shop towels vs shop paper towels

[crankbait09]

Shop towels/rags vs shop paper towels.

You guys prefer one over the other? why?

I have always had the towels/rags. I certainly don;t wash them, but I have a huge pile of soiled rags, that over time, have become pretty nasty. So I was thinking, why not use the shop paper towels...usem and toss'em. I understand it's cheaper in the long run to use rags over and over and over, but shop paper towels sure make the garage cleaner. no buckets/boxes of soiled rags that cause an eye sore.
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1963 Ragtop

[TDCTDI]

Paper towels suck, they don’t absorb as much & they disintegrate if you need to scrub a bit. However, I have been using the gojo cleaner/towels & they do a great job of cleaning without additional soap or water. I will save the less soiled ones to reuse to wipe off tools or parts.
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[crankbait09]

I saw those gojo's. Towels definitely are the cheaper route long term. Pick your poison I guess
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1963 Ragtop

[hitest]

I can get amazing life out of the blue heavy-duty scotts towels. But I always keep a variety of rags around for various purposes/polishes/cleaners/etc..

And when my giant blue Ikea bag is full- I take them to the local coin-op laundry to get another round out of them. A local Goodwill sells trash bags full of retired Cisco mechanics towels occasionally- 20lbs for $6.99. Point is for a cheap purchase I have enough to last me the rest of my wrenching life.
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[busdaddy]

Nothing beats old T shirts, socks and other old washed clothes for me, I'm throwing it out anyways, why not get one more use out of it? As long as it has some Cotton in it, the full Poly stuff is useless in most cases. Although the real blue shop towels beat paper towels any day if I'm out of old laundry, I get hours instead of minutes out of one most of the time.
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[Sharp64]

[Gary]

[djkeev]

My go to "towels" are Bounty Paper towels for most tasks.

But I keep a pile of old bathroom and beach towels handy. Some tasks just overwhelm paper towels.
I will cut them to size as needed. Also if they get really disgusting, I throw them away or simply leave them outside for a few weeks and let Mother Nature pre-rinse and sanitize with the rain and the Sun. I then will launder them sometimes.

Running a children's Day Camp, the number of lost and forgotten towels from the pools is staggering!
I've got some really nice shop towels! Disney Princesses, Scooby Doo, all sorts or Super Heros, etc.

Dave
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[KTPhil]

[EVfun]

I think they both have their place in the shop.

My hands usually get wiped off with paper towels (bare or gloved hands) because you grab a clean one to finish with and toss it and I wipe them a lot so I don't transfer grease and grime around. If you are dirty it will show on white paper towels.

Parts get cleaned with whatever cleaner is appropriate using rags, and often cheap natural bristle paint brushes, because they don't fall apart so easy and they hold a lot more gunk.

Final cleaning for painting is its own process done separately from base cleaning. Paper may be used there for some things, the white paper shows any residual grime coming up clearly but on some parts it will transfer fiber to them to mess up paint work.
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[Zundfolge1432]

One of the first things they taught us in school was never use cloth rags. Why?
Lint and threads come off and clog oil passages whereas paper mostly disintegrates. This would pertain mostly to building engines so general use shop rags are ok but be aware of what can happen. Micro fiber towels are popular now especially in detailing interior exterior. I use nothing but cheap paper towels for most everything auto related because I don’t like storing oil rags and the possibility of spontaneous combustion.

[67 Florida Deluxe]

I have ample supply of both the thick blue paper towels AND the 1 ft square terry cloths, both from the FLAPS. Plus Bounty select-a-size. They each serve different purposes. Now, for car washing and detailing; that's a whole 'nother pantry of thick towels, terry cloths, cotton socks and lint-free cloths

-Kent
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-Kent (BaT "daleallen")

OG member of the '67 Posse

A few of my toys, past and present
'56 Oval, '66 KG Conv't, '67 21-Window, '67 Bug, '79 SuperVert, '55 Pre-A Continental

[iowegian]

When I run out of Kleenex I use Charmin.

[Cusser]

[VW_Jimbo]

I have a pile of old cotton towels and T-shirts. We go through a dozen beach towels a year and my business generates a few dozen worn out T-shirts, which all get consumed in my garage for car related ventures. I do not use any clothing based material rags, while rebuilding engines, transmissions or differentials, well except for mopping up residual oil, on the exterior side of the project. I was taught paper towels are to only be used, as their remnants are easily dissolved, where as linen is not.
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Jimbo

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[Letterman7]

I buy the Scott's "Rags in a Box" paper towels. They're heavier than most and do 98% of everything I ask for in general vehicle maintenance. The only thing I use cotton rags for is polishing/waxing.

[Zundfolge1432]

A bit off topic but I’d suggest looking at micro fiber towels and I’d you want to shine painted surfaces the best now is ceramic coatings. These last 3 to 5 years and outperform any wax product hands down, you can also use it on glass. It blows rain X away. Sorry to veer off but wanting to share what’s best with you.

[djkeev]

[Zundfolge1432]

[busdaddy]