Keeping kit clean and organised

[Christina Daniel]

What tips do you have to keep your tools clean? Brown oven goo seems to find it's way over everything in my tool box, and wiping tools down every day is a pain in the butt. Add in the fact that I feel like I am running a small Chinese laundrette from my house, washing microfiber cloths and the towels from drying the racks/laying down underneath doors. I don't want to have to resort to puppy training pads etc for environmental reasons, but keeping on top of my kit is getting me down. Any tips to cut the daily maintenance down?

 

[Mohammed Al-Hagin]

Have a service wash done once a week with the laundrette. Buy 20kg+ of terry towels from eBay or other vendors (cheap enough to be honest) and that will ensure you have enough whilst the others are being washed. in terms of the crap over the tools I have no idea. I just wipe them down. :S

 

[Duncan McIver]

Being clean and organised is easy , its all about routine , do the same thing every clean. This weekend clean everything in your toolbox and all your bottles ect. When on a job everything you pull out of your toolbox is clean so put it back in clean , when you are finished wipe clean all your bottles ect. Then you're all clean for your next job.
I spent 15 years in the army so I suppose things like this is easy for me , you cant have dirty kit in the army.
Microfibre cloths, have two bags in your van one for clean ones and one for dirty ones .
As for not using puppy training pads for environmental reasons? I really haven't a clue what you mean? was that meant to be there

 

[Christina Daniel]

Hi Duncan,

Yes I did mean puppy training pads - you know the disposable sheet like things some oven cleaners use instead of rubber mats/towels. I'm just keen to avoid sending disposable plastic backed stuff to landfill, so I use normal towels underneath the doors when cleaning. But the laundry adds up.

Excellent advice about being disciplined with putting everything away clean! That has been part of the issue for sure... Rushing between jobs and not cleaning everything up properly. But then on the long run takes longer because everything is chaotic and mucky. I could have done with some beasting in the army to rid me of my untidy habits!

 

[Christina Daniel]

Have a service wash done once a week with the laundrette. Buy 20kg+ of terry towels from eBay or other vendors (cheap enough to be honest) and that will ensure you have enough whilst the others are being washed. in terms of the crap over the tools I have no idea. I just wipe them down. :S

Laundrette are impossible to find near me funnily enough. Otherwise that would be great!

 

[Duncan McIver]

Not very exciting I know but having routine and sticking to it is the only way.

 

[Steven Johnson]

Christina I use a decorators sheet in front of the cooker I then place a small tarpaulin sheet over it. No need to use puppy pads just wash it once a week. You can buy them off Ebay.

I then use 1 newspaper a week to cover over doors under cooker and too wrap carbon up in.

Same as mentioned I clean my bottles and bucket once a week and keep tool box tidy.

 

[Christina Daniel]

Newspaper! Perfect for under doors. Thanks!