Proper Disposal of Oil Soaked Rags

Many homes are lost each year because rags soaked with finishing oils or paint cleaners spontaneously combusted. Sometimes it is because people didn’t know the extreme combustibility of these oily rags, sometimes it’s because saving the rags for another days’ work seemed like a good idea. Either way, it results in a home lost to fire. When finishing woods with oil based products such as Linseed Oil, Danish oils, varnishes, etc., or cleaning paint supplies and spills with thinners, make certain you discard the oil-soaked rags in a safe manner. Oils such as Linseed are extremely volatile and can spontaneously combust when oil soaked rags are left discarded in a pile. It is the combination of the oil and air in conjunction with a fuel source, i.e. the rags, that is so dangerous. It does not require a heat source to initiate combustion. The only safe way to discard the rags is to place them in an airtight metal container filled with water. Some sources say to lay them out to dry; however, if they should be blown off the drying area and end up wadded together, they are again a fire hazard. The rags need to be disposed of in this manner immediately after use and not piled up and perhaps forgotten. The rags should only be used once, not saved for re-use the next day. The cost of rags is nothing compared to the cost of a lost home. Remember, to render oily rags safe, please place them in a metal, airtight, water filled container.