Washing Shop Towels, favorite method?

[Boneyard51]

I use a combination of paper towels and red shop rags. If it’s real greasy, it gets the paper towel and then into the trash. I use the red rags gently. When I get a mess of them dirty, I take them to a laundrymat. I use a lot of regular soap and throw those fabric sofeteners in the dryer. I hold one or two towels back and while the red rags are drying I go over the washing machine thougherly and the run a cycle through with soap , while waiting on the rags to dry. That way the wife is happy, no one gets dirty laundry, and I get the best rags to use in my shop. Just my way! Bones

 

[ZRX61]

My microfiber & terry towel stash... The red shop rags are loose in a crate, blue Scott towels are elsewhere.
Yellow mf's on the top shelf are Costco, the ones below that are Sams Club.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Mty uncle had an old school wringer washer for his shop towels, would boil a huge pot of water and used lye soap (that stuff would remove skin, BTW), it'd sit there and agitate for whats seemed like an hour while he was boiling the next pot of water. He'd then dump the water, throw in a dose of whatever powdered soap he had handy, some vinegar (I think it was to neutralize the lye), refill with boiling water, and agitate for another so often. Dump and run clear water to rinse. Through the wringer, then off to his slave labor, er, nieces and nephews to hang and dry.

It worked so well I'm still looking for an old wringer maytag to do that with.

 

[Squankum]

Wait, you guys buy shop rags? I've been getting professional-quality red shop rags for free for years! They're on the roads, just keep your eyes peeled.

 

[83VillageRepair]

I have a maytag wringer wash machine that I use for mine. There is no timer on the cycle so if they are really dirty you can just let them run longer. The wringer really helps get out the excess.

Wade

 

[Davefr]

Throw them all in a 5 gallon pail with a double dose of laundry detergent. Swish them around a few times. Rinse and repeat and let soak. Then let them air dry. They'll be good enough to use as rags. They don't need to be machine laundered. (5 minutes of work over a couple days time for a bucket full).

If my wifey ever found a dirty shop rag in with her laundry, I'd be ******* my hand for the next month.

 

[Shootinok]

5 gallon bucket method as Davefr said. I also put my gloves in there.
Swish around and agitate with a stick if needed.
Rinse and hang dry.


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[gungatim]

Aren't they like $0.19 a rag at Harbor Freight? I toss them when they stop cleaning and start dirty-ing.

if that...

I used to wash mine, last time was maybe 10 yrs. ago. Washtub, degreaser, soap, all the time to dry and fold, once I added up what it cost I realized it is cheaper to toss and buy new.

I buy 50 or 100 packs now. dirty ones either go in the trash or the shop wood burner...

 

[JRC3]

I guess the guys who said laundromat lost interest in this thread for some reason. LOL

 

[gnpenning]

One of our local laundry service sells used shop rags and bar rags for $5 a garbage can bag. No idea how many are in there. I use paper for the really bad stuff then rags for the rest. Throw away when used up. Already have the washing machine and dishwasher for the next shop, will have a oil separator.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

I guess the guys who said laundromat lost interest in this thread for some reason. LOL

We washed and dried all the cat beds and blankets at the local laundromat even though I have a washing machine in garage. When finished I noticed a "Do not wash pet beds here" sign on wall [emoji44].
Another sign they had was "No dying in machines". Who would go to a laundromat just to crawl in a machine to die?

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[anythingyoucanimagine]

Get free washer/dryers on Craigslist. If I ever washed my shop clothes or rags in our house washer & dryer my wife would pull a Lorena Bobbitt the next time I went to sleep.

 

[Davefr]

Here's how to clean rags "the easy way". It won't piss off the wifey, or the laundromat or require the purchase of a "beater" washer/dryer machine.

1. Add rags to 5 gallon bucket
2. Fill with water
3. Add your choice of soap (Dawn, Tide, etc). Give it a heavy dose.
4. Just let them soak until you have a full load then swish the load with a stick for a couple minutes. A drywall mud mixer is perfect. (free from garage sale)
5. Repeat 2-4
6. Rinse rags
7. Hang on anything to air dry
8. Fold and store

Takes about 5 minutes total work.

I hate red mechanics rags. I prefer larger/more absorbent huck surgical or glass/bar towels and they're too good to toss.

 

[Mattlt]

Here's how to clean rags "the easy way". It won't piss off the wifey, or the laundromat or require the purchase of a "beater" washer/dryer machine.

1. Add rags to 5 gallon bucket
2. Fill with water
3. Add your choice of soap (Dawn, Tide, etc). Give it a heavy dose.
4. Just let them soak until you have a full load then swish the load with a stick for a couple minutes. A drywall mud mixer is perfect. (free from garage sale)
5. Repeat 2-4
6. Rinse rags
7. Hang on anything to air dry
8. Fold and store

Takes about 5 minutes total work.

I hate red mechanics rags. I prefer larger/more absorbent huck surgical or glass/bar towels and they're too good to toss.

