recycling rags?

Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?

Ablang aka ron916 wrote:
Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?

At work we get reusable rags from a uniform company, but I am not aware
how they launder them.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

In article
,
Ablang wrote:

Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?

Try TSP and hot water.
Jersey is no good: too stretchy.
Old sheets, muslin scraps, old towels.
I have a couple shop rags too.

--
Michael Press

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:28:55 -0500, Tom Sherman
wrote:

Ablang aka ron916 wrote:
Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?

At work we get reusable rags from a uniform company, but I am not aware
how they launder them.

In a big washing machine with lots of detergent.

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:28:55 -0500, Tom Sherman
wrote:

Ablang aka ron916 wrote:
Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?
At work we get reusable rags from a uniform company, but I am not aware
how they launder them.

In a big washing machine with lots of detergent.

Yes, but top loading or side loading machine? What is the type and
concentration of detergent, and is an additional degreasing agent used?

Has it been verified that a "dry-cleaning" method is NOT used?

After all, this is "tech".

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

On Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:23:13 -0500, Tom Sherman
wrote:

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:28:55 -0500, Tom Sherman
wrote:

Ablang aka ron916 wrote:
Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?
At work we get reusable rags from a uniform company, but I am not aware
how they launder them.

In a big washing machine with lots of detergent.

Yes, but top loading or side loading machine? What is the type and
concentration of detergent, and is an additional degreasing agent used?


Side loading industrial machine with stuff that you can't buy in
normal stores. The laundry I worked in serviced rags used in food
service, so there were not special degreasers as far as I know. Just
wicked strong detergent.

Has it been verified that a "dry-cleaning" method is NOT used?

Washing was with water.

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:28:55 -0500, Tom Sherman
wrote:

Ablang aka ron916 wrote:
Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?

Any cotton works. Old shirts that are cotton/rayon mixes work. Old
slacks that are cotton mixes work. Old towels. Denim, old sweatshirts
don't work.


At work we get reusable rags from a uniform company, but I am not aware
how they launder them.

In a big washing machine with lots of detergent.

Yes, but top loading or side loading machine? What is the type and
concentration of detergent, and is an additional degreasing agent used?


I use our standard home washing machine. I load the machine turn
it on with a cup of detergent. When the machine is agitating I then
continue
to pour in detergent until the water is just beginning to foam.

After the load is complete I then use the wet rags to wipe off the
ring-around-the-washing-machine on the inside of the washing machine,
then I run them through a second load with the normal amount of
detergent.

I then wash all of our old bath towels that I use for drying cars.

I do this when I know my wife isn't going to be using the washing
machine since it really trashes the inside of the washing machine tub
and she freaks when she sees it. The final load of wash, the towels,
generally cleans the tub up pretty well.

Ted

Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:

I do this when I know my wife isn't going to be using the washing
machine since it really trashes the inside of the washing machine tub
and she freaks when she sees it.

You are a very brave man...

David White wrote:
Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:

I do this when I know my wife isn't going to be using the washing
machine since it really trashes the inside of the washing machine tub
and she freaks when she sees it.

You are a very brave man...

I imagine the commercial shop rag services have dedicated laundry
facilities for this reason.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

On Jun 30, 10:58 pm, Ablang wrote:
Does anyone here wash and re-use used bike rags?

I don't, since it seems to me that putting that grease down the drain,
even with detergent, is environmentally about the same as pouring oil
into the toilet.

If so, what do you use to get grease and lube off them?

I use mostly paper towels. They get landfilled, grease & lube and
all.

Of course, last time I mentioned that here, I was strung up by my
thumbs for my supposed environmental sin. Even by the guy who said he
snuck his greasy rags into the laundromat so the grease wouldn't ruin
_his_ washing machine.

And where do your rags come from? Old underwear and socks?

They come on a roll, arriving from the store by bicycle.

- Frank Krygowski