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Stinking Tools

17K views 37 replies 34 participants last post by  GypsyR 
#1 ·
I can't stand it anymore. My tools stink. A real putrid odor is all about my tools. If you've ever had to smell a very dead dog it would be close to that. I have removed them from my toolbox and soaked them in simple green to no improvement. Next I tried orange whatever hand cleaner and even a new toolbox. These are the tools I call my travel tools. Junkyard and pull your own part tools. Mostly Craftsman and a few Snap-on. Surely I'm not(I hope) the first to expierence this. ANY suggestion will be attempted as soon as weather allows. Thanks for the help! <><
 
#3 ·
Smell comes from bacteria poo poo:drunk: , light, heat and dry are the enemy of bacteria. I would wash them as stated with whatever then set them in the sun to dry, also don't forget what ever you have them in. Also bacteria die at 140 deg F so you could drop them into boiling water.
 
#6 ·
Poncho if they smelled like grease and oil I could live with it. If I sent you one in the mail the postal folks would send out a terror alert. I can't put them in the bath tub. The wife won't let them near the house.The bacteria report seems the most likely. The weather down here would surely help promote it. I know it sounds strange but it's the truth. They reek. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll use them to finish out a transmission replacement on the wife's Mazda then try to sanitize them. Hmmmmmmm.....maybe that 's the problem. I used them on an import.
 
#12 ·
bukweet said:
Surely I'm not(I hope) the first to expierence this. ANY suggestion will be attempted as soon as weather allows. Thanks for the help! <><

When I lived in Charleston SC........the capitol of Heat & Humidity..........a friend who worked at a salvage yard had the same problem. :(

He put ALL of his tools in a plastic bucket filled with Clorox.

It killed everything bad.............Cheap too......



:thumbup:
 
#16 ·
I think I'm in the bleach crowd. Clorox generally wins this type of contest. No sort of rages or anything in the toolbox? Metal is generally not going to foster any stink.... what kind of tools are we talking about? wrenches and sockets? something with wood like hammers

personally I'm thinking of "dirty old men" when he puts the dead fish in the car....
 
#17 ·
i really dont think you smell the tools because i dont see anything living on metal. soak them all in gas anyway but i think the stink is in the tool box. which is probably metal too tho, but you could wash it in gas too then throw a match in it. if it's plastic just do the same and buy a new one.

aiint never smelled no smelley tools before but i smelled plenty o'smelly boxes! :eek: :nono: :rolleyes:
 
#18 ·
It's the plastic handles that start to smell. Certain screwdrivers and nutrunners that we have at work can really smell up a drawer in the toolbox. Some not too bad and some can be downright nauseating. The Clorox idea might mask it for awhile but I imagine it would come back after periodic use.

Kevin
 
#19 ·
Craftsman screwdrivers smell the worst. Some guys I used to work in a shop with said it is the plastic they use. You could try to remove it, but the smell will come back.

2 easy steps to avoid the smell:


1) Don't bring them out in polite company

2) What the H-E-doublehockystick are sniffing tools for anyway! (when I was in skewl kids sniffed only glue)
 
#22 ·
Yea its a regular thing with that plastic on the handles AND it also infects the plastic trays in the toolbox. It don't ever go away. You just gotta clean them every so often (maybe 2-3 times a year?).

Couple things you can do...

-Clean the plastic handle tools, dry them in the oven on "warm" not "well done", then get a snap close sack to put them in. Then they'll only stink after a while and only when you open them.

-Use a toolbox with either metal trays and hardware, or the newer "tupperware" kind of plastic...but that develops its own kind of a stink too after a while.

-Clean out the "black fuzz" that gathers in everyone's toolboxes in the corners, and wipe the whole box down with alcohol.

-Sell the plastic handled tools and use wooden or fiberglass handled tools.

-Don't leave your toolboox open or out in the rain while you work. (Don't say you never do it either!)

-Don't use your screwdrivers to scrape grease (try a wooden-handled putty knife), and don't use solvents or cleaners that contain harsh petroleum ingredients on the plastic handles because this makes them start to "rot". I use alcohol or silicone electronic parts cleaner.

-Don't use your car tools to pick out belly button lint, or to scrape and clean other body openings. Don't use your car tools to cut your toenails, and if you do, be sure to throw out the cuttings from your toolbox. Better yet, use a toenail clipper. Plus if you check on eBay under "Medical Supplies", there is a whole lot of interesting special purpose stainless steel or surgical steel medical picks, cutters, and tools that you will have much more fun and success with on your body parts -- see guys its OK to use tools on your body...just use the ones that are made for it, and do it in the BATHROOM! (For those of you that are married your wives will thank you for not being gross with your tools.)

-Don't forget you gotta clean your tools and box more than once every two years.
 
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