Where Do I Buy Good Shop Rags?!?

[carbdoc]

Where do I buy good-quality white shop towels (rags)?  All of the white shop towels available in bundles now seem to be made from something akin to cheesecloth; you can look straight through the skimpy things!  There is little absorbency/longevity --- the quality has decreased dramatically in the past couple of years, no matter from what vendor I buy them. 

And the reason that I specify "white" is because I don't want red-pink stains in my work from non-colorfast red rags; I suppose that those are made of "cheesecloth" now as well . . .

Carbdoc Jeff

[61polara]

Hospital laundries sell their old cotton blankets as scrap towels and are excellent white cotton rags.  If you have a contact at a local hospital you may try there.

[Tom Boehm]

Go to any good paint store. (as in brushes and rollers, not auto paint). I buy white t shirt fabric rags in 4 pound bags at my local PPG paint store for about $20. For a lower price they also sell bags of colored (usually gray) mixed t shirt fabric  and other fabric rags. 

Edited January 28 by Tom Boehm (see edit history)

[Laughing Coyote]

While serving in the Military and working in an equipment shop with every type of fluid we used wipes from this company. They make them for the military, but can also be purchased. I use the Tech wipes in the paint shop since they are stronger than paper towels and leave no lint. They offer other types of towel products from light use to heavy use. Worth checking them out. 

 

https://www.horizonind.com/

[old car fan]

Check your local uniform venders, I was able to buy large bags.

[JRHaelig]

Amazon has white shop rags.

Also consider the white washcloths available from them.

[Jim Bollman]

I have a barrel of old shirts that I ripped into rags, mostly cotton or flannel.  Years ago I hit a garage sale on the last day that had tons of shirts and was selling for $2/bag.  It was fun, the lady kept trying to sell me stuff that went with what I was putting in the bag and I was going by feel. Since then just recycling our own families stuff has pretty much kept my barrel full plus a few old towels and blankets and sheets. I have developed a system to rip stuff up to a good size for rags. Use once and throw away.  You already have lots of ideas where you can get such things.  I only use the cloth rags for really tough/messy jobs I have actually switched mostly to the blue paper towel that they sell.  I find them very durable and if you buy them in multipacks not bad for price. They even hold up to being wet and dried out. I put racks to hold the rolls all around my shop ere ever I might need them (5 places so far) so there is always one close by.

[ia-k]

I use old bath and hand towels cut up for my shop rags. 

 

Wonder if a hotel/motel might have some that are no longer good enough for guests put would be perfect for shop rags?

[Jack Bennett]

I am as much for convenience now as I am about price. 
I bleed a lot, and the chance is as great I’ll need to wipe blood from my face as grease from my hands or paint from a brush.

So, being retired military, I do a lot of my expendable supplies shopping from Lowe’s because the 10% discount pays sales tax…..which I absolutely hate.

While there I stock up on niceties like glue, acetone and tape. But a thing I restock regularly is their cleaning rags which are sold in a couple of bag sizes.

These rags are found in the paint department, and appear to be the remnants from a company which makes T-shirts or underwear.

What I like is that they are reasonably economical to buy, consistent in size and texture, and appear to be clean enough I can wipe my nose or clean my face without fear of catching a disease.

[Frank DuVal]

Are you looking for T-shirt rags? 100 % cotton T-shirt rags, white in color? 

 

That's what I like to use. Colored 100 % cotton t-shirt rags are my second choice. . .

 

Check with collision repair shops nearby and see who their supplier is. Or other paint suppliers like Tom says. I find collision shops want the best rags, as ruining vehicle paint jobs with crappy rags is not good business!

 

If you like spending lots of money, McMaster Carr can supply them, but there are less expensive places to buy them.😉❗

 

Perhaps you could list the rags you have bought that were inferior quality.

 

 

Edited January 29 by Frank DuVal (see edit history)

[CChinn]

For 10-15 years my wife and I used to do a lot of 5k/10k runs, triathlons and open water swims. Competitors always received a cotton t-shirt. We accumulated too many to count. Like others on this thread, those t-shirts have been cut up for rags for various jobs around the house, yard and garage. 

[60FlatTop]

I never got into shop rags. I will spread a plastic bag for heavy stuff and use a putty knife or scraper. If it a part off the car I have a parts cleaning tank to give it a brush clean.

Then the rest I do with paper towels. I have a wide selection of cleaning spray cans usually for spot cleaning with the paper towel.

One low shelf has an array of hand cleaners. If I spill something I will mop it up with a well used polishing cloth. And that is about it.

 

I had one person get really agitated  looking for a rag to wipe his hands. They took him away muttering "A rag, a rag, D&L will not work" but the others took it better. Maybe I don't work hard enough.