If you can find a bucket with a tight-fitting lid, even better. Let it roll around in the back of your pickup for a day (or week) or two. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

That mud mixer looks like one big badass potato masher!

 

[Jagmandave]

I wasn't keen on the idea of throwing away my red shop towels till I started buying the packages at HF, now it just doesn't make a lot of sense to wash them.

BTW, those red towels from HF give off a TON of lint, don't use them to wipe off internal engine or transmission parts - ever. I use the blue paper shop towels for that and use the red cloth towels to clean my hands and tools

I use cheapo white paper towels to clean up grease and oil spills

 

[ludakris04]

I've learned that wringing them out in gas gets'em pretty clean

and storing them in a cardboard box keeps them fresh...

 

[CoogarXR]

I do the 5-gal bucket + Dawn method. I just squeeze them and swirl them around a little, let them soak. Dump the bucket later on, rinse the towels under the spigot, wring them out, drape them on the handle and around the edges of the bucket and let them dry in the sun. Takes like 5 minutes.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

Years ago I used a shop towel delivery service. I always thought after washing they went through a red dye bath.
The shop laundry is great here, and cheap laundry detergent isn't any good like Tide or Gain. Real greasy I spray with Brake Clean, if too bad throw away.
I store clean rags in a metal trash can with a tight lid.

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[BajaScout]

I use them to start campfires with. A squirt of charcoal fluid to get them going.

 

[SALIV8]

My microfiber & terry towel stash... The red shop rags are loose in a crate, blue Scott towels are elsewhere.
Yellow mf's on the top shelf are Costco, the ones below that are Sams Club.

 

[Farmall450]

wait till you have enough go to laundromat

I clicked expecting to see this.

 

[Farmall450]

I like to clean those red rags by soaking in brake parts cleaner and lighting on fire.

I can't believe people still buy them, let alone want to put those things in the washing machine they wash their clothes with. LOL

Agreed. I can see buying them, but after grease etc the burning barrel is where they belong.

 

[damon18]

Here's how to clean rags "the easy way".

Like the mud-mixer tool for this!

Thanks everyone for the different angles on the basic problem of shop towel usage.

Looks like it boils down to:

• Use cloth shop towells but never wash them, use until too filthy for any job and then throw away.
• Only use paper, kitchen towels or the blue ones, and never have to wash.
• Use cloth, and wash them in someone else's machine when they get nasty.
• Use the paper or cloth depending on the job, and wash the cloth ones in a bucket.
• Use cloth and wash them in a special washing machine bought just for that purpose.

Did I miss any?

 

[macdabs]

You may want to just check with the cleaners that do the shop rags for the big shop and see if you can just have them wash them. I have always just drop a bag off and they charge by the pound . Even if you don't have a big shop they are still in the cleaning business and want to make $$$ . I drop a huge trash bag off one a year and i think the bill is around $40.00 . Some of my rags are 8 years old and they come back folded like new. I grease a lot of heavy equipment and diesel oil changes so you know what a rag looks like .
Mac

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Sad to hear that some people here see no issue with ruining a laundromat machine and ruining the clothes of those who don't have a washer and dryer at home and depend on a laundromat to wash their good clothes.

Don't understand that mentality. Don't ruin other people's clothes and machines. Either get a second washer at your house or use disposable stuff or wash by hand.

 

[mmb617]

I assumed this was a joke thread as I didn't believe anybody actually washes shop rags. I guess I was wrong. And I thought I was cheap!

 

[Davefr]

Did I miss any?

A variation of the above.

- Use higher quality shop rags for everyday tasks and wash them when dirty. I prefer using reclaimed surgical towels over those crappy red rags. For ultra messy jobs like when you change oil and your aim is off and you miss the pan, use "beater" rags or paper towels and dispose of them.

 

[JRC3]

Cheap paper towels cost way more than good ones because you have to use twice as many to barely get the job done. They don't absorb and basically just smear **** around. Bounty is the best brand, period. I miss the Bounty Duratowel. My guess is they discontinued it because people won't pay extra for something that outperforms everything else.


Don't even get me started on cheap toilet paper.

 

[sberry]

I like the POM the Sam has. I sent someone the other day and they came with something else, lots of plastic wrap. But I can always end up "using 2" and I reuse them a little too when they simply dry hands etc. They are so handy that if is a lot of incentive to clean up fast and easy. I got no problem grabbing a hand full or e4ven a roll for a job. People willing to put 1000s of dollars in parts together and don't wanna buy a roll of paper towel for the job. White is clean, can see it, get a gob of stuff or hazard and discard immediately.

 

[sberry]

I got 10 rolls of towels around. I burn some. My burning ***** since I had to change stoves, I rarely had to go to the dump. I use Styrofoam cups too. I could use them paper to burn would reduce a little trash. I hate taking to the landfill and should semi pack clean or greasy paper to burn, a lot of it is simply convenience now. I used to bag it right up, box up and shove in to a big stove but insurance aint fond of it.
Making a frame to hold those annoying plastic bags and packing them with bits all day long or walking to a stove, we could even fish some burn ables from the trash, all labor intensive.

