# what to do with leftover solvents



## fasttruck860 (Feb 18, 2008)

I just finished up what was my first experience finishing wood and don't know exactly what to do with the solvents leftover from clean up. There isn't much, but it got me thinking. What do you guys do with the leftovers and do you try to recycle for later? I used mineral spirits to clean up after using poly, but there wasn't that much to clean up is it still good? I was thinking of getting a bunch of mason jars and putting the leftovers in there and labeling them. What do you think?


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

Check with your city/county waste management and find out about their household hazardous waste acceptance programs. Mean time, lay the rags out flat on a concrete floor or hang them over the rungs of a ladder to air dry. And this should be in a well ventilated area. For example a garage or out on the back porch. Next day they will be dry and the poly will have hardened. Then they can be tossed.

Storing any sort of volatile liquids in a mason jar is risky at best. You can buy special vented containers, not unlike gasoline cans (I don't know if gas cans are rated for this sort of storage). But personally, while waiting to hear about the household hazardous waste program in you area, I'd leave the solvents on my back patio slab in an open container to evaporate. However since I have a securely fenced back yard I feel it is safe from curious hands (paws). YMMV and I claim no responsibility for anything you decide to do!


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## gbak7442 (Nov 27, 2008)

I don't know how much solvent you will be using in the future - but what I do is toss the used in a five gallon bucket and let the solids settle to the bottom. Then after letting it set for a few days I take the good stuff off the top and pour it back into a gallon container and mark it first rinse. Then I just continue to recycle.


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## BobSch (Sep 11, 2004)

gbak7442 said:


> I don't know how much solvent you will be using in the future - but what I do is toss the used in a five gallon bucket and let the solids settle to the bottom. Then after letting it set for a few days I take the good stuff off the top and pour it back into a gallon container and mark it first rinse. Then I just continue to recycle.


Just don't mix different solvents together.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

I do the same as George with mineral spirits.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Guys

I use it to kill the weeds along and under the fence 


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Yikes not here, though unlikely my water well could get contaminated!


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## fasttruck860 (Feb 18, 2008)

Thanks guys. There's a lot of animals around and I don't want to harm them. I'll buy some containers and recycle what I can and dispose of the rest properly.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

Hi,

Read the label on the containers in which you bought them in. They will tell you the proper way of disposal or storage.


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