How to Clean a Gun With Household Items

Need to clean your gun but don’t have a cleaning kit?

Believe it or not, a simple weapon can be cleaned with minimal effort by harnessing the almighty power of household items.

In this article, we’ll learn how to clean a gun with household items.

Why Is Gun Cleaning Important?

To get the most use out of your gun, it’s important to clean it on a regular basis. Gun cleaning ensures that the gun is safe to shoot and performs properly in high pressure situations.

Remember, guns are tools, not toys.You need to take care of your gun if you want it to work its best when you need it the most.

Moreover, when a gun is dirty or neglected, it can rust and become unusable. Cleaning a gun is simple if you know what to do and the right tools are available.

Not only that, but dirty guns are dangerous because of the presence of oil, dirt, and powder.

What Household Items Do You Need?

If you believe that leaving your gun unclean will save you money, you are mistaken. Despite the fact that guns are seen as aggressive weapons, they are extremely sensitive to environmental conditions. Keeping your gun clean and in good working order will save you money in the long run, whether it’s in terms of maintenance or, in the worst-case scenario, having to buy a new gun.

Here’s everything you need so you can save hundreds of dollars in gun cleaning fees.

• Transmission Oil
• Kerosene
• Mineral Spirits

Transmission oil works as lubricant and softens the gun’s spring.

Kerosene is an anti-inflammatory agent that wipes away residue and prevents rusting. 2-K type can be too strong for some folks so it’s a good idea to get 1-K kerosene instead.

Mineral spirits is a mild solvent that removes oil and dirt from the gun’s exterior. Optional: White Vinegar and Toothpaste (Do not use toothpaste directly on the gun – use it on the cloth or brush)

Precautions of Cleaning a Gun with Household Items

• It’s not necessary to clean your gun outside. Make sure that whatever space you’re in is well ventilated. You don’t want to inhale the cleaning solvents because they quickly evaporate into the air.
• If the cloth pieces are cut too small, they may become stuck inside the barrel or chamber. The square cloth pieces should be of a size that you can estimate based on your experience.
• Always unload the gun before cleaning it, and reassemble it as soon as you’re finished.
• Clean the gun somewhere where you have plenty of lighting. Isn’t it true that you need to look at what you’re doing?
• When you’re finished cleaning, check to see if your gun is working properly. For a better experience, use snap caps or dummy rounds.
• You can’t lubricate your gun with regular oil. Any oil found in the kitchen will not suffice as a replacement for transmission oil.
• When disassembling your gun before cleaning it, try to use a proper cleaning mat. This will ensure that no parts are misplaced.
• Cleaning your gun should not be rushed. If you want to clean your gun properly, you should set aside an hour or two from your day. Because this isn’t something you do every day, be thorough and take your time. If you don’t take your time cleaning your gun, you might miss something during the disassembling and reassembling process.
• Before and after the cleaning process, keep the aspects of gun safety in mind. Even if you’re certain the gun isn’t loaded, double-check it every time.

Preparing the Gun Cleaning Solvent

A video is worth a thousand words, so here you go..it’s about 20 minutes.

Step-by-Step Gun Cleaning Process

Here’s also a step-by-step for you:

1. Get your cleaning mat and put it on the table first. We talked about this step in the last section, but we need to say it again: it will be much easier to clean the gun if you do it on a comfortable surface.
2. Now, take the gun apart into its parts. We might have trouble showing you how to do this step because there are so many different kinds of guns, and some of them come apart in different ways than others. Follow the steps in the manual to take the parts out and set them on a nearby surface.
3. Set the parts aside and then start cleaning the bolt. Make sure to clean the gun thoroughly, and then clean the chamber and barrel.
4. To clean these parts well, cut a large piece of cloth into small pieces that are just big enough to fit into the barrel. When you’re done, set the cleaned pieces to the side and keep working on the rest. Sometimes it won’t be that easy to get the junk off. If that’s the case, do what’s next.
5. Get the piece of cloth and soak it in lubricant oil. Make sure all of the sides are wet, and then use it to clean all of the gun’s parts. Keep doing this until you can see that the surface is getting cleaner.
6. You should pay close attention to the firing pin, which is on the inside of the bolt. Pay as much attention as you need to this part to make it look clean and shiny.
7. Then you should clean the chamber and barrel.
8. Get a good grip on the part with both the barrel and the chamber, and start cleaning out the dirt. Get the pieces of cloth you cut earlier and use them to clean deep inside the chamber. If you need to, use a sharp object to push the cloth inside. Do this as many times as you need to clean the chamber and barrel. 

Final Words

Cleaning firearms can be tedious, but nothing beats the smell of freshly cleaned weapons.

When you’re done, you’ll be proud to show off your favorite guns…and you’ll be super happy you saved some money in the process!