 

One last thought as I closed this window. It is a lot easier for me to throw away a dirty paper towel than it is for a lot of people to part with a dirty, oily old rag. Maybe that observation headed me in my current direction.

Edited January 29 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Walt G]

All good advice, I do use cotton rags but not in a huge quantity, so the light cotton rags about 12 inches square are used mostly and the larger towel type I have several bags of as well. Most all I buy at Hershey at the AACA October Fall meet. So much available there in supplies, from great drill bits, rags, sandpaper of all variety in quantity that is so much cheaper then buying in a store or on line. The sellers at Hershey in the flea market are just so convenient ( of course you have to be there - another excuse to be there each year!!!) and a once a year or every other year purchase is just what I need/require. Tax is built into the price by the seller and no shipping since you are there.

[carbdoc]

21 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said:

While serving in the Military and working in an equipment shop with every type of fluid we used wipes from this company. They make them for the military, but can also be purchased. I use the Tech wipes in the paint shop since they are stronger than paper towels and leave no lint. They offer other types of towel products from light use to heavy use. Worth checking them out. 

 

https://www.horizonind.com/

Thanks!

[carbdoc]

Thanks to all for your suggestions!

What I failed to initially mention is that I need these rags to not only be more solid than cheesecloth, but that I also need them to have a very narrow bound edge.  That way, I can "catch" a small instrument in the bound edge and get into small passages and throttle shaft bores and clean, clean, clean with some Berryman's B-12 carb cleaner. 

Stupid me:  I have been using that design for so many decades that I just figured that all "shop rags" met this description!

 

Jeff

[TAKerry]

Like someone else mentioned, I get rags by the brick from sherwin williams. You have to watch what youre buying though as some are not the nice cotton type. I had a guy ship me some metal railings that he wrapped up with a pile of rags to prevent scratches. We figured we would have a pile of them when finished. A lot of the stuff was silky, and lingerish'. We felt 'dirty' even handling them. Most went into the trash bin.

[Ken Lobsinger -Rejuvenated]

Hey Jeff -  I found the same "cheesecloth" type rags at my otherwise favvorite big Orange Home Store.  At either a local Costco or at Costco.com, try these  16 x 19 Bar Towels.  I find them durable, bleachable and pretty much lint free.  

 

[carbdoc]

1 hour ago, Rejuvenated said:

Hey Jeff -  I found the same "cheesecloth" type rags at my otherwise favvorite big Orange Home Store.  At either a local Costco or at Costco.com, try these  16 x 19 Bar Towels.  I find them durable, bleachable and pretty much lint free.  

 

Thanks!  Do they have bound edges?  I can't tell from the photo.

 

Jeff

[Chry54]

at yard sales i buy kitchen and bathroom hand towels. they are good quality, absorbent and soft.oh, and often very cheap. your local dollar stores also have them, along with thrift stores. old towels from all the same places can be cut to size. bound edges are hit or miss. nothing like a good rag when you need one.    dennis

[1932 plymouth pb sedan]

Uniform cleaning companies have many different styles of used but clean shop towels, I have purchased them in 50# bags at a reasonable price.

[Andy J]

Like many here,I cut up old T-shirts,towels, and wash cloths for rags.I wear a lot of white cotton socks,so when they get a hole on them I split them with scissors.They make good rags,just the right size that I need. I use the really dirty and oily ones to start fires on my place when I have things to burn.

[carbdoc]

14 hours ago, 1932 plymouth pb sedan said:

Uniform cleaning companies have many different styles of used but clean shop towels, I have purchased them in 50# bags at a reasonable price.

Good suggestion!Jeff

[carbdoc]

15 hours ago, carbdoc said:

Thanks!  Do they have bound edges?  I can't tell from the photo.

 

Jeff

Thanks!

[Paul Dobbin]

On 1/29/2024 at 1:47 AM, CChinn said:

For 10-15 years my wife and I used to do a lot of 5k/10k runs, triathlons and open water swims. Competitors always received a cotton t-shirt. We accumulated too many to count. Like others on this thread, those t-shirts have been cut up for rags for various jobs around the house, yard and garage. 

  I also prefer my old T-Shirts for gas & oil.   Sometimes a favorite T-Shirt cut in squares lasts for a long time.

Edited January 31 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[carbdoc]

Thanks for all of the replies. 

Cotton T-shirts do a fine job for polishing, but they're not so great for my daily tasks.  I need the "traditional" white shop rags, thinly-bound along the edges, for the type of work that I do (restoring ancient carburetors).  The bound edge allows me to "catch" it over the end of a tiny screwdriver without tearing, douse it with carb cleaner and clean dirt out of very small bores and passages.  The "face" of the rag is (obviously) used as well, but it is ineffective if it is woven thinly like cheesecloth.

