Spontaneous Combustion

gojoego

New member
:bigups I have been participating in the forum for a few weeks, and have just completed my first complete detailing job on my truck. Thanks for all of you suggestions and help. The truck looks GREAT! I noticed one thing that I would like to share. That is, the amount of soiled MF towels and rags you end up with once you are done detailing the engine compartment, the interior, and then the exterior. I had over a dozen. Dirty rags and towels piled up in the corner of the garage floor can be a real safety issue. It’s hard to believe, but rags soiled in cleaners, solvents and other chemicals, when piled up on the floor can generate enough heat to burst into flames. This is not a rare or unheard of occurrence, given the right conditions, they will burst into flames!

Here is the safety tip of the day….. Clean those dirty rags right away! Don’t leave them piled up on the garage floor overnight. If you do, your next detail job may entail the clean up of smoke and water damage. Assuming you are not sound asleep after a hard day of detailing and perish in the fire.

If you can’t, wash them right away, at least store them in a metal can with a tight fitting lid, outside and away from the house and garage. If you generate a lot of soiled towels every day, you may want to buy a fire proof can from Harbor Freight Tools, there under $30.

Just my 2¢ worth. Again, thanks for your help!
 
u know, just because of this post, i think i might go and dip a bunch of my rags in products just to see wha happens.
 
It wouldn't hurt to throw them in a dryer either.

In all seriousness, it is possible for them to combust, but it is very unlikely. I work in an area that deals with a lot of toxic chemicals, solvents, and other nasty items and have never seen or heard of any of our rags or bins spontaniously combusting. If you play on the cautious side, those fire proof cans are worth an investment. They do a great job at containing fires.
 
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