does the trick. If i think i wont use that particular tool for a while maybe a quick spray of WD or an oily rag.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I have to chime in here with something:
My mother has an aluminum "air cleaner" thing in her furnace that has to be cleaned every couple months. It looks kind of like a little radiator, made of aluminum. The manufacturer of the unit says to use Simple Green to clean it; applying it directly to the aluminum. I haven't seen it cause any damage/mottling/pitting on the thing.
On the other hand, I have made the mistake of applying "Super Clean" (the "purple stuff") directly to aluminum window frames and a shower stall door, and in both cases it really messed up the finish. Took hours to buff it back out with #0000 steel wool.

 

[Loren871]

Gojo type hand wipes. I get the John Deere brand from the store. You add some water inside the tub they come in and when you squeeze you have a soapy rag. The texture of the towels are perfect for scrubbing tools that are really greasy or dirty. Wipe with a regular rag or shop towel and your good to go. If my tools aren't all that bad or I'm in a hurry like previous post a shot of brake cleaner and a quick wipe. Just don't use on anything with rubber handles.

 

[Wes J]

I use LPS 2 (or maybe 3?) oil. It's very similar to Kroil. Spray some one a rag and wipe down my tools. It's a good rust inhibitor (much better than WD-40). It also cleans very well. I use it on my rubber grip screw drivers and other tools to clean the grime that they attract.

 

[cbones62]

While simple green is good for many things, it should not be in contact with unpainted aluminum for more than 10 minutes. I believe it also contains ammonia and isn't recommended for brass. Simple green makes a purple colored cleaner that is good for these applications. I think it is labeled as industrial cleaner or snorting similar. I used to use it in the ultrasonic to clean spent brass before I got my wet tumbler. It worked well, and I have also used it on firearms in the ultrasonic successfully. I do rinse it off before oiling.

 

[ImportTuner]

3-in-1 oil works well and doesn't smell as bad as WD-40.

I like the smell of WD-40 ...

 

[PJNJ]

I like the smell of WD-40 ...

Me too.

 

[bwringer]

Another dubba dee forty user here. It's harmless to plastic and rubber bits, cuts all kinds of crud, and smells fairly innocuous. Spray on a rag or paper towel and wipe.

Simple Green smells like a nasty urinal cake. I hate the stuff.

 

[anndel]

Dishwasher!.......( well, someone had to say it )

Why don't you launder it like money?

I wipe mine down with a shop rag or paper towel. If really greasy I spray WD-40 into the rag/paper tower and wipe it down then lube them with MMO.

 

[anndel]

^ I have to chime in here with something:
My mother has an aluminum "air cleaner" thing in her furnace that has to be cleaned every couple months. It looks kind of like a little radiator, made of aluminum. The manufacturer of the unit says to use Simple Green to clean it; applying it directly to the aluminum. I haven't seen it cause any damage/mottling/pitting on the thing.
On the other hand, I have made the mistake of applying "Super Clean" (the "purple stuff") directly to aluminum window frames and a shower stall door, and in both cases it really messed up the finish. Took hours to buff it back out with #0000 steel wool.

Super Clean has sodium hydroxide or lye, a component of drain unclogger like Drano or Liquid Plumber. It eats grease and oil and emulsifies it, turning oils into a soap. think the label says not to let it sit on bare aluminum for more than a few minutes or it'll stain it permanently. I used it to clean the valve cover and oil pan.

 

[Superbec]

wipes from dollar store, some brake cleaner if there's too much grease

recently I bought a roll of cotton wipes ... (not dollar store) , man they can really **** some dirt in .