And why do I specify "white" cloth?  Because the dye in those red rags is rarely colorfast, and does it ever make a mess of my work and my hands! 😝

 

Jeff

[60FlatTop]

T-shirts. I can't use anything that isn't an accurate geometric shape.

 

[carbdoc]

🤣

[Jack Bennett]

After the first year of managing the maintenance facility/garage of a Pacific Northwest Armored Car. Company, it became obvious, that along with the maintenance of the trucks, I had a lot to learn about effective management of the facility.

Collected  wiping rags and petroleum product soiled uniforms presents a problem of clutter, slips and falls as well as a problematic fire safety hazard because of spontaneous combustion.

The company I worked for had bought out the property and vehicle leases, and customer lists, of a existing Seattle Armored Car company in Seattle, so I inherited a old facility with a cast in stone set of procedures.

One of these procedures required the two mechanics provide their own uniforms and bring their own shop towels. 
The practice of the mechanics showing up for work in nothing more than badly soiled trousers and a baggy shirt had, apparently been done for so long that their lack of uniforms was no longer a topic of discussion.

If there was any at all, shop rags had all appearance of being Thrift Store rejects and consisted of old, often soiled and smelly, sheets and bed linen, old skirts and blouses ripped into strips or tons of hole filled socks.

While finding a fairly clean rag was impossible, finding a rag saturated with gas, diesel, motor/gear/automatic transmission oil or coated with grease, dirt, and very possibly, eye damaging metal filings, one only had to look in the toilet or hanging on any surface throughout the shop.

The idea collecting the rags and putting them into a centralized collection bin proved to create a job in itself because the soiled rags collected in unmanageable numbers, so quickly they became a sight and smell hazard along with a highly explosive assortment of accelerants contained in a 55 gallon drum.

Keep in mind that this is a commercially licensed transportation company which operated between 25 and 30 vehicles as a armored car company, and not my personal garage.

I have already said that I buy personal use rags from Lowe’s, and these are one time use rags which are thrown away when soiled.

But, if you have a shop size which would classify as a commercial facility, or use a large quantity of towels, I have another suggestion.

I found that contracting with a commercial uniform supply company for my needed uniforms and shop towels was both a practical, as well as economical solution to my rag conundrum.

Most uniform supply companies will deliver a contracted quantity of bundled shop towels, usually of a size, color and material on a regularly scheduled basis. Uniforms, in size, and often with a logo, can be ordered, but may require purchasing, with laundering and replacement included in the contract.

Weekly, bi weekly, monthly, or whatever schedule for laundry pick up is arranged when the contract is initiated, and the uniform/shop rag crisis dissolves into remembering what days your freshly laundered shop towels, and professional appearing uniforms are dropped off.

And, a benefit which cannot be ignored is avoidance of the .00001% probability that the discarded rag you pick up to wipe debris from your eyes, contains a very unhealthy helping of razor sharp metal tailings, battery acid or someone’s sputum.

 

[carbdoc]

Thanks, Jack.  I can assure you that I NEVER wipe my eyes with shop rags, new OR used.  If that solidifies my new characterization as "Monk", then so be it. 😆  
I worked in some places that used uniform and shop rag supply services when I was young, and I would never use them for my own business knowing and seeing how they "operate".  Guess I'll just keep looking for deals on the type of rags I find work best to clean-up old carburetor parts.

Jeff

[Jack Bennett]

1 hour ago, carbdoc said:

Thanks, Jack.  I can assure you that I NEVER wipe my eyes with shop rags, new OR used.  If that solidifies my new characterization as "Monk", then so be it. 😆  
I worked in some places that used uniform and shop rag supply services when I was young, and I would never use them for my own business knowing and seeing how they "operate".  Guess I'll just keep looking for deals on the type of rags I find work best to clean-up old carburetor parts.

Jeff

Hi carbdoc. The only words I can add to your statement of “I NEVER wipe my eyes with shop towels…….” is “plan on”.

I have had a few “accidents”, which were unscripted and unplanned. Had they been called “on purposes” they would not be worthy of mention because any consequences, good or bad, could have been predicted, and prevented.

My posts are made in the same frame of mind that I assume when I look at a rusted, rotted, shredded, bent, or missing part of one of my old cars.

I have a number of choices in what to do, and, regardless of what I choose to do, it is equally unimportant to the survival of the nation or declaration of war with China. 
In fact, I can choose to ignore the car and hope someone who does “do something” does “something” and whatever they do will placate my old cars need to thrive and drive, and I will be excused from blame when IT chooses to simply fade away.

This forum is similar in the sense that, as a car with no wheels, really isn’t a car, a forum without contributors really isn’t a forum.

