We use wood stains to give our furniture a polished and smooth appearance. You will need to use rags to make the surface smoother.
It is crucial to know how to dispose of stain rags as these are highly flammable and might cause a fire if you don’t dispose of properly.
Below, we have provided a step by step guide which will help you to dispose of stained rags in the correct way.
How to Dispose of Stain Rags
Step 1: Don’t clump stained rags while disposing
You will need to dispose of wood stain rags properly as these are highly flammable. To dispose of the stained rags, you will need to simply carry them and dispose of properly.
We often clump disposable materials together so that these fit in less space. But clumping the rags will only make it worse as these are highly flammable.
Step 2: Use a metal container filled with water to store oily rags
You will need to dispose of oily stained rags properly, as well. Because these are highly flammable as well.
Before disposing of, you can store the rags in a metal container. You can use a paint can as well. Find a metal container or purchase it if you don’t have one.
Fill the container with water. Make sure that the metal container has a lid.
Now, place the rags in the metal container and close the lid. Also, make sure that the rags are submerged in water.
The oily rags will be safely stored. When stained rags come in contact with water, they become inflammable.
Until you are ready to dispose of the rags, you can store the stained rags safely.
Step 3: Use metal hangers to dispose of the stained rags
You can use metal hangers for disposing of stained rags. If you have a few rags, you can lay each one on metal hangers. Don’t place these rags together on top of each other. You will need a few hangers to dispose of the stained rags properly. You cannot use one hanger for multiple rags.
Step 4: Let the rags get dried properly
Now, you will need to dry the rags. You can hang the stained rags outside to get it to air-dried. Wait for several hours.
Check if the rags had dried off properly. The time will depend on how strong the stain is. It also depends on the weather.
On a sunny day, it will take several hours to dry to rags. On the other hand, it will take more time if the weather is cold.
In case of oily stained rags, you can lay the rags in your yard. Let the rags dry naturally with sunlight and wind.
You can clip the rags with a rope to hang them. A suggestion for you is not to place them right on the soil. Wait for two days.
Oily rags will take more time to dry than regular ones.
Step 5: Purchase a storage container specially made to dispose of stained rags
Nowadays, you can purchase storage containers that are specially made to dispose of flammable rags. You can get these at different price ranges.
The price depends on the size of the container. You can purchase a container between 50 to 100 dollars. You might be thinking that the containers are too expensive.
But you shouldn’t compromise your safety just to save a few bucks.
Step 6: Place the stained rags in a garbage bag
After the stained rags have been dried off completely, you will need to place these in a garage bag.
Always make sure that the rags are dry before you place these in the garbage bag. Then, place the bag in the trash can.
That is how you can dispose of wood stained rags properly.
Step 7: Contact with the local hazardous waste disposal center
In case of oily stained rags, you will need to be more careful. In this case, you can contact the local hazardous waste disposal center.
They will know how you can dispose of such hazardous wastes properly. You can also take help from your neighbor if you are new in the neighborhood and not sure about the process.
If you follow this step by step guide, you will be able to dispose of stained rags properly.
You need to follow some rules while disposing of such hazardous, and flammable material as these can cause serious accidents.
What Causes Stain Rags to Combust?
If you dispose of stain and oil rags improperly, it will cause the rags to combust. After using oil-based paint or paint thinners, you will need to dispose of these rags properly.
When you leave an oily rag, it starts an oxidation process and begins to heat up. After that, the heat will try to spread.
When you dispose of stain and oily rags in a pile, the heat doesn’t get enough space to spread.
As a result, the stained rag will continuously heat up and will reach a temperature high enough to cause an ignition. The presence of oil will make the fire easy to spread as well.
How Do You Dispose of Oily Rags?
At first, you will need to lay the oily rags open in an area with proper ventilation. Don’t pile the rags on each other while drying these.
You can also hang the rags with clips separately. You can keep the rags like this for one day or two. If you use oily rags frequently, you can purchase an oily waste container.
You can keep the rags in the container for a few days. Then, you can contact a private contractor who will help to dispose of the oily rags in the correct way.
If you are not a regular user, you can simply store the oily rags in a paint container that is made with metal.
Make sure that the container has a tight lid. You can use any old paint can that you won’t need anymore.
Before storing the oily rags, you will need to fill the paint container with water. For a better result, you can add oil breakdown detergent.
Make sure to keep the paint container away from any material that will cause ignition. Place the oily rags in the container so that these are submerged in water.
Proper disposal of these highly flammable materials can save you from a much dangerous accident. You will need to work with care as you cannot compromise your safety.
Follow the steps mentioned above to dispose of stained rags and oily rags accurately.
