Cleaning Motor Oil Bottles to Use for Chemistry

J Ollinger · Aug 20, 2008

I change my own oil and every time, I end up with 5 or 6 perfectly good motor oil bottles that I think would be ideal for film chemistry. They're 1qt size, small, light, easy to handle, easy to store on a shelf, reclosable, they're opaque and come in a variety of colors. IMO they're perfect for what I do.

But I cannot seem to get all the oil out no matter how much I clean them. Even detergents meant for cleaning up (stuff with the words Green and Orange in the name) don't seem to quite do the trick.

Has anyone else tried this and successfully cleaned them out?

Gatsby1923 · Aug 20, 2008

I am not sure it is feasible. It may be possible with enough detergent and water but it would take a LOT of both. And remember it only takes a few parts per million of oil to taint water so I would stay clear.

bdial · Aug 20, 2008

Our local recycling center won't take oil bottles, because they can't clean them. That said, a degreaser, such as the stuff sold for cleaning things like bike chains, or car parts would probably do it. TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) - from paint supply stores might work too.

But do you want to risk a film of oil on your negatives, no matter how well the degreaser might appear to work? Lots of people use HDPE soda bottles that aren't nearly so difficult to clean.

TomStr · Aug 20, 2008

you could use a solvent like aceton, it should help, and after the aceton, rinse well with water and soap. (aceton should be kept out of the sink)

tom

Paul Verizzo · Aug 20, 2008

Gatsby1923 said:
I am not sure it is feasible. It may be possible with enough detergent and water but it would take a LOT of both. And remember it only takes a few parts per million of oil to taint water so I would stay clear.

I can't think of anything worse.

As one who has spent a lot of my life turning wrenches and cursing dirty fingernails, I know about those jars. Cans. Bottle. Whatever. There is absolutely no way you can clean them adequately for photographic purposes.

Most recycling programs won't accept them, the oil remnants botch eveything up.

Frankly, I much prefer clear bottles. Try those nice qt. PETE milk bottles, or gator aid in the 20 oz or 32 oz sixes. Semi-wide lids. Oh, yeah, there's another issue with the oil bottles.

Aurum · Aug 20, 2008

To get that stuff off you will need neat detergent rubbed in hard, then rinsed with loads of water. It may help if you store the jugs upside down for a week or so that the fine film drains into the neck of he container before doing this.

In a domestic environent that really isn't going to be feasible, so the only thing I would use them for is taking waste oil to the recycling.

Might be worth checking yellow pages to see if a local supplier has the bottles in stock unused, as they're quite a standard design.

If you want to reuse old packaging, plastic drinks bottles are a better bet

spark · Aug 20, 2008

Ammonia and detergent would cut grease given some time soaking, but then you'd still need to use the acetone for a final rinse. Still, these are polyethylene bottles usually; and as a lot of threads discuss, aren't really the best. PET soda and juice bottles are easier to clean and work better.

eclarke · Aug 20, 2008

Drink prune juice!! those are nice 2L brown bottles!!..EC

Photo Engineer · Aug 20, 2008

Acetone or alcohol will not remove oil. Gasoline can remove oil but at the price of leaving its own problems behind. It is better to toss the bottles unfortunately.

PE

Aurum · Aug 20, 2008

eclarke said:
Drink prune juice!! those are nice 2L brown bottles!!..EC

3x 2L for dev, Stop and Fix would have the same effect as the chemicals you wished to refill them with

Jeff Kubach · Aug 20, 2008

If you could get all the oil out(I don't think you can) it might cost more than the bottles are worth.

Jeff

J Ollinger · Aug 20, 2008

A shame. Those bottles are perfect (IMO) for what I want. It seems like such a waste just to throw them away.

I have tried acetone and various detergents in the past, but no luck. As you say, they're difficult to clean. But I was hoping someone knew a solvent or a method that would do the trick.

dancqu · Aug 20, 2008

Paul Verizzo said:
... clear bottles.

And the more clear the better; glass or plastic.
Clear glass Boston Rounds, amber or clear, are a
standard for chemical storage around the world.
Low cost and with a variety of caps available.
Via Google search for Boston Rounds. Many
sources including Ebay. Dan

greybeard · Aug 20, 2008

The PET soda bottles are chemically and mechanically suited for storing chemistry, but they have one flaw: they look like beverage bottles. It is generally not a good idea to put toxic materials into food-type containers because of the risk of accidental poisoning (antifreeze in lemon-lime soda bottles is one of the more dangerous combinations, apparently).

For not much more than a dollar per, you could buy new, clean polyethylene bottles with storage properties equivalent to those of oil bottles. (For a bit more, you can get much better bottles.) A quick Web search for "bottle HDPE price" turned up <http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin41.html>; there are lots of other sources out there.

(OK, I have been known to use yoghurt cups to store premeasured chemicals for the hot tub. But first I spray-painted them fire-engine red, top to bottom, and then labeled them with a fresh, juicy felt-tip marker.)

AgX · Aug 20, 2008

Reusing oil bottles for photochemistry is the most weird idea I read here so far. And I'm called stingy... That would mean saving on the wrong end.

To be serious: Why do they have to be opaque? Rather use clear, colorless containers which you store in a dark cupboard or so. Thus you can see the volume and what's going on in your chemistry (and what's going out, in case of changing the content...)

AgX · Aug 20, 2008

PET bottles

are not suitable for strong alkali !!

Larry Bullis · Aug 20, 2008

I just ordered 6 of these:

http://www.survivalsolutions.com/store/product41.html

There was a recent thread where we discussed containers pretty thoroughly. These are the same as some of the box wine containers. I've kept chemicals, even color developers, for YEARS in those with no deterioration. Can't beat it with anything. Airtight, collapse as the solution is drawn down.

Anscojohn · Aug 20, 2008

Buy beer in brown, recappable bottles. Drink beer. Keep bottles. Be happy.

removed account4 · Aug 20, 2008

why would you risk contaminating your chemistry
when 1L bottles are like $4 a pop ?

john

bdial · Aug 20, 2008

Or, brand new oil bottles for < $1.00 ea Dead Link Removed

Photo Engineer · Aug 20, 2008

Jobo containers are specifically designed for photo solutions. I have found that over years of testing, they are the best. So, if you can get them, get them!

PE

gainer · Aug 20, 2008

Here's a typical Gainer thought: If you are worried about your developer dissolving or absorbing oil that could not be removed any other way, use spent developer to do the last stage of cleaning oil bottles before loading them with new developer. Don't take this suggestion so seriously that it disturbs your equinimity or causes you to destroy mine.

J Ollinger · Aug 20, 2008

bdial said:
Or, brand new oil bottles for < $1.00 ea Dead Link Removed

That is excellent. Thank you!

Paul Verizzo · Aug 21, 2008

But why?

Larry Bullis · Aug 21, 2008

One other thought. Yes you CAN remove the oil. You can do anything like that. Is it worth it? There is a price.

Industrial strength degreasers - the ones like they use in the printed circuit industry. Isn't it trichloroethane (I may have this not quite right but one of the chemists can correct me!) that they use in degreasing prior to coating with the resists? You know, like dry cleaning fluid.

But you decide. Is saving a bottle worth the feeling that you might be destroying the ozone layer?

Or how about lye? be careful. But I use it in my developers.

Cleaning Motor Oil Bottles to Use for Chemistry

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