Hubby has a small toolbox (no I am not being personal ) spanners, screwdrivers and the like for tinkering on the car etc. Anyway they are well used and everso slightly covered in oil and grease etc. The box itself is very old, rusty in places and would be a nightmare to clean let alone all the tools. My question is do I have to clean them?? Surely Oz customs don't expect them to be sparkling like new?

Golf clubs - obviously I know they have to be cleaned but can I use just an ordinary household cleaner or does it have to be an industrial/agricultural disinfectant? Is it the same for the wheels of the golf trolley. Are golf clubs expensive in Oz - he is just about due a new set is it worth donating them to charity and just buying new?

I have previously shopped in bulk for things like clothes washing liquids, oven cleaner, toilet paper, kitchen rolls, cooking foil etc and will have quite a bit left. Should I just give it away or can I put full bottles and packets in the container.

I think thats about it for now. Sorry to bombard you with these but seeing as I can't seem to sleep beyond 4am at the moment I have been having a sort out under the kitchen sink. Why is it that all the time I was working I would have given anything to stay in bed and now I have the opportunity I can't bloody sleep??


Many thanks

Bump to top as I would be interested in the answers as well.

Karen

I thought that steam cleaning was only done to rid natural contaminants from equipment, such as earth from garden machinery and furtniture, etc. Basically anything that could carry bacteria.

Tools are typically dirty but I guess that it's usually just grime that's built up over years.

I'll be interested to learn of the official answer to this but I'd be surprised if your other half was forced to clean his toolbox before entering AUS, oo err !

Another bump to the top as still need some advice on these questions (as do a few others looking at the responses) so please can anyone help.

Pretty, pretty please help

Many thanks

Have a look at this site

http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/homecontent.asp

It is a database of what can and cannot be taken into Oz. Have a search through and see what comes up. What you cannot find on there can always be clarified by emailing them by using the following email address:

[email protected]

Sorry I cannot give a definitive answer but I hope this helps

IJ

I would be intersted in the answer to this too. Someone said that with garden tools etc = jet wash & then paint the blades (this will cover rust etc). Obviously you can't do this with golf clubs etc but would work with some stuff.

cheers

pockygoes

Many thanks I will check out the website. I did get a load of stuff sent by the removal people (PSS) but to be honest it doesn't make too much sense to me. I'm still not clear if I need to get a special disinfectant for the golf trolley, balls and clubs.

I will another read through it tonight (and have a look at that website) and if I come up with any answers I will let you all know.

A recommendation that has come up before is to wash the offending items in jeyes fluid, giving them a good old fashioned scrub.

I suspect one reason for using this particular disinfectant is that it smells.

You will be able to tell for the next million years, give or take a day, that the items were disinfected.

Basically if you're going to clean things,you will want "them" to be able to tell.

For NZ anything that has been in "touch" with mother earth must be scrubbed. Probably best thing to do with tool box would be to give everything a scrub out with a good solvent.. perhaps white spirits and then wipe with a clean oily rag so that things dont rust.
Or, if you can stand the smell, wash everything with a little deisel oil and then wipe.

The oil will leave a residue which will prevent rusting. But I do suspect that both sets of customsy people will expect thing to be spotless, totally.

What a good idea - I had totally forgotten about good old Jeyes!! Cheers

industrial tools are not a problem , any thing that has come into contact with SOIL, IE GARDEN TOOLS , SHOES, BOOTS, BIKE TYRES, GOLF BUGGY TYRES, GARDEN FURNITURE,MATS , RUGS ,CAMPING EQUIP, will be checked for soil contamination , if it is found it will be cleaned at your exspense, with your liquids line a box with 2 Garbage bags open the tops ,place all your bottles in side with a tight fit ,close the tops of the bags over , seal up the box , write in big letters this way up only. its not a pretty sight looking at a lounge suite thats had bleach leaked over it. and jeyes fluid only manages to stink the container out , so dont use to much of it, its your goods remember...........MM

We had a right pair of unhelpfull pr*ts load our stuff into the container and they wrote on the shipping form "brand new" next to a couple of bed frames we had just bought and not unwrapped from their original unpacking. Just make sure you either unpack from packaging or say you bought ages ago but just stored in original packaging in your garage or something