So it relies on folks, like me, who can ramble on endlessly, without compensation, no hope of restitution, but most probably retaliation, criticism or ridicule, totally unscripted and using only words understandable by English speaking people who, CHOOSE, I.e., VOLUNTEER, to make posts which afford the other paying forum members the option of continuing to read my run on filled posts, or simply press a virtual toggle and move on to another topic.

I too am a Carter, Edelbrock and Holly era guy, and I know that a single piece of dust can ruin the performance of a otherwise expert carburetor repair.

My apologies for wandering off topic by not addressing the needs of a professional who specializes in carburetors, chooses a carburetor repair related screen name, but, all the while failing to mention that any answer than one specifically related to carburetors will be unacceptable, but this is a antique car forum which entails grease, acid, paint, grit and crud, and I just responded accordingly.
 

Edited January 31 by Jack Bennett (see edit history)

[Jack Bennett]

1 hour ago, carbdoc said:

Thanks, Jack.  I can assure you that I NEVER wipe my eyes with shop rags, new OR used.  If that solidifies my new characterization as "Monk", then so be it. 😆  
I worked in some places that used uniform and shop rag supply services when I was young, and I would never use them for my own business knowing and seeing how they "operate".  Guess I'll just keep looking for deals on the type of rags I find work best to clean-up old carburetor parts.

Jeff

I just looked at the date on my iPad, noticed it was Wednesday, and the weather outside is a invitation to prolonging whatever this bug I have, so I have decided to spend a few more minutes on line.

But, with boredom comes the need to dispel it in totally useless, and usually mundane ways.

Along those lines, I am curious what the label “Monk” has to do with carburetors or metal shards in the eyes, as acquired from shop rags?

Hell, I am nearly 80 years old, play with 100 year old cars, and recently missed a dentist appointment so I am a well qualified listener wherever there is a fluent talker.

[kings32]

I use the rag man that comes  to Calisle and Hershey  has diftent tyes of Rags and shop towels . I stock up twice a year . He goes by Rag Man  Howard

[60FlatTop]

3 hours ago, Jack Bennett said:

While finding a fairly clean rag was impossible, finding a rag saturated with gas, diesel, motor/gear/automatic transmission oil or coated with grease, dirt, and very possibly, eye damaging metal filings, one only had to look in the toilet or hanging on any surface throughout the shop.

That is the image that flashed through my mind when the topic first showed up. And the reason for my alternative.

 

When my son was 2 or 3 years old he had a little stuffed dog that he carried with him everywhere. I remembered that while thinking about "mechanics" who used to carry one pristine rag with them all the time. Some might think they imagined:

They were the ones who never did any work.

[carbdoc]

2 hours ago, Jack Bennett said:

I just looked at the date on my iPad, noticed it was Wednesday, and the weather outside is a invitation to prolonging whatever this bug I have, so I have decided to spend a few more minutes on line.

But, with boredom comes the need to dispel it in totally useless, and usually mundane ways.

Along those lines, I am curious what the label “Monk” has to do with carburetors or metal shards in the eyes, as acquired from shop rags?

Hell, I am nearly 80 years old, play with 100 year old cars, and recently missed a dentist appointment so I am a well qualified listener wherever there is a fluent talker.

Jack, please look at the post just prior to my previous comment (I think).  The character portrayed there is  Detective Monk, armed with disinfectant bottle and clean white towels, as played by Tony Shaloub.  He was a germophobe detective with OCD, but he could definitely solve a crime.  "Monk" has been off the air (do they still call it that?) for  years now.  I have been compared to Monk for wiping my eyes only with clean shop rags.😁

Jeff

[gungeey]

Other than sopping up spills, leaks and accidental messes I use white T shirts. My trick is I cut them into small squares,. It seems for most tasks a little one lastsa long as the whole t shirt. 

I use the wife's rotary cutting shears and I have a full gallon zip lock bag in about 10 minutes

[Jack Bennett]

1 hour ago, carbdoc said:

Jack, please look at the post just prior to my previous comment (I think).  The character portrayed there is  Detective Monk, armed with disinfectant bottle and clean white towels, as played by Tony Shaloub.  He was a germophobe detective with OCD, but he could definitely solve a crime.  "Monk" has been off the air (do they still call it that?) for  years now.  I have been compared to Monk for wiping my eyes only with clean shop rags.😁

Jeff

Jeff…..I am extremely egg-on-faceish.
I watched Monk on TV regularly, and now I understand.

Thanks for the explanation and the time and effort it took to render it.

Jack

[Frank DuVal]

Oh, he's still on, just not new shows...  Except for the one new show recently.😉

 

You might have to get a sewing machine to make bound edges....  Oh, no, another tool for the shop!🤣