What do you guys do for home shop oil/fluid storage?

fl0w3n

Active member
Jan 8, 2015
508
25
28
My normal go-to is a homer 5 gal bucket with the spin off lids, but for some reason there’s a national shortage of the lids and the ones on Amazon are marked up to like $30ea

Anyone have a better home solution?

While I’m at it... do you guys ever wash rags in your regular washing machine? I am too scared to try and get murdered by my lady... lol
Usually I just let them collect in an osha approved ultra flammable pile and they disappear over time.
 

darkness

Well-known member
Jul 15, 2009
1,226
317
83
47
vegas
I keep my 2.5 gallon jugs of oil and use those for storage. I have quite a few. When they are all full I take them to autozone and empty them.

and I take my rags to the laundry mat.
 

Lparrill

And here we go again
Jul 30, 2010
445
9
18
Lander, WY
Same as above, rags and garage clothes go to the laundry mat. The laundry mat in town has dedicated "greaser" washing machines.
 

minerigger

Active member
Dec 24, 2013
2,660
1
38
Casper, WY
Put my used oil in the old 2.5 gallon jugs and then take a bunch to various shops in town with oil burning heaters. They take it free and I get to keep my jugs.

Rags I take to laundry mat with my work clothes and then get my company to pay to clean my clothes and my rags happen to get in there.

It’s not very often they get cleaned but it works.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

turbo_bu

Member
Mar 27, 2007
193
6
18
Central IL
I am very lucky as a farmer down the road from me has a waste oil heater in his shop. He "loans" me one of his empty 55 gallon barrels, and I fill it for him :). You might check to see who around you has a waste oil heater and see if you can work out an arrangement.
 

KyleC4

Tech
Dec 30, 2016
470
48
28
Bay Area
For waste oil I get the 5 gallon jugs from our detail department. Their soaps and degreasers come in these stackable 5 gallon jugs that have 3in openings for screw on lids so it’s easy to pour waste oil into and store. Rags I only use a few from work and go back to them. Use my solvent tank for all cleaning of parts. And then I get the 3M brake clean for on car cleaning.
 

fl0w3n

Active member
Jan 8, 2015
508
25
28
I didn't think about the laundry mat for the rags, that's a good call. I just need a fire proof can to keep them in now.

I sometimes use the jug the oil came from to hold the old stuff, but I just feel like it’s not very convenient. I may have found some availability of the screw top bucket lids at Ace, just need to go and see if the website is actually right.
 

jlawles2

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2010
1,044
33
48
Danbury, TX
I have several of the Amsoil 2.5 gallon jugs, nice 3" openings to pour the oil back in through, and since its how much the truck holds, I just drop them at wally world or the local O'reillys. I keep a couple of empty ones for doing oil changes in her car and other stuff.
 

slowlml

Undercover Epa agent
Feb 6, 2015
577
53
28
Strasburg Va/Wardensville Wv
I get 200 shop rags at a time off amazon. I have a new box, slightly used box, and once they get real dirty i just throw them away in the shop trash. Oil i store in old containers, milk jugs, or 5 gallon buckets and take them to the local land fill and dump them out in their waste oil bins. I don't dare use our washing machine lol