# For those who screenprint from home....



## littleclouds (Sep 12, 2007)

Hey

I was just wondering how do you clean up your screens, inks & fluids & whatnot safely & ethically? 

I've searched around on the internet for info but alot of tutorials & instructions skim over the cleaning part & from what little info I have found is mostly mixed to whether it is or isn't okay to just simply wash everything down a domestic drain! 

Obviously I'm not talking about just emptying a whole tub of emulsion as that would be silly but is it okay if its traces & what about inks? I'm planning to use water based inks which I thought would be better but still I feel like I need a bit more assurance that i'm not about to kill everyone ha!  

What do you do? Any tips for saving myself hassle & possible arrest?!


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## OriginX (Feb 21, 2007)

I use Simple Green to clean off Plastisol inks. I wipe down the screen with
rags for the excess ink, then I spray Simple Green and let it sit for a couple
minutes. The ink should dissolve and it can be wiped off the screen. Some
elbow grease should also help.


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## littleclouds (Sep 12, 2007)

And then its fine to be washed down a bathtub? 

So I assume that this simple green also works for water based inks?

thanks for your reply!


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## Sheepsalt (Sep 12, 2007)

There's a product called Citri-paste for cleaning up plastisol inks. It's about the consistency of dishwashing liquid, and it breaks the ink down & makes it biodegradable & safe to go down the drain. Still, be sure to check your local regs, since it varies from location to location.


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## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

littleclouds said:


> So I assume that this simple green also works for water based inks?


I'm no expert on this, but I have been told that water-based inks are a big hazard as far as this is concerned. It's my understanding that since the plastisol does not dissolve in water, it gets filtered out. However, the water-based inks dissipate and can cause big problems if they are simply washed down the drain. Again, I could be completely wrong on this.


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## littleclouds (Sep 12, 2007)

ah you see I always thought that water based inks would be better than plastisol inks for the environment but that sounds logical hmm I prefer the texture of water based inks what to do!!

What do people who print from home normally do?! 

I saw a screenprinting tutorial video from a uk based company selling screenprinting supplies & in it they just wash everything down their tub 

Help!


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## macmiller (Jul 23, 2007)

i've been using franmar cleanup stuff, it's all soybean based, but really it should all get filtered out, so do what you can before it goes down the drain, then just be careful with what does go down. if you think about it, an average commercial shop's waste goes down the same way.

i have a laundry sink that i plumbed in to my kitchen sink cleanout plug in my backyard, everything drains nice, but it sucks to be in the elements while cleaning screens. i wash exposures in the kitchen sink. if i go aound the house to wash them out in the backyard, the sun exposes them before i get there

i can't imagine the mess in a tub, you bathe in there!!!! reminds me of the seinfeld episode where kramer put a disposal in his tub, that was hilarous!


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## dfalk (Apr 11, 2007)

If your using water based inks you don't need to use simple green or any other chemical since they are not oil based. All you need is water to clean your screens. You should not be washing that much ink down your drain if you scrape your screens and recycle your ink for the next job. Check with your city for water disposal regulations, but it typically is not a big deal to wash small amounts of ink down the drain. Also check with your ink manufacturer for proper disposal.


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## littleclouds (Sep 12, 2007)

Yeh that what I thought, like it wouldn't be huge amounts & people use toilet bleach & other cleaning chemicals that all eventually go down the same hole anyway so mine in comparision won't even be that bad!

I'm also starting to think that maybe it would be a better idea to clean my screens in my garden so it goes into the earth rather than the water system & then it saves any possible aggro with housemates over a stained bathtub! But then I'm not sure how my landlord would feel about that jeez you just can't please everyone nowadays, or alternatively I'm thinking of getting a dip tank but the only thing I've seen thats small & affordable is in the US & I live in the UK aargh postage!


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## neato (Mar 21, 2006)

Nah, you don't need a dip tank. Those are best for plastisol, which is much harder to get off the screen. And you still have to dump the water from the diptank too.

Like Derek said, just scrape/wipe as much out of the screen as you can. In fact, use damp paper towels and wipe it ALL out. Only takes a few seconds. Then you'll have piece of mind.


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## dfalk (Apr 11, 2007)

A dip tank is over kill. If your really worried about stains in the bath tub and landlord issues, the nice thing about water based inks is the fact that they are easy to clean. Once you remove the unused ink from your screens to be used later, you can take wet rags and wipe your screens clean. With the problems your having regarding where to wash out your screens, you might want to think about where you are going to be washing your screens after exposure and when reclaiming.


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## tynie626 (May 2, 2007)

i use water based at home as well, and i find to prevent the stains in my nice gleaming white bathtub is to use mr clean magic erasers.. i swear by these things.. also, cleaning down with some soft scrub afterwards helps too....

but usually after printing i will scrape the excess ink, peel off my tape and just rinse in the bathtub, making sure that no ink sits for too long on the actual bathtub surface...

hope that helps


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## littleclouds (Sep 12, 2007)

yep that helps alot, I'll look out for this mr clean magic erasers thing, I've never seen it before so hopefully they have it where I live

Thanks again
Littleclouds


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## majkthreads (Mar 29, 2006)

littleclouds said:


> yep that helps alot, I'll look out for this mr clean magic erasers thing, I've never seen it before so hopefully they have it where I live
> 
> Thanks again
> Littleclouds



You can find them at walmart, kmart, target and such. They work on walls to take crayons, pen ink and pencil stains off too. 
A must when you have three kids under 5yrs.


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## MBrhythm (Mar 1, 2007)

OriginX said:


> I use Simple Green to clean off Plastisol inks..


Wait!! Simple Green? I thought because plastisol ink is an oil base it needs something to break it down. Simple Green works?? 

I print at home. I wash my screens outside (Until it gets too cold) with paint thinner. But it sucks when I need to clean 4 to 6 screens. The fumes....... And since my backyard is weeded over.. the thinner helps kill them.

I've also notice when washing out the image in the bathtube sometimes emulsion will stick to the sides. If you don't wash that stuff off soon its murder later.


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

You shouldn't use paint thinner, if for no other reason that it's bad for your health. I just lost a friend to a brain tumor last week that the doctor's told him was environmentally induced. He was a car mechanic, and while he was careful with solvents, he was around them a lot.
The best thing I've found for cleaning screens is Franmar's Greeneway. It's marketed more as a press wash, but I scrape out my screens, spritz a little Greeneway on 'em, hit 'em with a scrub pad and the ink melts off. It's by far the most effective I've found. I rarely have to do it a second time. Their Bean-e-doo is marketed more as an ink degradant, but I like the Greeneway for the same purpose. And all their stuff is biodegradable.
Also, you shouldn't just dump the stuff out on the ground. You'll be drinking it in a few months when your municipality pumps it out as "fresh water".


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## littleclouds (Sep 12, 2007)

We don't have those shops in the UK but I think i know what you mean actually, its basically a hard sponge like thing that only needs water to rub stuff off or something right?! 

I bought one for £3 & it was good but not worth the £3!


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## majkthreads (Mar 29, 2006)

littleclouds said:


> We don't have those shops in the UK but I think i know what you mean actually, its basically a hard sponge like thing that only needs water to rub stuff off or something right?!
> 
> I bought one for £3 & it was good but not worth the £3!


Was the name brand one? There are knock offs. Also you might have gotten a bad one, they work 100% of the time.


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