6 Underrated Chemicals to Have In Your Shop

Kyle Smith

The first thing anyone needs to start a DIY project is the drive to learn and get their hands a little dirty. The second is, naturally, the necessary tools. In a surprising third place are the cleaners, lubricants, and menagerie of other chemicals that tend to fill a shelf, drawer, or cabinet in any garage where work gets done. Some are obvious: Brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, penetrating oils. Others are less so, but can be just as handy. Here are six from my own garage that don’t get the love they deserve.

Fogging oil

garage chemicals list 8
Kyle Smith

This stuff is popular in the marine world for coating the interior of engines prior to long storage. Put simply fogging oil is a light oil in an aerosol can, which makes it very handy for keeping corrosion at bay on anything you store or need to worry about moisture on. Since my shop is heated but not humidity-controlled, some of my rarely used tools get a wipe-down with this before going into the box to keep the moisture in the air from condensing and aiding in forming corrosion. It’s also great for coating parts being assembled that don’t need a coating of assembly lube or will be sitting partially assembled for some time.

Goo Gone

garage chemicals list 6
Kyle Smith

We all love it when new parts come with stickers, but I know I’m not alone in being a little miffed when adhesive residue or gunk is also included. a citrus cleaner like Goo Gone is perfect for this but also for other light degreasing where you might typically reach for brake cleaner. I’ve found Goo Gone to work just as well as brake cleaner, and I can use it in a non-ventilated area (as most are in the winter) without my brain involuntarily entering the space race.

Tire mounting lubricant

garage chemicals tire mounting lube
Kyle Smith

As a motorcycle rider who changes his own tires, I had this stuff on the shelf for at least a year before I ever thought to use it for anything else. Not sure why it took me so long. This is the liquid version rather than the solid brick, and that makes it easy to wipe onto items like intake tubes or other rubber boots that need to slide into place. It is safe for rubber, dries away clean, and even has a little cleaning effect. I’ve had great luck using this for all kinds of small tasks compared to other aerosol solutions like silicone spray which come with other drawbacks and concerns like causing fisheyes in paint.

Canned air

canned air duster carb rebuild
Kyle Smith

I have never smoked and I spent a decade as a competitive runner and a handful of years as a trombone player, but even my better-than-average lungs can only concentrate so much air to remove debris from a project. I also don’t want to spend my Saturday doing my best big bad wolf impersonation just to clean a carburetor.

And I know you are saying “Get a compressor,” to which I counter that a compressor and shop air is a luxury that not everyone has access to. I’ve done a lot of work to great results without having an air compressor and the tools associated with it. Canned air is not a real replacement, but can do more than one might think, including being a budget freeze spray if used while turning the can upside down—works great for press-fit bearing installations.

Gummi Pfledge

1985 Corvette door weatherstripping gummi pflege
Just wiping this stuff on brought life back to these seals.Kyle Smith

Weatherstripping is something that typically slowly fades away without our noticing. Hobby cars that are only driven in fair weather, often with windows down, are almost expected to be louder inside than a modern car. It doesn’t have to be so bad though. A little bit of care from wiping on some Gummi Pfledge will help restore some of the sponginess to that weather stripping and keep it sealing well for longer. It’s not something I reach for incredibly often, but it has no real replacement.

Pine-Sol

pinesol for ultrasonic cleaner
Kyle Smith

While I probably should mop my floor once in a while, the jug of Pine-Sol in my shop lives next to the ultrasonic cleaner and works great to remove gunk and grime from aluminum parts like carburetor bodies. A friend told me to use this stuff, and while the smell was a little strong at first, the results convinced me to keep a jug on the table alongside the other solutions and detergents I use in the ultrasonic. Just don’t let aluminum sit in a Pine-Sol solution long—I never go more than 10 minutes on carb bodies—it will eat the aluminum and leave you with no part! Rinse with clean water once out and you’ll have a bright clean part with no scrubbing.

Are these the only chemicals hiding on the hardware store shelves worth bringing home? Probably not, but they work great and I wish I’d discovered them sooner.

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Comments

    I also have Prep-Sol, Lacquer Thinner, 30% vinegar and isopropyl alcohol on hand. Would be nice to have some diesel.

    Awesome collection of interesting info, in the story as well as the comments! Keep it up Kyle! Always enjoy your articles.

    The best kept secret is a product called “OIL EATER”. I have used it for many years and it beats everything else including Simple Green and 409. It is water soluble and may be reduced as needed. Find it on the internet.

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