I've been using old tee shirts and other cotton waste since roughly forever, but there is a finite supply of such things around here.

I've been filling in with paper towels which work well, but that they're pretty much good for one wipe and get tossed. That gets spendy pretty quick.

I bought a bundle of the red hanky-sized rags and they work well too, but again, spendy and washing them in Momma's machine is a non-starter.

Thinking maybe a roll of the blue paper towel-type stuff? Seems like you could get a bit more use out of them and/or they may be cheaper in bulk than Bounty's Finest.

What say you?

I have some cut-up shirts, but also use the blue Scott shop towels. You can either get them in rolls, or in big square dispenser boxes (kinda like a giant Kleenex box). Most hardware and automotive stores will have them, as well as some grocery stores.

They're not overly expensive, but last a lot longer than paper towels under hard use, and soak up chemicals/oils/paint/etc. better than paper towels.

quote:

Thinking maybe a roll of the blue paper towel-type stuff?

I buy those blue paper towels from Costco and go though a LOT of them.
I have some regular cut up old rags, t-shirts etc., I use for some paint stuff but for clan up the blue paper towels.

The blue paper towels or these:

I usually use old t-shirts and the like. I have bought the blue paper "rags," but they pull too much humidity out of the air to be stored for more than about two months without falling apart, and I don't use them up that fast.

I really like mechanics shop towels on eBay. I was buying from Georgia Towels out of Cumming GA on eBay but I think they’ve gone out of business. I had purchased 4 or 5 times from them.

I would buy again on eBay from a American seller of American made with a very large number of great feed backs. Look for the brand new cotton pre washed 13x14 or so size. The last time I bought, a couple of years ago, I got 200 Red, 100 green(for my cast iron cookware seasoning, I don’t use paper towels on cast iron), 100 Blue for window and glass and general cleaning, and 100 Orange for other use. I’m very pleased with the quality I received.

Prices will run something like 11 cents to 18 cents each, depending on quantity ordered.

I usually end up tossing out the greasy red ones. The other colors I never get greasy so I wash and reuse them.

I also buy the big bag of white cotton towels, usually 14x17 inches and thicker than mechanics towels, at Costco in the automotive aisle.

I also really like the Scott brand of blue shop towels on a roll (like paper towel rolls). They are strong, don’t lint up, don’t fall apart. I buy them by the case at Costco or SAMS, and wallymart, Amazon and the local auto parts also sell them. I accidentally ran a few through the washer and dryer. They came out intact and so I reused them. That’s good quality right there!

You probably use a lot, if so you might order 500 at a time.
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Scott shop towels by roll. I keep some old shirts in a drawer too, but the paper towels work pretty well.

I'm fortunate to have brother who is an OR surgical nurse. I get the clean, unused blue surgical rags that are in the OR but obviously not used on the patient. Durable.

I use the blue shop paper towels. They hold up okay and I don't feel bad about tossing it and starting with a fresh one when I need.

I save the cotton t-shirts for when rubbing or buffing is required.

I also buy Microfiber towels by the bag from Costco that I wash and re-use according to a 5 stage grading system.

Grade 1 "Virgin" microfiber towels for waxing and polishing cars.

Grade 2 "Clean" towels for washing and cleaning cars.

Grade 3 "Stained" towels for household furniture polishing and dusting.

Grade 4 "Imperfect Texture" for household cleaning (cleaning solvents on counters and floors).

Grade 5 "Disposable" for dirty work in the garage and shop.

Except for the Grade 5 towels which end up in the trash when finished, Grade 1 through 4 get washed together in batches and then graded when dried. The system works well--nothing truly dirty ends up in the washer, and by the time the towel ends up getting used for something greasy or too dirty to get washed, it's nearing end of life anyway.

Couple months ago I started using the Scott shop rags from Costco ... and love them.

They come in a 10-roll bundle.

We have a uniform supply company about 25 miles from here. One Saturday a month they have a “garage” sale of uniforms, bar towels, shop towels etc they no longer deem good enough to rent so they sell them…cheap. Might check into that near you.

quote:

I bought a bundle of the red hanky-sized rags and they work well too, but again, spendy and washing them in Momma's machine is a non-starter.

No, you definitely don't want to stink up a washer that also washes your clothes. Do you go through a lot of rags? Is it feasible to set up a washer and dryer, or one of those "stackable" washer/dryer units (that would take up much less floor space), in your shop? Of course, you could buy a lot of rags or "Shop Towels" for that, too.

I grab them from work and turn them in when dirty.

I used to get a small bale of rags from NAPA and just toss em.

For clean work (lint free) I have Cat wipes, similar to the Scott ones.
Not too expensive, shop price for me is $10 a box of 100.
Makes great patches too.

Blue surgical rags for reusable jobs and Scotts shop towels (or the Menards version) for the disposable jobs.

Box of Rags, Shop Towels, PIG Mats, or whatever I got handy.

I have a strong preference for the blue Scott shop towels.

If sent to a cleaning service in a commercial setting, I don't mind red shop rags, but I prefer the paper disposable towels. You can get a lot of. use out of them before they get chucked.

For wiping with MEK or that sort of thing, the paper is only good for one or two passes, where cloth will hold up.

I like the red Kimberly-Clark 05930 Wipers (WypAll X80 Extended Use Cloths), In the Pop-up Box.

https://www.techni-tool.com/pr...5EAQYBCABEgKoe_D_BwE

Big Lots store here sells end of master roll paper shop towels. Sometimes the blue ones sometimes white.

Just the same as the box of rags or rolls of blue paper shop towels you get anywhere but they sell the butt rolls by the pound! Sometimes the rolls can be as large as 12 inches or more in diameter wound on a 3 inch core.

They don't always have them but the wife keeps an eye out and buys them up when they do.

Look up the biggest goodwill in your area, they sell 25lb box of rags made from shirts that don't sell. There like $8 per box. You might have to call corporate to figure out where the closest one that sells them is.