has anyone heard of or used dryer sheets as a means of cleaning track? This was recommened to me recently by an employee of one of the local train houses
Don't want to try it & screw things up
A used dryer sheet is amazing for general cleaning. It can get bugs off of cars, stains off of counters, etc. A buddy of mine into classic cars turned me onto these uses for them.
I would not use it on track. Fear of and residue gumming up the electrical connection to the wheels.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
when you say "cars" I am reading that to mean full sized automobiles??
while on the subject.... thoughts on using CRC 2-26 as a track cleaner??
Drier sheets, by their construction, would probably not do well over distance on extruded rail stock. I would guess that they'd snag regularly and get shredded pretty quickly. But, it's worth a try.
As for cleaning and keeping NS rails trouble free, according to a list circulating for the past 24 months on various fora, kerosene tops the list. You want a 'non-polar' fluid that won't also destroy the plastic ties and spikeheads, or your paint, and it turns out that kerosene is at the top. Dextron III Mercon ATF is down the list, but still up in the acceptable range, as is mineral oil and lacquer thinner (Wayne has known this for some time). Turns out that alcohols don't fare so well on the list. They may do a fairly good job of lifting what's there, but there's no protective value of anything left residually by the alcohol.
dbduckwhen you say "cars" I am reading that to mean full sized automobiles??
Yes. I have found nothing better than dryer sheets for removing bugs from my automobiles. They do not damage the paint and make quick work of the gross remains.
I’ve been using used dryer sheets, after several uses in the dryer, for cleaning track for many years.
Use them the same way I used to use an old cloth with some 91% ISO.
No snags, no problems.
They leave no residue.
Use them also to clean/spin locomotive wheels on in place of paper towels or rags.
YMMV
I use this to clean my track:https://www.wd40.com/products/contact-cleaner/
Wet a small piece of cloth and run it over the track. Joe
Dryer sheets have waxes on them. Specifically designed to rub off in heat. That will leave a film behind. Now. If the course texture ofbthe material is what you want for "scrubbing". Without fluid. Kind of like a soft sandpaper. Then the papper towels that are more industrial that are tripple folded into rectangle are
good for that. Usually found in business bathrooms. windex and goo gone. Will work. Simple green concentrate( be carefull around paint. It makes a good plastic safe paint remover). All though it is slow.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
And of course scented dryer sheets are great scattered on the floors of storage automobiles as a deterent to various critters that like to feast on upholstery and wiring. J.R.
GMTRacingAnd of course scented dryer sheets are great scattered on the floors of storage automobiles as a deterent to various critters that like to feast on upholstery and wiring.
I didn't know that JR, thanks!
Mike.
My You Tube
I'd avoid dryer sheets. You're better using rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth. Ultimately, the best way to clean a track is running locos.
Some years ago I tried CRC 2-26 because I hoped it would improve electrical contact. It left an oily residue that absolutely killed traction. Every loco became exremely slippery and it took a lot of work to clean off the CRC. It might be OK if you use traction tires, but I refuse to have rubber tires on my locos. Now I clean with lacquer thinner and a cloth.