Your Tools, clean or dirty?

[Intrepidation]

Most of us no doubt have a collection of tools they use for their projects, be they automotive or otherwise. The question is: do you let them get dirty or do you try to keep them clean, and when they do get dirty to you clean them or not?

I just bought a new tool, a Black and Decker Tri-Ratchet...which is awesome. I plan to keep it clean like all of my tools. I hate dirty tools, because then you get your hands dirty when you go to use a dirty tool, thereby getting other tools and anything else you touch dirty. I don't mind getting dirty, but I like my tools to look clean and new...maybe I'm just weird like that? My friend is the same way though. Neither of our fathers are though, all of their tools are filthy and they have no respect for other people's tools as they get them all dirty.

I just finished cleaning my tool sets yesterday, Armor All works on anything!

So what about it? Are you clean or are you dirty?

[Camino LS6]

Nobody's perfect, but I do make the effort.

I hate dirty tools.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Nothing better than a dirty tool!

[balthazar]

I am very possessive of my tools and they are pretty clean, but I don't obsess. They are used regularly, and if I cleaned them every time they got dirty, I wouldn't get as much done.

My shop is just over the neat/messy line towards messy- it would be a lot neater if I lived alone and didn't have to drop things in mid-stride because of dinner/ work/ life.

[Cory Wolfe]

Why, yes, I do keep my hands and feet clean.

[Camino LS6]

I do my best, but have several factors that make it tough.

1. I bought a big lot of tools from an old shop and many of them were beyond filthy, I've been slowly getting them into shape ever since.

2. My tools end up going out on landscape jobs all the time.

3. The "help" uses them.

Still the barn stays cleaner than the house.

[2005 EquinoxLS]

I keep them clean. Most are inhereted from Dad and Dad was fussy about them. As much as he used them and a lot of them are 40 years old or more they look VERY nice. I will keep them that way.

[ZL-1]

My tool is always clean. One can't be careful enough these days

[the_yellow_dart]

Usually I put it away dirty and just clean it in the morning. There was once though that the woman went into the bathroom with me and rinsed it off for me afterwards. It was odd but kind of nice.

Wait... were we talking about wrenches and such? Oops. :AH-HA_wink:

[PurdueGuy]

If they get particularly dirty I clean 'em, but I'm not meticulous.