 

[vette-kid]

Around 25 years ago, PBS had a show about emerging China. One of the companies they profiled in one episode was an appliance maker named Haier. They had built the cutest little portable washing machine and then sold them across the country. It turned out many of them had problems and were returned. The company couldn't figure out why they were failing so they sent their engineers out to their rural customers. It turned out farmers were also washing root vegetables in them. The engineers came back to the factory and reported that the customers were stupid and using the machines wrong and needed to be educated. The owner told them "These are our customers. If they want to use the machines to wash vegetables, then you need to redesign them so they also wash vegetables!"

That little company named Haier now owns GE Appliances here in the USA. And I bought one of their cute little portable washers to wash my shop towels in. Yes, even the ones I use on the lathe & mill that get metal chips caught in them. I've seen the water come out black on the first 2 rinse cycles. That little washer has never even hiccuped.

Link???

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[AngryBeaver]

Agreed. I can see buying them, but after grease etc the burning barrel is where they belong.

I meant that more of, people still but those horrible things? lol

They don't soak up ****. they are good for heavy grease, and that's about it. they also make good fire starters

 

[dagofast]

Link???

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Mine is a model HLP21N: https://www.haierappliances.com/appliance/specs/hlp21n It looks like it is out of production now. I bought mine new from Walmart using their free ship to store feature.

I used to keep it out in the shop and just roll it over and hook it up next to the laundry sink. But my wife and daughter both fell in love with it and they like using it to wash the household cleaning rags (I guess they don't like using the same washer to wash a rag that was used to clean a toilet as they wash their lady garments in?) so it now resides in the laundry room in the house. I'm cool with that because it frees up a little spot in my shop.


Here are a couple of YouTube reviews. (Neither one was made by me)

Short review:

Long review:

Edited to add: It looks like Wally now sells a Magic Chef $159 & RCA $139 mini washers.
I would guess both of these are similar Chinese made washers. Or you could look on CL or similar to find a Haier unit.

 

[JRC3]

This thing is $109.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Costway-...h_j5M0B_ZpD_Tt8RLnU59_sncGs4u82waAhuyEALw_wcB

Might keep an eye on CL for something like it.

 

[ScottsGT]

I gave up after stinking up my machine. I just throw them out now. Buy more. Or I us the blue Scott towels. But as mentioned, life is too short to be doing laundry on shop rags.

I do have a bunch of micro fibers that need cleaning. I was told to dry on delicate setting or you will ruin the microfibers. At this point, thinking about tossing those too with all the paint coating chemicals I have put on them. Do I really want that stuff running through my machine??

 

[DFB]

.20 a piece or 50 for $10 is about right on for cheap red shop rags.

Best price I seen on Amazon was .13 cents a piece for 500 qty

Aint worth washing after they are oily greasy dirty

 

[GTO]

Center pull paper towels and cheap micro fiber towels from Costco(I don't wash them)

 

[Shehzada]

That is why I never take clothes to the laundromat


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What if you live in a building with no personal washer?

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[Lassen Forge]

I didn't realize there are multiple vendors of the red rags on Amazon... last bundle (of 150) I bought were almost heavy like the old school rental rags. I think it was like $25 for the bundle, but way worth it.

Here's how to clean rags "the easy way"...
1. Add rags to 5 gallon bucket
2. Fill with water
3. Add your choice of soap (Dawn, Tide, etc). Give it a heavy dose.
4. Just let them soak until you have a full load then swish the load with a stick for a couple minutes. A drywall mud mixer is perfect. (free from garage sale)
5. Repeat 2-4
6. Rinse rags
7. Hang on anything to air dry
8. Fold and store

Takes about 5 minutes total work.

It's called a fire camp washing machine. As long as you're on the move it works great. Do 1-4, then strap it down in the back of the bed of your truck. About 3-4 hours of driving (more if they're really filthy) dump the suds and refill with water. Couple hours, replace the water. When you get off shift, wring and hang for the next day.

The crew that got stuck doing sack lunch runs, town runs for supplies and crew switchouts used to have a half dozen buckets against the tailgate just for this. 5 bucks a load (or equivalent) and you got you wash done.

BTW, those red towels from HF give off a TON of lint, don't use them to wipe off internal engine or transmission parts - ever. I use the blue paper shop towels for that and use the red cloth towels to clean my hands and tools

I got a pack of cheapy white bar mops from Costco that did the same thing... I take them new to the laundromat, wash them hothot and run them in THEIR drier to get rid of the lint.

 

[DFB]

Ya often pays to wash those loose weave cheap shop rags before using. Lot of the dye will wash out and they often will shrink but also tighten up some and be a bit softer

Personally I think the current labeled Grants found at HF right now are ok 50 for $9.99