That warehouse in Toledo made me rethink my stain rag storage

I was at a shared shop space in Toledo last spring and saw a guy leave his oily rags in a pile on the concrete. The foreman came over and told him it was a fire hazard waiting to happen, and now I use a metal bucket with a lid for all my used rags. Does anyone else bother with that, or am I just being paranoid?

3 comments

3 Comments

masonm7022d ago

Alright hold on now. I get the concern but I think the whole metal bucket thing gets a little blown out of proportion. I've been around shops for years and honestly I've seen guys throw oily rags in open cardboard boxes and nothing ever happened. Not saying it can't happen but the conditions have to be just right for that spontaneous combustion stuff to actually take off. A pile of rags in a cool dry spot on concrete is probably fine if you're not letting them sit for weeks.

hannahk191mo ago

And then he just left them there in a pile like they were harmless old t-shirts! I swear some people have never seen a shop fire video on YouTube. The metal bucket thing is basic safety 101, not paranoia at all. I mean, those oily rags can literally combust on their own if they're balled up and sitting in the sun. The bucket lid just keeps the oxygen out so they can't do that spontaneous ignition trick. You're actually being smart, not paranoid, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

perry.evan1mo ago

I used to be one of those people who would roll their eyes at the metal bucket thing. Thought it was just overkill from safety nerds until I saw a timelapse of oil rags in a trash can. They literally smoke and catch fire on their own after a few hours. Now I keep a dedicated bucket with a tight lid right next to my paint station. It does feel kinda dramatic but the science is real, those rags are basically waiting to light up.