Topic: Hand Cleansing!

[MadDogMcq]

Last weekend my 20yr old son was working in the garage with me and was really surprised when he saw how I got my hands clean after messing with oily chains and engines all day.  It made me realise that some of the younger guys amongst us may not have heard of the well-known old tricks that many of us consider "old hat", so here's one for ya........

Best thing to do to keep your hands clean of course, is to wear those thin rubber gloves, but personally, I can't stand them! Second choice by many people is to turn to a proprietary (expensive) hand cleanser such as Swarfega.


FORGET THAT! Just buy some cheap handwash from Tesco, Asda, etc, and a big bag of granulated sugar!  Squirt some handwas onto your hand and then tip a generous amount sugar into the mix to provide a "gritty but gentle" abrasive. The muck and oil will easily come off your hands.
 

If your hands are very badly soiled or if you've been touching-up your frame with black Hammerite or Japlac, then you might need to do a bit more. Wash you hands as shown above and then on the stubborn bits, gently use a small pumice-stone. You'll be amazed at how easily paint and stubborn oil-stains disappear (don't rub too hard though)  . 

[Bob Wessner]

After working out there for a few hours, even after a good cleaning the hands looked like cr@p according to my wife. Of course she was right.  A lot of it was crud because of dry skin. So, one other suggestion I could add. Before heading out to the garage to work on them, use some of your wife's skin moisturizer on you hands and let it soak-in, dry, whatever. They clean up much better and it will make your wife happier. She may even allow you to go out in public. 

[Jonesy]

Reminds me of the self-imposed one-month moratorium on garage work before my wedding ("You will have clean hands for our wedding, right?" She asked  )

Another trick I learned was to pre-treat your hands with waterless hand soap. DuPont also used to make a similar product called "Mechanic's Glove".

I prefer the professional-strength GoJo with "crushables"... Feels like goop with Rice Krispies in it! But, it works...

[Hockers Choppers]

Reminds me of the self-imposed one-month moratorium on garage work before my wedding ("You will have clean hands for our wedding, right?" She asked  )

Another trick I learned was to pre-treat your hands with waterless hand soap. DuPont also used to make a similar product called "Mechanic's Glove".

I prefer the professional-strength GoJo with "crushables"... Feels like goop with Rice Krispies in it! But, it works...

There was some stuff called liquid glove also, but any dish soap works just as good. Just don't get your hands wet with water. Oil, gas, etc are OK. Just coat your hands with the soap and let it dry. You have to use a cuzzy with your beer!! The sweat off the can will wash off the soap!

[mrblasty]

Cold cream and a scrub brush work fairly well.

[Steve F]

GO-JO Orange with pumice works wonders for me.  If really bad, an old tooth brush under the fingernails and the old-guy wrinkles.  Follow up with hand lotion.

[medic09]

My dad always had a bar of 'brown soap' on the basement sink.  Used it alone, or after hand cleaner for the tough jobs.  I seem to recall it was a Boraxo product, and worked pretty well.  Any local auto store brand of hand cleaner is usually good.  Follow the directions and use it on DRY hands before rinsing.  Even dishwashing liquid is pretty good for the light to moderate dirty hands.  Just watch out when the wife sees you rinsing oil-gas-paint into her kitchen sink!  They seem to think it contaminates the sink, or somesuch. 

[mkramer1121]

The sugar and soap trick works great.  Been doing that the last few nights now.

[kghost]

I have been using Tide laundry detergent......

Seems gritty enough all on its own 

[Flood]

I have a trick that is even cheaper than sugar - used coffee.

Usually, I just take industrial hand washing sand, but when I run out of it, I just take the morning's coffee out of the machine's filter, fill it in a jar and add some dishwashing soap. You can even tell the wife it's perfect for face peeling 

[Saddlewarmer]

i discovered using "spray n wash' laundry stuff. put on your dirty hands, scrub together, then get some soap and water, works good for me.

[Hockers Choppers]

That reminds me of an old trick for dry hands. Put some fabric softener on your very dry hands. It will soften them right up! Don't get any on your crotch!!!!!

[oldfordguy]

A trick I have used for many years is to drag your fingernails across a bar of soap before you start to work.  This keeps the dirt from embedding itself so deeply under your nails, and they are much easier to get clean.

[CBGBs]

....but how do you get gasoline off of your skin? That scent lasts for almost 24 hours

[einsteingarage]

I started using these things and they are awesome.  Expensive but awesome

[Steelo]

I struggle into the laundry leaving oily marks on doorknob and taps. Wet my hands, dip them in washing powder and rub them together under a slow tap. Gets a bit warm from chemical reaction but cleans up a treat!

[zoomer]

Before I was scared off the liver toxic muck in commercial cleaners I used the old laundry powder trick and a splash of cider vinegar afterwards to get rid of the alkali slime feeling. Nowadays I've got pure soap with pumice grit in it.

[drlarryw]

GOJO ORANGE now comes WITH a scrub brush attached.  Great for fingernails after I've licked off as much crud as I can get to.  And that FRESH orange TASTE !  Mmmmm.....

[Dennis]

Many years ago, I saw a guy pour some fresh (regular detergent type - same stuff we use in the engines) motor oil on his hands for cleaning. It dissolved all the grime and then he washed them with a handsoap.

Another way is to dissolve the grime with baby oil or mineral oil (baby oil = mineral oil + scent + ??) which will dissolve most oil soluble grime and then wash. Mineral oil is also very gentle on the skin (but it has a very greasy feel to it). Lately I have to be careful with that as my hands get very dry in winter.

[zixxerboy]

a little dish soap worked into your hands before you start makes the cleaning up real easy - and it cheap!!

[rangelov]

Scrub brushes are abrasive and hurt my 'delicate' hands.  So, I just use an old tooth brush.  It is softer and gets at all the grunge out of the skin.

I use Kimberly-Clarks Kimcare "super duty hand cleanser with grit".  The green stuff.  Gentle, but extremely thorough cleaning.  My wife even uses as a laudry booster on my workshop clothes as a laundry booster, works quite well.

As an alternative, an old toothbrush and Neutrogena soap will get the hands very clean.

Dish soap and laundry detergent remove too much natural skin oils and leave my hands chapped, too dry, and irritated.  Laundry detergent also leaves my skin with a burning sensation.  The previous methods work very well.

[pyro139]

powedered laundry soap like tide or what ever works wonders, eesh us canucks need tech you yanks every thing

[bobsmith]

    Ain't a Canuk, but been using powdered laundry soap since I was a pup. I have to admit, "GO JO" is good stuff too, and works without water for when  the wife says I'm too cruddy to let into the house

[rangelov]

When I was a kid, I tried laundry soap.  Didn't work too well.  My hands were irritated from all the brushing, trying to get them clean.  Then I discovered GoJo, worked OK but it was kind of yucky.  Then I discovered Safety Kleen hand cleaner. Pretty good.  But the shop I worked at stopped using their service.  They switched to Zep which wasn't as good.

I struggled until Fast Orange came out.  Good stuff.

Then I discovered Kim Care, which what they use at work.  I still convinced it is the best stuff around.

Neutrogena bar soap and if necessary, a toothbrush, will get most mild dirt out.  But for the nastiest, dirtiest, most ingrained dirt, Kim Care does it, without excessive srubbing..

It's my opinion, what else can I say?

[pablo78cb550]

fresh clean oil. try it.