Shop rags for home maintenance

anotherbikerguy
As luck would have it, I'm running out of clean rags to use for chain cleaning and other bike maintenance tasks while stuck at home. If these were normal times, I'd probably go search the local Goodwill for some cheap towels to cut up, but I can't, so I've been looking into sources for shop-style rags. The big online retailers sell some, but reviews are mixed--seems like some of the rags being sold are extremely thin or nearly useless. Anybody have a reliable source for a reasonably priced bulk package of basic shop rags that aren't linty towels, won't fall apart immediately, and can potentially be washed & re-used?
|
mwolpin
Profile picture for user mwolpin
Posts
221
Joined
1/3/2019
Location
Kenmore, WA US
mwolpin 4/27/2020 12:06pm
4/27/2020 12:06pm
I purchase the yellow microfiber towels from Costco. I think they come in packs of 30 and they work great for everything you outlined.

Stay away from the white shop towels that they advertise. They're terrible and leave behind tons of fibers.

I haven't tried rewashing the yellow towels mainly out of fear of leaving behind grease in the washer/dryer.

2
Scrub
Profile picture for user Scrub
Posts
232
Joined
9/3/2009
Location
Elk Grove/Truckee, CA US
Fantasy
88th
Scrub 4/27/2020 12:30pm
4/27/2020 12:30pm Edited Date/Time 4/27/2020 12:31pm
Micro fiber. If you know anyone that works at a Starbucks, they always go thru towels they use behind the counter. Free if you ask nicely and any are available. You just have to wash them and they will smell like......coffee. Harbor Freight has red shop rags (ok), white cloth (meh), and micro fiber (better after washed). Although thats when we are not on lockdown of course. I usually hand wash really greasy rags in a bucket outside and hang dry or just toss them. Disposable shop towels usually end up falling apart after the first wipes, thats why they're disposable.
1
giantkeeper
Profile picture for user giantkeeper
Posts
19
Joined
3/4/2017
Location
Phoenix, AZ US
giantkeeper 4/27/2020 12:55pm
4/27/2020 12:55pm Edited Date/Time 4/27/2020 12:55pm
white cotton towels, yellow microfiber towels and blue paper towels from Costco. I use them all for various tasks.
anotherbikerguy 4/27/2020 1:04pm
4/27/2020 1:04pm
I don't have a Costco membership, but I'm sure somebody I know does. How much do their microfiber towels cost?

I do have a roll of disposable (paper-like) shop towels--good for detailing, or for tasks like cleaning rotors where avoiding contamination is key, but not so good for chain-cleaning or general wiping. Do the microfiber towels hold up well to cleaning chains, chainrings, etc, or are they prone to tearing?

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Kelz87
Profile picture for user Kelz87
Posts
60
Joined
4/20/2020
Location
Luke Afb, AZ US
Kelz87 4/27/2020 11:40pm
4/27/2020 11:40pm
The lifecycle of my t-shirts go from: wearable > sleeveless > shop rags > trash. 😂 I had a bundle of microfiber ones. I never washed them because they get oily/greasy from motocross bikes and I didn’t want that in the washing machine
giantkeeper
Profile picture for user giantkeeper
Posts
19
Joined
3/4/2017
Location
Phoenix, AZ US
giantkeeper 4/28/2020 2:10pm
4/28/2020 2:10pm Edited Date/Time 4/28/2020 2:11pm
anotherbikerguy wrote:
I don't have a Costco membership, but I'm sure somebody I know does. How much do their microfiber towels cost? I do have a roll of...
I don't have a Costco membership, but I'm sure somebody I know does. How much do their microfiber towels cost?

I do have a roll of disposable (paper-like) shop towels--good for detailing, or for tasks like cleaning rotors where avoiding contamination is key, but not so good for chain-cleaning or general wiping. Do the microfiber towels hold up well to cleaning chains, chainrings, etc, or are they prone to tearing?

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
I use the white rags mentioned above for anything greasy/oily (ex: chain) and then the microfibers for wiping down/drying the bike as needed. It's like $25-30 for a bag of 35 of the kirkland microfiber rags.

Since they are light-duty use the wife will wash them and I'll reuse. The white rags, not so much
Falcon
Profile picture for user Falcon
Posts
434
Joined
9/6/2015
Location
Menifee, CA US
Falcon 5/1/2020 8:51am
5/1/2020 8:51am
Kelz87 wrote:
The lifecycle of my t-shirts go from: wearable > sleeveless > shop rags > trash. 😂 I had a bundle of microfiber ones. I never washed...
The lifecycle of my t-shirts go from: wearable > sleeveless > shop rags > trash. 😂 I had a bundle of microfiber ones. I never washed them because they get oily/greasy from motocross bikes and I didn’t want that in the washing machine
Bingo. My wife says I have too many t-shirts anyway.
1

Post a reply to: Shop rags for home maintenance