disposing of rags

[spencer411]

hi all, i've just picked up some wipe on poly and it says on the side to store used rags in a metal container with water in it. once the metal container is full, what then? is it safe to place in the normal bin for general rubbish collection? also, when storing in the metal container, is it safe to have a lid on the container? these are noob questions i know, but better safe than very sorry.

thanks in advance.

spence.

[jchappo]

Lay them out flat to dry. I usually spread mine out on the ground outside the shed.
When dry (they go stiff), you can safely dispose of them in the garbage.

[Claw Hama]

[Bob38S]

I do the same as both above.

[Grommett]

Just don't bundle them up in a bag/bucket. If they can dry out then they are safe. Think about a compost bin that generates heat in a closed anaerobic environment. If they get hot they can combust. Safe in the bin when dry.

[Cliff Rogers]

I spread mine out to dry as well... some times they hang on the edge of a metal rubbish bin til dry & other times & spread them out on an old pallet.... the pallet enjoys the little bit of leftovers that it can suck out of the rag before it dries.

[ubeaut]

I have a heavy metal bin with a very tight fitting lid which excludes air from the rags and won't allow spontaneous combustion. Some of the oils are a bigger problem than poly especially tung and linseed oils and mixtures like Danish oil and when used with steel wool....... Well that's another hot story.

Water and air tight container is safest way to go. Below are just a couple of instances of spontaneous combustion with oil and rags.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7cXOT23F-N0" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe>

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Be Careful With Oily Rags | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | News Archive

Cheers
Neil (with spontaneously combusted legs)

[BamBam53]

I worked in paint laboratories for a few years. The rule with rags was to always dispose of them in a bin of water so they were soaked. The bins were taken out of the building each night and eventually disposed of.

There were no exceptions to this rule. No matter what type of coatings you worked with, or what was on the rag, any rags went into a bin of water.

[Paulphot]

Once you have soaked the rags in a bin of water, died them and disposed of them, do not pour the water on your garden. Plants don't like it and the grass will die off too. Been there, done that.