How to clean my tools

[jelleisgoed]

Hi everyone. I just bought a box of old second hand tools (super cheap!). They are looking fine but they are a bit dirty with old grease and a little bit of rust here and there. I looked around online and found that the rust could be handled with vinegar. But all the instructions I find are about tools that are completely made of steel. Most of mine have handles with plastic on them. How do I clean those tools properly?

Thanks!

[zolotiyeruki]

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't bother cleaning my tools with any great care.  I'll wipe 'em off, at most--any residual grease/oil is there to protect the metal! :P

[Kernel Fielding]

I like to apply a little 3-in-1 oil or mineral oil to my metal tools, but usually only if they are wet or dirty. I have rubbed out the occasional rust spot with some 3-in-1 oil on a rag.

For really bad rust or corrosion, try to get those plastic handles off and soak your tools in a citric acid and water solution. You can buy powdered citric acid for cheap on eBay or Amazon. I did this with some of my dad's old tools last year and they cleaned up nicely. I can't remember offhand the ratio of water to citric acid, but it's something like 16 or 24 parts water to 1 part citric acid, and you let them soak in the solution for a few days. After rinsing and drying them out over night, I added a light coat of 3-in-1 oil to keep the rust away.

[lthenderson]

For the rust, I put them in a tub of white vinegar for a few days. If they are too big to fit in a tub or it would take too much vinegar to submerge them, wrap them in a towel and keep wet with white vinegar. Once the majority of the rust has flaked off, scrub with a wire brush while spraying with WD40. This will help get most of the rust off from hard to reach grooves and such. Once you have it cleaned, rub in mineral oil and reattach any wooden or plastic pieces that you took off before soaking in vinegar.

[HipGnosis]

Vinegar won't hurt the plastic handles.  Vinegar is sold in plastic bottles.
But I'd use engine or BBQ grill degreaser.

[Gone Fishing]

Wipe them with a rag, hit the bad rust spots with a steel brush, wipe them again, and use them.  Store them someplace dry.   

[Mississippi Mudstache]

What kind of tools are we talking about here? Woodworking tools? Mechanic's tools? Just some random hammers and screwdrivers?

[KarefulKactus15]

I agree with the guy above, I mainly get the grease/oil off so a simple job doesn't become a nightmare with grease all over everything. Other than that,I don't much worry about staining on my tools.

[paddedhat]

For grease and grime, paint thinner and a rag. For really nasty grease and grime, paint thinner and steel wool. Coat the metal with WD-40, or similar, before you put them away.

[jelleisgoed]

What kind of tools are we talking about here? Woodworking tools? Mechanic's tools? Just some random hammers and screwdrivers?

Wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, clamps, pliers, etc.

Thanks for all the answers guys. I know it doesn't really matter, but I like to clean 2nd hand stuff. I then have a feeling I am making them mine.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

Gotcha. I don't worry too much about those kinds of tools, but a vinegar a good cleaning with detergent soap and water followed by about a 4-6 hour soak in vinegar will have them cleaned up and looking good. The vinegar will turn the rust into iron acetate, which will brush off easily with steel wool. Be sure to rinse well after the vinegar bath! If there's any acidity remaining on the tools, they'll flash-rust as they dry. Like paddedhat said, a quick spritz of WD-40 before you put them away will keep them looking good.

I use this process all the time on second-hand woodworking tools, but the rest of my tools get abused.

[YK-Phil]

Cleaning your tools with a solution of vinegar and water will work well to remove dirt, grease and rusty spots. After wiping or soaking the tools in vinegar/water, dry them thoroughly then spray a thin coat of WD-40 and rub it well with a clean rag. I personally can't stand the smell of WD-40 and similar lubricants, and prefer instead using a bit of mineral oil (baby oil) on a rag, or even linseed or flaxseed oil especially if some of your tools have wooden handles.

[younggunner]

diesel fuel

[BlueMR2]

For grease/dirt, I just wipe them off with a paper towel.  I don't worry about whatever still sticks beyond that.  As far as rust, I've only had that happen when working out in the rain, and I didn't do anything about it.  Just kept using them and eventually the rust wears off through normal use...

[paddedhat]

diesel fuel

Seriously? No thanks. Diesel is nothing but nasty smelling, and leaves a nasty oily film on everything. If I had any wooden handled tools that soaked up diesel fuel, they would be in the dumpster, quickly.

[younggunner]

I probably wouldnt clean a wooden handle with diesel as it would absorb it, but for all metal tools such as wrenches, and fiberglass and plastic tools, a little bit of diesel fuel on a rag does work great for cleaning all kinds of nasty grease and grime off.    It can leave an oily residue, but as long as you dry them / go over them with a dry rag its fine.  I recommended it becuase if you are cleaning a lot of tools, or frequently cleaning tools, diesel can be a very cheap alternative to a lot of more expensive cleaning products...

[bzzzt]

Seriously? No thanks. Diesel is nothing but nasty smelling, and leaves a nasty oily film on everything. If I had any wooden handled tools that soaked up diesel fuel, they would be in the dumpster, quickly.

Haha. I know where you're coming from, but it is a cheap solvent.

Hang around some more farmers. All the diesel from changing fuel filters/etc goes in a jug. Add it to a drain pan and it's a poor man's solvent tank. Great for washing greasy parts in and you don't even have to spray them with anything afterwards to keep rust at bay. ;)