most environmentally friendly way to clean bearings

[surfdubs]

currently i use a pill bottle and mineral spirits to clean off my bearings, wondering if there is a better way.

i feel sorta crappy about pouring mineral spirits down the drain, that stuff can't be good to be mixing with the water supply.

so for all you environmentalists out there, what is the best solution for cleaning bearings?

big thanks

[peterwilliams]

I use a non-toxic citrus-based cleaner thats totally fine to just be dumped in the front yard when you're done with it. I'll find out the brand name next time I buy some.

[breamo]

Simple Green works real well. (concentrate)

Also, make sure to dry the bearing completely after using a water based cleaner. An air compressor works well for this. Make sure to oil the bearing right away so rust wont form.

[Barf]

A lot of people will just use plain dish soap and hot water. You just have to use a hair dryer to dry the bearings COMPLETELY and right away. But you won't get any rust trouble as long as you don't leave them setting wet.

[a_d_smooth]

Originally Posted by Barf

A lot of people will just use plain dish soap and hot water. You just have to use a hair dryer to dry the bearings COMPLETELY and right away. But you won't get any rust trouble as long as you don't leave them setting wet.

Did the exact same thing last time, and worked out real good. The hair dryer made the bearings super-hot so watch out for that....

[Rickitan]

Hey barf, are you sure i can use plain water and dish soap??, and dry the bearings with a hair dryer? Without getting any rust or bearing problems?

[Barf]

Originally Posted by Rickitan

Hey barf, are you sure i can use plain water and dish soap??, and dry the bearings with a hair dryer? Without getting any rust or bearing problems?

I have done it before with no trouble. Rinse with hot water, add dish soap, scrub with an old toothbrush, spin 'em, rinse, repeat if necessary until clean. Then rinse all the soap away, and then dry 'em off.

You just have to make sure they're totally, totally dry. I mean, don't melt the fricking things with the dryer, or anything, but be sure there's no water left. Just blow 'em off, spin 'em some, blow 'em some more, repeat a few times until you're confident there's no water left in there. Then re-lube and you're good to go!


That said, good old acetone or gasoline works faster and you don't have to be so anal about the drying. But this thread is about being all green and stuff, so...

[TheRumsey]

i usually use the blood of an endangered species...scrub the bearing with its whiskers/feathers and the dry the bearing with the exhaust pipe of a ford F-350

[TylertheSquint]

Originally Posted by TheRumsey

i usually use the blood of an endangered species...scrub the bearing with its whiskers/feathers and the dry the bearing with the exhaust pipe of a ford F-350

very effective

[oldnbroken]

Simple green works great and I use it mixed up in a normal mix not concentrated.
Throw a little in a water bottle add hot tap water, cap it, shake it for a minute or two dump it on a good rag and blow 'em out. Very simple, very environmental.

[jhelm007]

Any biodegradable de-greaser will work and will not harm the environment. Simple Green is good and is widely available at hardware and outo parts stores. Citrus based stuff is also good, but may promote rust if you don't rinse and dry completely.

Using a little alcohol as a drying agent is good for preventing rust, but makes the process ever-so-slightly less environmentally friendly.

Soap is better environmentally than solvents, but not as good as simple green (environmentally or cleaning-wise).

[stringtheory]

I like to use 91% or better isopropyl alcohol. As to it's effects on the environment, they are seemingly minimal.

"Environmental Fate:
When released into the soil, this material is expected to quickly evaporate. When released into the soil, this material may leach into groundwater. When released into the soil, this material may biodegrade to a moderate extent. When released to water, this material is expected to quickly evaporate. When released into the water, this material is expected to have a half-life between 1 and 10 days. When released into water, this material may biodegrade to a moderate extent. This material is not expected to significantly bioaccumulate. When released into the air, this material is expected to be readily degraded by reaction with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals. When released into the air, this material is expected to have a half-life between 1 and 10 days. When released into the air, this material may be removed from the atmosphere to a moderate extent by wet deposition.
Environmental Toxicity:
The LC50/96-hour values for fish are over 100 mg/l. This material is not expected to be toxic to aquatic life."

[kim_jong_ill]

Originally Posted by TheRumsey