How do you clean your Systainer?
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AlexThePalex
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I can make the dirtiest systainer look like new. Done it many times.
First I put it under the shower, and clean with normal soap while the shower runs. I use a brush for the dishes, then a sanding sponge and finally a wire brush for pans. The last one is really good for tough dirt lodged into the texture.
This cleans up the systainer quite a bit but is not good for the stickier dirt. So after the systainer has dried I now use a cloth with an ammonia solution for the tougher dirt and treat the systainer with that. Thicker dirt is scraped off with a chissel or a sharp putty knife.
Rarely I am done now, now we go to the stronger solvents. First white spirit. Again I wipe it, now with a cloth drenched in white spirit and this will get off the dirt that doesn't dissolve in water. Also very good for removing stickers and their glue.
But most of the time that isn't enough either. Those systainers can get very dirty when they're used by professional tradesmen, who use glue, paint, putty and caulks.
All methods above were non-destructive, but now we have to resort to tougher measures to get the really, really heavy dirt off.
Paint thinner or acetone will get most of your systainer clean as a whistle. They are very strong solvents, so be carefull as they can also dissolve your systainer itself. But if you use it only superficially on the dirty spots, by whiping with a cloth, there's not much damage done, maybe you only whipe away the texture so the systainers looks smooth on spots. Looks better IMHO than a big spot of paint. Thinner can also get rid of severe yellowing of the ABS.
In some spots the dirt is really heard to remove. I scrape even harder with a chissel, and I also whip out the Deltex sander sometimes to hit a spot.
In the end it can take quite a bit of work, but I always end up with an almost spotless systainer.
First I put it under the shower, and clean with normal soap while the shower runs. I use a brush for the dishes, then a sanding sponge and finally a wire brush for pans. The last one is really good for tough dirt lodged into the texture.
This cleans up the systainer quite a bit but is not good for the stickier dirt. So after the systainer has dried I now use a cloth with an ammonia solution for the tougher dirt and treat the systainer with that. Thicker dirt is scraped off with a chissel or a sharp putty knife.
Rarely I am done now, now we go to the stronger solvents. First white spirit. Again I wipe it, now with a cloth drenched in white spirit and this will get off the dirt that doesn't dissolve in water. Also very good for removing stickers and their glue.
But most of the time that isn't enough either. Those systainers can get very dirty when they're used by professional tradesmen, who use glue, paint, putty and caulks.
All methods above were non-destructive, but now we have to resort to tougher measures to get the really, really heavy dirt off.
Paint thinner or acetone will get most of your systainer clean as a whistle. They are very strong solvents, so be carefull as they can also dissolve your systainer itself. But if you use it only superficially on the dirty spots, by whiping with a cloth, there's not much damage done, maybe you only whipe away the texture so the systainers looks smooth on spots. Looks better IMHO than a big spot of paint. Thinner can also get rid of severe yellowing of the ABS.
In some spots the dirt is really heard to remove. I scrape even harder with a chissel, and I also whip out the Deltex sander sometimes to hit a spot.
In the end it can take quite a bit of work, but I always end up with an almost spotless systainer.
Scouring powder (it used to be called Vim over here) is really useful when cleaning sustainers. Lately it’s been hard to find. It has been replaced by almost the same stuff in a liquid state (the brand is Cif). I buy scouring powder in a Turkish supermarket — sensible people, they know what works and is priced right.
Mind you, the original scouring powder formula left scratches, but the manufacturers got smart somewhere in the eighties and changed the main component to something that doesn’t scratch (and doesn’t work as well, of course).
Mind you, the original scouring powder formula left scratches, but the manufacturers got smart somewhere in the eighties and changed the main component to something that doesn’t scratch (and doesn’t work as well, of course).
If you mean the 1880's, you would be correct if we are discussing Bon Ami. I think 1886. Their logo was a baby chick with the caption "Hasn't Scratched yet". Other manufacturers were using quartz as one of their ingredients at that time (think using silica sand to clean your porcelain sink) and this manufacturer replaced that with feldspar which does not scratch.Bert Vanderveen said:
I believe this brand is still alive today. Love it when something like this lasts so long.
AlexThePalex
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squall_line
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Peter_C said:
This is more than about 90% of sellers on eBay and Facebook Marketplace do!
Peter_C said:
Same. Never have grease on my Systainers, only on things like screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers and those get all cleaned with a cloth and "wasbenzine". Americans might call it 'white gas' [huh]?
I did take a shower with a Eurobox 600x400 last week. So only the first part of that [member=5277]Alex[/member] described.
AlexThePalex
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AlexThePalex
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Cheese said:
Thanks, I think it cost me maybe an hour. I was working on 6 systainers at the same time, I didn't really kept count of the time for each one. But this one also had those little bins inside for screws. To be honest, apart from the sharpie ink this one wasn't all that dirty. I've had systainers that were splattered with paint from top to bottom.
ChuckM said:
No, just cleaning. You refer to the clips? I took them off.
If I cleaned my Systainer's and other tools like Alex's example above my wife would accuse me of buying "new" tools. LOL
Plus I have a weird thing where I feel like owning brand new equipment is embarrassing vs showing up with worn equipment that has served me for years. Maybe because I judge others on the appearance of their equipment, and not by how unused it is, but rather how well organized and well "loved" their equipment is. "Loved" being like a child's favorite teddy bear that looks like garbage, but is the most important thing in the world.
Plus I have a weird thing where I feel like owning brand new equipment is embarrassing vs showing up with worn equipment that has served me for years. Maybe because I judge others on the appearance of their equipment, and not by how unused it is, but rather how well organized and well "loved" their equipment is. "Loved" being like a child's favorite teddy bear that looks like garbage, but is the most important thing in the world.
Crazyraceguy
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Peter_C said:
I'm apparently the exact opposite....lol
Sadly though, all of my stuff is fairly new because of a fire, but I keep it that way on purpose anyway.
Two years ago next month, I lost everything. It was a huge project to replace it all. I got the biggest, most obvious/required things pretty quickly, then the next several months on the rest. Those were more on an "as needed" basis. The Sysports were built in phases and modified over time and with the move. The organization is not quite OCD, but clearly deliberate. Everything has a place and it all gets put away at the end of the day. It all looks brand new despite being used on a daily basis in a cabinet shop. All I ever do to "clean" a Systainer is blow the dust off.
demographic
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Vac the insides and wipe witb a damp cloth if I'm feeling a bit posh.
