How are you disposing of your oily finishing rags?

nn4jw

New User
Jim
For those who actually deal with disposing of their oily finishing rags, linseed oil soaked etc., how do you handle it?

I'm not really interested in what you've found on the internet; I've read enough there. I'm much more interested in how those of you who generate oily waste on a regular basis are getting rid of your collected oily waste, especially from smaller shops without commercial hazardess waste pickup.

Likewise, temporary oily waste storage before ultimate disposal is not my question. Oily waste cans like Justrite cover that adequately. It's the next step in that disposal I'm interested in.

Thanks all.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Soak them in water and then put them in my trash. I'm not generating enough to need for hazardous waste management. Also once dry my understanding is it is environmentally safe.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
I'm not really interested in what you've found on the internet; I've read enough there. I'm much more interested in how those of you who generate oily waste on a regular basis are getting rid of your collected oily waste, especially from smaller shops without commercial hazardess waste pickup.
Most of us don't generate that many oily rags for disposal. Lay them outside in the sun to dry and then put them in the regular trash. How many oily rags do you generate during finishing?
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I lay them outside on my concrete drive, if I expect any wind I lay a rock on it. After a week or so I throw them in the trash.
 

Tom from Clayton

tom
Corporate Member
I do pretty much as Mr Davis does except I lay them over my garbage can for several days then when it's time for the garbage to be picked up I put them in the bin. The key is to spread them out so they can dry easily without too much heat build up.
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
I drape them over the rim of a 30 gl. metal trash can. When completely dry / hard I put them inside the can.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Dry them then throw into the washing machine with bleach. Dryer. Then reuse. ;)

Scott, have you actually done this successfully? I buy a big bag of rags in the paint section of a big box store and consider them to be disposable after use.
 
Last edited:

ScottM

Scott
Staff member
Corporate Member
I use more shop towels (blue paper towels) then I do rags. Mostly they end up in my burn pile.
 

Pop Golden

New User
Pop
What everybody else does. Let them dry outside and throw them in the trash. I never throw them away wet. They are prone to spontaneous combustion when balled up and wet.

Pop
 

danmart77

Dan
Corporate Member
For those who actually deal with disposing of their oily finishing rags, linseed oil soaked etc., how do you handle it?

I'm not really interested in what you've found on the internet; I've read enough there. I'm much more interested in how those of you who generate oily waste on a regular basis are getting rid of your collected oily waste, especially from smaller shops without commercial hazardess waste pickup.

Likewise, temporary oily waste storage before ultimate disposal is not my question. Oily waste cans like Justrite cover that adequately. It's the next step in that disposal I'm interested in.

Thanks all.

Jim I had a brain cramp years ago and someone else caught the heat up before it got dangerous. Like Richard, I soak in water and then hang on my clothes line. I have done some checking as it dries and it doesn't get warm. Most importantly-- I don't keep them in the shop at all.

I do use linseed oil and I am careful with it at all times.
 

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