Firearm maintenance and cleaning in an apartment

[dcal]

I'm currently living in a 1BR apartment that is a part of a complex. It has wall to wall carpeting in every room except the galley style kitchen. I've been doing my cleaning on an old tv tray with a rubber mat laid down on it. I use aerosol Breakfree CLP and canned air so there is significant over spray and splattering to contain. I devised an ingenious solution rolleyes to keep over spray off of the carpet and everything else in the apartment. I use an empty cardboard box lined with some shop towels as a backstop for all the over spray and splatter. It works, and as such the problem is solved, but I'm always looking to improve processes so...

Anyone have a better solution to this problem?

 

[earplug]

Stop using spray

Use the sink as a cleaning area, plug the drain, and use a dropper applicator. You don't need the spray.
Get a decent hard bristle brush like a stiff 3/8 paint brush and a GI tooth brush cleaner.
Use more paper towels and relax about how clean your stuff is, they are made to function hundreds of rounds between cleanings.

 

[NukemJim]

There are watersoluble cleaning agents (Simple Green for guns with NO ALUMINIUM ) and several others. They are also less toxic.

NukemJim

 

[jakemccoy]

There's carpet in the bathroom?

 

[dcal]

Actually we don't have a bathroom, just bed pans.

Ha, no it's tile... but it is way too small to be sitting in there cleaning guns.

 

[Frank Ettin]

First, I recommend not using aerosols. Personally, I find them wasteful and messy. Second, try the MPro-7 products. The cleaner works very well and is odorless, biodegradable and non-toxic

 

[Bluecherie7]

I clean mine in the kitchen, on a gun mat. Stiff brushes and bottled cleaning fluid. No spray junk. I put newspaper under the mat to save the table from over enthusiastic cleaning.

 

[karz10]

first of all, what are you cleaning? it might matter...

for example, don't know about shotguns and rifles, but I know for handguns, my Glock for example, Gunslick makes a pump spray bottle (kinda like a small ladies liquid hair spray bottle, pump w/ finger on top of bottle), and so does Hoppes in their Elite line. You spray the controlled pump spray onto necessary parts, let it soak, and works fine w/ virtually no smell and in a lot more controlled way.

I recently used spray CLP on my shotgun per someone's recommendation for first clean and lube, and definitely went into my garage on that one, I know what you mean about that stuff. But for the glock, I can do it on a mat or some newspaper at the dining room table and the mrs doesn't even mind w/ the Gunslick or the Hoppes Elite pump spray bottles, YMMV

Karz

 

[dcal]

Karz10,

At the moment a couple pistols and an 870. If ARs ever become available and affordable again, one of those will be part of the regimen.

Ah well, if I decide the box just isn't cutting it, I suppose the aerosol is too much for my living space. It's too bad because using the aerosol in combination with the canned air requires almost no scrubbing. Spray on, soak, spray again, and blast it with the air makes for some easy cleaning.

Time to start researching CLPs again. I'll look into the MPro and Gunslick stuff. Thanks lads.

 

[franconialocal]

Small Area

Hey, my long lost "small area cleaning" brother!!! Have you noticed the headache from the fumes after a while? My BIGGEST bit of advice is make shure you are venting properly. Your method sounds good, but use that stuff sparingly esp. if it's Break Free CLP.....the stuff goes a long way.

 

[dcal]

Never really got any "buzz" from the fumes, but I've got some good ventilation in here. I'll agree I waste a hell of a lot of CLP whilst cleaning. The more I'm thinking about it, the more that I'm considering using the pump spray, non-toxic, and oderless cleaners and CLPs.

 

[qajaq59]

Some of the guys a our range clean their guns there before they go home.

 

[dcal]

Once I get myself a private range membership, I hope I'll be able to do that.

 

[HK G3]

I live in an apartment. I clean all my guns in the living room, on the carpet, with no problems.

What I do is first, lay down some towels. All cleaning should be done on the towels.

Second, I use Break-Free CLP that is in liquid form. I wear latex or rubber examination gloves while doing this, and just manually spread the fluid to where it needs to go. No fuss, no mess, and then when I'm done, I just pack up the towels, and throw away my gloves, and wash my hands.

 

[Deanimator]

A friend had to put his mother in Canada in a nursing home. He sold or gave away all of the furniture in her home. I got her old '50s style folding kitchen table. I have it in my living room where it's my gun cleaning, brass processing and PC building table. When I clean guns, I just put an old towel down on it, which soaks up any spillage. I have an articulated magnifier lamp that my boss gave me clamped to the far edge. It has a lighted magnifier with electrical outlets on the base. It's handy both for working on guns and computers.

 

[againstthagrane]

+1 on the rubber gloves. best idea ever. for some reason clp does not wash off of skin. probably because it's designed to bond to things.

 

[moooose102]

clean them in the bathtub! just make sure it is dry when you start. that way you can spray the surrounding area down with tub and tile cleaner when you are done, and wash all the residue down the drain!

 

[2nd 41]

Be careful with the oily rags/towels when you're finished. Spontaneous combustion. Dispose of properly.

 

[moxie]

Do your spraying outside on newspaper or similar, or in a box. Then bring inside. This not only gets rid of the overspray problem, it eliminates much of the fumes.

 

[dcal]

Do your spraying outside on newspaper or similar, or in a box. Then bring inside. This not only gets rid of the overspray problem, it eliminates much of the fumes.

I'm on the 5th floor of a 6 floor apartment building. Outside would not only freak out the other residents, I'm not sure where I would do it outside.

 

[benEzra]

Breakfree CLP stinks to high heaven. I can imagine using that stuff in an apartment.

The Outers Foaming Bore Cleaner works great for bore cleaning and is completely odorless, FWIW. That and a bore snake have greatly simplified my bore cleaning.

Cleaning actions and such, I can see where CLP would be useful, but there are much lower-odor alternatives. Depending on the gun, some paper shop towels and a little Hoppes #9 applied via Q-tips where it's needed can be a less messy alternative, but it's more work.

 

[againstthagrane]

I'm on the 5th floor of a 6 floor apartment building. Outside would not only freak out the other residents, I'm not sure where I would do it outside.

just spray one part at a time. for example just take the bolt out side and spray it, or if it's a handgun just the slide or barrel.

 

[moxie]

dcal,

Just get a suitably sized cardboard box, line the bottom with newspaper, old rags, or whatever. Take the gun in the closed box out to the parking lot or nearby area, open the top and spray. Nobody is going to see inside the box. Or try the basement or laundry room when no one is there.

 

[dcal]

Just wanted to update with my new cleaning regimen. I had to settle and go with the more scrubbing option. I went with MPro7 CLP and pump spray cleaner. I cover the glass coffee table with an old towel and my rubber cleaning mat. It's a bit more scrubbing intensive, but no over spray and the family is squeaky clean and properly lubed. Plus I'm using a lot less solvent. Thanks for all the ideas guys.

Oh and BTW, you guys weren't kidding that there's no odor with the MPro7. The wife was completely unfazed by my usually stinky cleaning sessions.