wroomwroomoops

Bleach? Why? It's not like whiter rags will work better, y'know? And bleach will do absolutely nothing to the (possibly) remaining particles and grease in the rags. They just make the fabric whiter.

arborohs

I use worn out sox and used dryer sheets to wipe the grease off my hands. Works good then throw away.

tellyho

My son was a huge spewer and wore bibs 24/7. Now that we're expecting #2, I just inherited #1s old bibs: perfect size!

I have a rotation of rags, from dirty to mostly clean, that I use and dispose. For example: gross old chain gets hit with the dirtiest, then move on to a cleaner one to finish off. When the dirtiest is gross, it goes in the trash. I haven't run out yet.

sumguy

have a rag service at work - take a few home, bring the bad ones back. Maybe you can find someone at a shop (car parts, garage, etc) that already has this service and do it on their dime. I know I wouldn't pay for special pickups; old clothes if good go to thrift shop or used for tough cleaning jobs if bad.

mike_khad1

Thanks everyone for your help in this. I commute to work partly to do my part for the environment (partly to lose a beer belly). So now my challenge is to figure out how to maintain my bikes in an environmentally friendly way. It's almost as dizzying as the "paper or plastic" decision at the supermarket.

As I see it:

If I wash or pre-wash in 5-gallon buckets, then what do I do with the oily, dirty wastewater? Although to be honest, I didn't think tha part through when I ran them through the washing machine. But certainly the sewer line should be much better than a storm drain.

If I treat the shop rags or old clothes as disposable, I'm filling up land-fill space with oily rags. Though in one case, I'm taking an item that may already be heading to a landfill, using them and then putting them back where it was heading anyway (though a bit dirtier).

The same landfill issue applies to disposable shop rags.

I'll make some phone calls and see if an automotive shop or bicycle shop offers some sort of exchange or cleaning service for customers.

wroomwroomoops

The sad truth is, landfills are better than cleaning this stuff. The fine metal shavings (which, IMHO, is the worst part of the dirt) will end up in the water system if you wash the rags. If you put them in landfills, theoretically at least, they will stay there and slowly compact and decompose, and (theoretically I said) become part of the earth's crust like the ore they were extracted from.

mike-on-da-bike

i dont waste time cleaning rags man much better to go find some more old t-shirts or there are so many folk around willing to give ya heaps of rag for free,you can even buy a ton of em if you need too cheap

Wordbiker

I just use whatever shirt I'm wearing. Magical elves get them all clean.

It really helps with that "Pro" look.

mcmurryjohn

The fine metal shavings are surely not the worst part of the sludge that comes from bicycle maintenance. The solvents and greases are the real environmental nuisances.

Not likely. Landfills have lifespans much shorter than needed for that to occur.

The real issue is if the local wastewater treatment plant can treat the contaminants adequately to prevent them from being discharged into local waters.

You could compost the nasty rags. Plenty of naturally occurring, mesophyllic bacteria like petroleum.

John

jwill911

+1 Do the same. I have an old thick cotton gym sock I've been wiping the chain of two bikes with to the point you almost need a dirty rag to pick it up to keep from getting you hands dirty.

jw

Psydotek

There's also a fire hazard if you use a dryer when cleaning your rags... I suppose you could just let them air dry, but i figure the hassle isn't worth it.

Another +1 for cutting up old T-Shirts or old socks for rags. Great for working on both the bike and car. Toss them when they can't hold anymore grime. Disposable shop towels (paper towels on steroids) are also useful for certain tasks.

bigbossman 

+1

I've been doing this for years (except I frequently fine 'em at 4/$1). And you can even custom-cut various sized squares to clean a multitude of different caliber rifles and pistols, polish cars, etc.

Very versatile, and very economical. Plus, you can use the hell out of a t-shirt for a long time before it's too dirty to use anymore.

Neil Fraedrich

I use old towels and T-shirts for my rags. I gather them into a box and when I feel the urge to be domestic I cut them into small squages 4-6 inches then put them in my rag box for use.
I feel like i am getting the most out of the material since I cut them up sort of small.
I like the terry material best for cleaning chains and sprockets.
After one use they are pretty yuked up, so I throw them into a metal can in my shop, and empty
every week into garbage.

reckon

yeah, everything he said, but I'll add that the blue shop towels from scott are GREAT for polishing as they will NOT leave a scratch mark, like most paper towels will.

(dood get outta my brain)