What to clean toolbox with?

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Well I've been a Tech at Sears for 5 years and my store finally went under. I started out as a tire tech and worked my way up. It was my first job and now next week i start at the Ford dealer a lil closer to my house. My Box is kind of filthy and I wanna clean it before I start. I know not to use brake clean but what else could I use to not take off the paint?
 
Why not start with mild soap and water? Or simple green, or a degreaser?

Be careful with the ball bearing slides though!
 
I've always used the aerosol can of glass cleaner on my toolbox. The paint is still there after 16 years.
 
dawn, simple green, wd-40 works pretty good for tar like deposits
list is endless.. I wouldn't get too overzealous toolboxes don't need to be particularly clean.
 
Originally Posted By: cb_13
I've always used the aerosol can of glass cleaner on my toolbox. The paint is still there after 16 years.
i was thinking windex but wasn't sure if it would effect the paint...
 
I'm guessing it's a Craftsman box, right? (Duh?) The type of box makes a bit of a difference. I have some old Craftsman boxes where Simple Green is as good as paint stripper
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
dawn, simple green, wd-40 works pretty good for tar like deposits
list is endless.. I wouldn't get too overzealous toolboxes don't need to be particularly clean.
its got some stuff spilled down the sides of it and has some hard water stains on it because of us cleaning the shop floors.
 
Rule of thumb is start with the least abrasive or least harsh option, so soap and water would be a wise starting point. Further steps would be dictated by the substance you're trying to remove. For example, you would handle grease differently than paint overspray.
 
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
I'm guessing it's a Craftsman box, right? (Duh?) The type of box makes a bit of a difference. I have some old Craftsman boxes where Simple Green is as good as paint stripper
frown.gif

no its a 52' snap-on box.
 
TSP (trisodium phosphate) you'll find it in the paint department at your local hardware store. We've used it to remove really old grease and dirt on old machine tools. It strips the dirt off the paint better than anything else.
 
There's a Sears automotive near me... I've heard they have nothing to do with Sears but the name. I think that location used to be a Jiffy-Lube. Took my car there for an alignment once and they did OK... they buy a lot of stuff from the parts store I work at. Anyway, are they all going under? That would suck because they're like the only shop open on weekends...
 
Originally Posted By: dogememe
There's a Sears automotive near me... I've heard they have nothing to do with Sears but the name. I think that location used to be a Jiffy-Lube. Took my car there for an alignment once and they did OK... they buy a lot of stuff from the parts store I work at. Anyway, are they all going under? That would suck because they're like the only shop open on weekends...
my store was best in the district, but we were also on the best real estate and we got sold along with the main sears store.
 
I usually used glass cleaner on mine, it worked well. When my box was new I would use a quick detailer spray on it and then a light coat of wax. It got beat up over the years and I used Windex or aerosol glass cleaner on it. Never hurt the paint.

I would sometimes spray brake clean on a rag and clean under the handles and the really greasy spots, it never hurt the paint, but my box is fairly cheap.

Its a upper level craftsman. Served me well for many years.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Simple Green?


Only if you're able to rinse it off with water afterwards. The stuff is extremely corrosive to metal.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I have a Matco box and when I did wash it I just treated it as if I was washing a car. Used whatever car wash I used on the car.


Being that it's most likely made out of double wall construction, how the heck did you ever remove the water from in between the double walls ?
 
Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic
I'm not sure how he cleaned it, but I knew somebody who used to wax his Snap-On toolbox.


Plenty of people do. They can cost as much as a car.
 
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