The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Parts cleaning/ waste collection in a garage

Something I did not fully plan for in taking on this project was the amount of crud I'm going to create.

Looking for some insight on how you clean parts in YOUR garage, and how do collect and dispose of oil, grease, crap, misc fluids.

Furthermore, what are your favorite products/ solutions for different kinds of cleaning and degreasing tasks?

The hardest thing to get rid of the right way is antifreeze,here anyway lucky for me my son in law owns a garage and has a service that he pays to remove.One thing you should do is get a solvent tank ,You'll be able to clean you're parts for a long time. If you chose water based solvent it will say where and how to dispose ,I use mineral sprits and when I'm done I add it to my waste oil and bring it to the garage or Advance auto parts takes it to.

Pete

Pete: Generally, adding solvents/gasoline/etc to waste oil is a big no-no. Some places I take my waste oil will actually smell the oil to ensure it has not be mixed with gasoline/solvents. So, what to do with it? I also use mineral spirits in my parts cleaner which is located outside. I do an initial fill whenever I have large cleaning projects and then let evaporation empty the tank before I clean it up waiting for the next project. Once the level goes below the pump, I simply dunk the parts, brush, dunk, brush, and so on. I do the same with my spray gun cleaning solvent. I clean my guns in a 5 gallon bucket and let evaporation get rid of the solvents. The paint stays in the bucket and hardens.

With that said, I know the environmentalists are not happy with my approach, but luckily there are no laws against what I am doing in my area.

You have a recommendation for a solvent tank?

I am cheap.

All good advice. I would only add that your community or state may have policies in place for convenient disposal or collection of parts cleaning waste. Most state laws require that whoever sells cleaning solutions, oil, filters and antifreeze are required to take back any waste such as mentioned Advance Auto does.

I've got my eye on an unused blue plastic kiddie pool that's just taking up space in my garage.

(Of course it's use as a kiddie pool would be never more)

Although it is getting harder to find in bulk unless you live in
a rural area, kerosene, works greaT as a solvent. It's as cheap
as any of the solvents, it has one of the highest flash points
of any of the common solvents which makes it quite safe. Easily
disposed of at any garage that has a waste oil burner.
Gunk tanks are cheap at Harbor Freight, have fused
lids in case of fire and most come with a pump that
works for a couple of weeks.
Never been able to fine a dump site for anti-freeze, wish I had
a friend like Pete.
Grease is easy, into the garbage bag with the oil
rags. Drain oil to the oil burner garage tank, most
auto parts stores or oil change stations also take it.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I've had really great luck with BioCircle at work. It uses bacteria that break down grease so it's water-based and solvent free. I'm not sure that you'd find one affordable enough for home use though. You might be able to rig something up if you bought just the fluid though.

I have a small wash tank with a pump. Don't use it very much as a pressure washer, or hose pipe, and simple green clean stuff and then into my blasting cabinet.

I have a 10 gal heavy duty plastic jug. I pour all my oil changes and other such liquids into it and take to a recycling place....and the spirits in the cleaning tank take care of themselves. As Denny mentioned, the gunk can go into a plastic bag and its gone.

For what its worth. Advance wants everyone's used oil anyway. It brings them .50 per gal.

In my area waster oil furnaces are popular and those guys are always happy to get drain oil. I take my used antifreeze to another shop that has an antifreeze recycle machine. They use the recycled antifreeze for topping off vehicles in for service. They don't use it in place of virgin antifreeze for a dry system. Dirty rags and grease and grim go into a garbage bag and off with the garbage man. Oil filters go along with the drain oil and the guys have an oil filter crusher. It gets most of the oil out and it goes to the drain oil tank and the rest of the filter goes in the scrap iron pile that goes to the scrap guy who takes it to the smelter to make rebar.