Box of Rags work okay. We have them for our commercial/residential painting business my dad and I run on the side. You can pick them up at any good paint supply company, like Kelly Moore/Preservative.
Better yet, they also have actual boxes of cotton rags, from recycles cotton t-shirts. They are really cheap. Couple of bucks. I use them for washing and waxing as well.

 

I tried the "Box o Rags" once. First time I reached in and got some guys ripped under pants was the last time. I know they're clean, but no thanks. It's the blue paper towels now.

 

Howdy,
Thanks for the laughs! I have never gotton the skid mark unders yet, but I may rethink using them now!

 

We have a local place that sells "rags" for 50-60 cents a pound. They are old sweatshirts torn into usable sized pieces. NO UNDIES. I usually buy the 50# box, last time it cost $ 28.50 + tax.

When you're done with them throw them away or wash them.

When I wash them I just run the washer empty, soap only, afterwards, and that takes care of the ring.

 

I get them for free from a thrift store. They let me come in and sort through their rag trash can. They usually send a whole dumpster load off every week so whatever I can take means less stomping they have to do on the dumpster. I usually fill up a trash bag full for myself every time I go in there. My favorites are towels (for soaking up volume) and sweat shirts and tee shirts are good for clean work. Bed sheets and blue jeans are usually not much use.

Birken

 

I personally use shop towels(i think thats what there called) they're pretty good at the messes i make. not that expensive either. you can buy them at auto stores or wal-mart.

 

First, whaddya mean go to a "woman's" forum?!? This woman may be new to the board, but hey guys, I'm sure I'm not the only woman who likes trucks! Can't blame your wife, though, on the greasy rags in the washer. My hubby buys his rags at a contractors supply house, and for the ones we use at home I buy old clothes and sheets at yard sales and then throw them away. Used to soak them in a aluminum tub in the yard, but kind of have to do that in warm weather. Gojo works just as good on cloth as it does on hands. Also, print supply houses carry several different brands of disposable rags.

 

Just buy the bag of RED SHOP TOWELS from your local auto parts store and chuck em after you use them. It is alot easier than washing them or listening to the wife.

 

The best solution I've found for my shop rags is an old ringer washer set up in the shop, cold or hot doesnt matter. A mix of ajex and/or comet and tide with bleach works wonders.

Keeps your dirty rags out of the wifes washer and makes a good excuse to stay in the shop longer.

 

Welcome to FTE James!

Ringer washers work great for towels or Chamois used for drying the truck.

 

I use to use the local laundry mat, they had 2 older machine's in the back just for that, but now I buy them from a printing shop. They are used but look just like new. I buy them 500 at a time for $14.00, I think it's a great deal.

 

I have had good results with my cement mixer --- I put my heavily soiled shop rags into it, along with a few smooth river rocks (to help "pound" the dirt out of the rags), some water, and a generous amount of Dawn dishwashing soap, or a scoop or two of laundry detergent. The length of the "wash cycle" is infinitely variable, and you can add stuff in whenever you want without lifting a lid & interrupting the cycle. To rinse, just dump the load onto a clean shipping pallet, hose out the mixer over it and then throw the rags& rocks back into the mixer, spray water in and run it for another infinitely variable cycle, dump the load and hang it up to dry... Other things can be washed this way without messing up the home laundry equipment (door mats, floor mats from the truck after a muddy trip, etc.) and as a benefit, your cement mixer gets a good cleaning! Before you wash anything in the mixer, you may want to fill it with a little water and sand or gravel first and run it a little to "polish out" any rust that may be lurking inside, just waiting to stain your shop rags, then dump & rinse the mixer before running your "wash load". Go ahead, LOL - it works for me, and is a good excuse to get outside and play in the backyard.

 

I use the blue rolls of towels at walmart when thet get dirty just throw them away.

 

Around here the local luandry mats have a couple of washers called greasers for dirty laundry like that.

 

Rags in a Box...white very thick paper towels I get at Sam's or Costco (maybe both). About $10.00 a box, but there are lots of them, and I re-use them until they get trashed. I used to use the blue paper towels, but I like these even better. I do not store oil or paint rags in the garage. Those go to open air first for a day, then to the trash can outside.