Salvage car parts are not difficult to find. A trip down to any salvage yard or an auctioneer will leave you with a ton of these used parts. However, there is a challenge when it comes to cleaning them in readiness for re-use.

Anyone dealing in salvage car parts must be prepared to get their hands dirty. The parts will come with oil, grease and soil and all these have to be handled many times without any gloves. In any case there is no time to go looking for gloves, so what many people opt for is to handle the parts and then clean up later. Thankfully, cleaning oils from one's hands can easily be done using detergents. Clothing too can also be washed off easily and even the most stubborn of stains will still come off with the right bleach.

Effective cleaning of the salvage parts, first and foremost begins with identifying the material of the component being cleaned. Different parts are cleaned differently. For instance copper components can not be cleaned the same way that hardened plastics are done. So knowing what each part is made of is the first step. Group each type together to make the cleaning easy. Magnets are an effective way to separate the parts. Some metals will be magnetized others will not be. Copper for example has no magnetic qualities.

If the metal component is made of copper or brass for instance, a scrapper such as the one used to clean utensils in the kitchen will do the trick. A few quick scrubs and the piece will be as good as new.

Some heavy car parts are better cleaned off by a bench grinder with wire attachments. Some car parts than be grinded to lift off dirt include gas lines, master cylinders, air-conditioning units and the knuckle joints. Nuts and bolts can also be cleaned in this manner. Paint thinner can also be applied after the grinding to remove any small particles still hanging on. For safety purposes always wear gloves.

There are those car parts that can be cleaned easily with gasoline and a small brush. Any other solvent will also do just a good job as well. The brake drum is one such component that can be cleaned off with a solvent.

Then there are those parts that are made of plastic and rubber such as floor mats and horse pipes. These are easily cleaned with warm soapy water and a hard brush. Foam cleaners can also be used. Be careful not to sill gasoline on plastic parts because it may weaken it or destroy completely.

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