Overheard a journeyman say he never uses soap on his tools and it changed my mind about cleaning them

I always scrubbed my wrenches and cutters with soap and water after every job, but this old-timer at the union hall said soap strips the natural oils and makes tools rust faster in our humid boiler rooms. He just wipes his down with a rag and a little WD-40 after each shift, and his stuff from 20 years ago still looks new. Has anyone else gone the no-soap route or am I just being lazy now?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnflores18d ago

Nah, soap's fine if you dry them good after, the real trick is oiling the joints.

jordan_young18d ago

Man, I feel you on this one. For real, getting those joints oiled right after a deep clean makes all the difference in how long your gear lasts. I learned that the hard way after skipping the oil step on an old pair of boots and watching the leather crack in like two months. Soap and water is fine as long as you hit the moving parts with something like mink oil or even a little sewing machine oil after. Your mileage may vary depending on what you're working with, but that extra minute of care really saves you from buying replacements down the road.

vera_campbell17d agoMost Upvoted

Maybe it's just me but I wonder if people overthink this whole oiling thing. Like yeah @jordan_young I get that you had a bad experience with cracking leather but not everything is that fragile. I've got a pair of work boots I've had for four years now and I barely do anything to them besides knock the dirt off. They're still holding up fine. I mean maybe if you're dealing with high end gear it matters more but for everyday stuff a quick wipe down feels like enough. Idk I just feel like some of this maintenance advice makes it sound like you need a whole ritual when really most things can take a little neglect.