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OT: cheap way to clean shop rags.

Geo-TH,In

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
Billy Mays would be proud! I took a small food chopper, that I never, and chopped up the small bars of soap that I normally pitch. Put the chopped soap into a plastic container and filled it with a pint of water. Put it in the microwave for 90 seconds. Next day my soap/water mix looked like Jello. Put it in the microwave for another 90 seconds and the soap turned to a liquid. Did a good job cleaning my shop rags. Would you call this a Green Idea or just cheap?
George
 
Remnants of bar soap when placed in a container with water, will dissolve and make a very nice liquid soap. Good way to save $.
 
That soap paste also makes a good external coating for pans to be used for cooking over a campfire...makes the balck smoke residue easily removable. We always took a small jar of that stuff with us when our Boy Scout troop went camping, 45 years ago.
 
Mom use to chip up the old soap bar pieces and use them in the laundry. When I would be out working in celery field on rainy days I would get soapy foam spots on my jeans from where the thicker pieces of soap imbedded into the fabric. She was just being frugal.
 
My mom used to chop up old soap bars to use when I got mouthy. Seemed to work- I now know how mouthy I can get without the soap coming out.
 
Had a aunt that would melt them down in a iron pot . She had other stuff in there to and would cook it till it got like pudding then pour it out in pans till it cooled and hardend then sliced it into bars . Everyone saved there soap scraps for her . The stuff would sure clean ya up but dont think the girls of today would like it .
 
I take my shop rags in to town to the laundermat with a extra shot of detergent. Sometimes two washs are required.

Wife said no more her wash machine after a couple of my shirts took a hydraulic fluid bath.

Old bars of soap, just stick 'em to the new one.

Rick
 
Had a friend whose wife would wash out his shop rags at the gas barrel, then take them right in to the washing machine. One day she forgot to add detergent, and when she raised the lid, the lid switch (I guess) set off the gasoline fumes. It burned her sweater front pretty bad (ample bosom hanging over the machine) and blew the double hung window out in the front yard - without breaking any glass.

Paul
 
Most coin laundries have a machine dedicated for work clothes like greasy coveralls and shop rags. I guess you could always use a pressure washer on them before the washing machine. Dave
 
Ric, I do two washes too. The first one is without soap. Water washes off a lot of dirt. Use the 14 minute cycle and do a second rinse. Then comes the soap. Good enough for me. George
 
Working on the railroad, as a locomotive mechanic
i'd get a pair of those fuzzy yellow chore
gloves dirty, oily, in a day or two. I'd throw them in a pail with some kerosene. When the pail
was full, and they'ed soaked for awhile, i'd ring
them out them take them to the laundramat, with
lots of soap, and a quart of ammonia. They came
out just like new. always went to the laundramat
late at night, after 2ed shift was over--and
never to the same one twice. Still feel guilty !
 
One of these days (when the wife is out shopping) I"m gonna try doing mine in the washer.
BTW, I once got some #6 fuel oil (like tar) on a brand new pair of dress pants. That evening, I soaked the spot with "Gunk" and the next day the wife ran it thru the washer with the rest of the clothes; came out just like new again!
Also, speaking of saving soap reminded me of this little gadget my mom had back in the 40s and 50s for reusing handsoap remnants to wash dishes.
The pieces were put in the "cage" which was swished around in the hot dishwater prior to washing the dishes.
a22149.jpg
 
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