What to do with old mineral spirits and used rags?

[Wade Lippman]

I have just been tossing the rags into the trash, but I keep seeing warnings about spontaneous combustion. Is that a real threat? Is there a better way than putting them in a bucket of water, like the warning say?

I have about a quart of old solvent that I don't know what to do with. I can't put it down the drain, in the trash, or dump it outside. What do I do with it? I suppose the proper thing is to take it to the county waste disposal facility that is open 2 hours a year at secret times, but I am looking for something more practical.

Thanks.

[Creamy Goodness]

the threat for rags is very real. I lay mine out to "dry" before disposing of them and will soak them in water.

As far as the old solvent goes, my local firestation takes random hazardous wastes in small quantities. You might check with them. Granted, the reactor water from my home Mr. Fusion doesn't fly, they accept different solvents and paints.

[Bob Davis]

Check with your city/county government services. I live in a big city which has a full service environmental waste disposal for citizens who are residents of the city.

Bob

[Rumpty]

Get yourself a bucket, hang it from a tree limb out side, empty the mineral spirits into the bucket and let evaporate. Cover with screening if you don't want to harm any critters.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Not in my book. THe water bucket works great.

I let it settle, pour off the clear liquid and toss the dried solids in the trash. The liquid can be used over and over.

Barry

[<captpicky]

I'm a career firefighter and this does happen. We always have several fires during the summer from people staining their fence and then leaving the rags in a big pile next to their fence. Opps. The biggest thing to avoid is putting the rags in a confine space, this increases the probabilty of a fire starting. Leave them set out and dry out or soak them in water.

[Silvan]

You'd better believe it is! Happened to my grandfather.

Don't know about better. When I have a rag or a wad of steel wool soaked in something extremely flammable, I throw it in the grill and set it on fire. Better to burn it in a controlled way and get it over with than to have to worry about it. Probably not the most environmentally friendly option, but much safer than some of the stupid ways I played with fire when I was a kid. ;)

Dunno... Put it in the shed with the 32 kitty litter jugs full of used motor oil you still have because you can't figure out which two hours the secret facility is open? :)

Poor man's charcoal starter fluid?

[Luigi Zanasi]

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 22:14:06 GMT, "Wade Lippman" scribbled

Let them dry on a clothesline or spread out on the ground or a concrete floor. Then toss.

Re-use it. I have a 4-litre (gallon, Keith) container labelled "Used Varsol". Any newly used mineral spirit gets poured in it. The gunk settles to the bottom. I use it whenever it is not critical that clean solvent be used (e.g first pass on cleaning a brush, or any goop that needs to be cleaned off.) Just pour it our carefully. I have yet to fill up the container.

Luigi Replace "no" with "yk" twice in reply address for real email address

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

On a side note, here in CT anyone who sells new motor oil is required to take back old stuff. None of the stores in my area even ask for a receipt, so I can go anywhere. Ask around, and you may find that motor oil is very easy to properly dispose of.

Barry

[kilerbbb]

[Andy Dingley]

Mineral spirits won't spontaneously combust.

Drying oils certainly will (in the right conditions). Anything that has an exothermic curing reaction could potentially do this. But simple solvents won't.

There is a hazard with flammable solvents, of them either being set off by a tiny ignition source, or them acting as an accelerant to something else. The common practice of "spread them out flat on the floor" is reasonable advice for oil rags, but a worse practice for solvents than throwing them in the trash.

Be careful of solvent vapours too. If you thrown these into a sealed bin, let the vapours fill it, then open the lid, you could get a nasty surprise if there's an ignition source nearby.

Personally I have a steel bin for all finishing rags, and I don't wad them up before discarding. If they do choose to combust in there, it's of a construction, position and cleanliness that a fire will be contained safely. I discard (or burn) them normally, after a few days.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Bay Area Dave]

Andy, everything you said, and I'll add this: this summer I had a stain soaked rag that I knew might combust, so I rinsed it out with mineral spirits, wrung it out, and laid it on top of our plastic recycling container outside the shop. A couple hours later it was in the sun, and the heat of the rag melted a 3" hole in the container which was full of papers. Yikes! Damn near started my own house fire with that one! I guess not enough of the oils from the stain got flushed from the rag.

Now I spread oil soaked rags out > >

[Rick Sherman]

I have a neighbor that heats his shop with a "Waste oil heater" that will take all the oil I can give him.

Rick

[CW]

Book a ride on the next space shuttle. You will also need a secondary rocket to take it at least to the other side of the galaxy. If you do any less, some enviroweenie is going to cry.

[Dave Balderstone]

I use the disposable latex gloves when I work with BLO, tung oil, etc. When I'm done I hold the rag, peel the glove off my hand so the rag is inside, fill the glove with water and tie it like a balloon. Then it goes into the trash.

djb

[Fred the Red Shirt]

have you any idea how big a hole the SST puts in the ozone every time it launches?

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

The one that made it's last flight a few weeks back?

Barry

[Jim K]

Depending on the solvent level in the rags take a little care when laying them out on the concrete floor. If that concrete floor contains a gas hot water heater or other source of ignition.

I usually hang them outside >

[CW]

I was going to respond but you beat me to it.

[Trent©]

Absolutely!!

They generate heat while drying. So, if you contain the heat, there may be enough heat contained to start the rag on fire.

Simply spread the rag out flat until dry...usually a day will do it. Then take it outside to a trash container away from the house.

Let it sit in a wide-rimmed container...outside, with no lid...somewhere where animals and humans can't get to it. It'll evaporate in a day or so. Then wash out the container...or toss it in the trash...again, in a container away from the house.

Have a nice week...

Trent

Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!