Clean hands

Didn't mean it to happen. I don't believe that. Fortunately all hand cleaners have to be licenced and sold with COSHH data sheets to ensure that they are not used incorrectly and dangerously by unqualified DIY enthusiasts.

John

Gentlemen,

My tip of the week, As we all know none of our engines are that clean and when I have been busy working on them I find no matter how good the hand cleaner is I still find for days my hands still have the in-grained look. What I am about to suggest is not some amusing quip, because of the nature of my work I have to wear either Nitrile or Latex Rubber gloves for protection and this causes my hands during me wearing them to sweat and I can guarantee that after I remove them my hands are spotlessly clean it even manages to clean my nails. I can only assume that the sweat and heat in a confined space does the job but it does work.

Martin P

Three tips my father passed on to me for clean hands which has always worked for me: Never wash you hands in petrol (that includes washing parts, too), never wash your hands in hot water and avoid like the plague, Swafega.

Tom

There are times when gloves do not assist you in doing the work and you find it better to work without. At those times that you do get very dirty hands do the following;

1. Pour about 1 desert spoon full of granulated sugar into one hand. 2. Add a good squirt of Fairy Liquid (enough to mix in the sugar). 3. Rub the micture around your hands. The sugar grittiness will scour the dirt from all the crevices and the Fairy Liquid will lift it off your hands once it is loosened. 4. Once all the dirt is on the move rinse under warm water until hands are soap free.

I have used this mixture for years and it always seemed to work on everything except some forms of paint.

But you don't say how he *did* recommend cleaning your hands, only what he didn't recommend. Why not hot water?

The hardest thing I've found to get rid of was the staining from working with green (unseasoned) oak. I used to a lot of boatbuilding work in oak, hands would be stained black for at least a couple of weeks after stopping handling the stuff, and that was before getting involved with traditional concoctions such as tar/pitch/horse muck mixes AFAIK it's to do with the acids in the timber, and is a form of staining rather than dirt per se.

Cheers Tim

The only product he used, when he had his garage, was a product called Aquasolve, a NZ product that kept my hands clean for years until the shiney suited merger men dumped it in one of many company buyouts of the 80s. As for not using hot water, opens the pores and allows the grime in..

As for cleaning stained hands, nothing beats concentrated sulphuric acid, another thing my father taught me. Excellent too, for warming the hands on a cold morning. When your hands begin to warm, it's time to rinse. However not related to cleaning greasy hands.

Tom

Tom

Tends to prove we all have different skin. I agree about the old green Swarfega which is not only vicious but smells vile. I also find fairy liquid very drying. The best I've ever found was Ecover but they now only sell it in footling little overpriced pots. The latest orange Swarfega suits me too..........and for removing stains and softening the hands try a quick dip in industrial bleach!!! (No don't try this at home :-) regards Roland

It's ink from the reaction of tannin and iron.

AJH

For the record:- Comma Manista hand cleaner and PR88 barrier cream (when I remember).

Unfortunately I dont have a choice and when at work HAVE to wear gloves, I agree they are a pain, allen keys get trapped in the latex, you cant feel what your doing and best of all I brought some home to use got petrol on them and they melted :-))

I have another plus over all of you, no cost.

I think green Swarfega is paraffin based, probably not the greatest thing to use regularly. I do use their Tufanega, not sure if it's basically the same apart from colour with lumps in, or not? doesn't seem quite so agressive to the skin. Loctite Orange is good, but much more expensive than Tufanega.

Cheers Tim

Mine:

Don't waste your time on latex gloves - get some of the blue _vinyl_ ones. Much more tear resistant, and there isn't the risk of latex or cornstarch allergies.

Use barrier cream. Much of the time this reduces the need for gloves at all.

Give "Lava" hand cleaner wipes a try (in the red packets). There are plenty of washroom cleaners around, but these are the only ones I've found where the wipes are effective - keep some in the car.

Stains from green oak are caused by tannic acid reacting with many other things, particularly iron. One way to shift them is with oxalic acid, such as crushed rhubarb leaves. You can use oxalic acid itself as a cleaner, but I wouldn't use it directly on skin.

PS - What's Swarfega ? Don't think I've seen that in 20 years....

Aren't the blue ones usually Nitrile? I used to buy them but they're much dearer, now vinyl are readily available at much the same price as latex. The chap who comes to do a bit for me part-time has a latex allergy. I Hate wearing gloves, but try to do it when painting or washing parts off.

I agree they're good, there are others which are also OK

It never bothered me that much, but friends/girlfriends/the wife did notice the difference after I'd been away from work for a while

Cheers Tim

Barrier cream not allowed and I do use the blue vinyl ones occasionally.

Martin P

I have found over the years that you seem to get used to a brand of hand cleaner and it doesn't work as good as when the tin was first opened. Work around's are buy small tins [ expensive ] and keep swapping brands or buy two larger tins of different brands and keep swapping.

Most of the older more aggressive cleaners have disappeared, I was told that it was to stop drains blocking ?? Most of the present stuff is far too waterery.

Regardless of this PC gobbledy gook I chuck a few handfuls of clean sawdust in and stir up to a decent paste. The sawdust acts as an abrasive and leaves you with clean hands.

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

Gentlemen,

I am beginning to think that long threads are only created by me, it was a silly but useful suggestion I thought I'd pass on but now we are discussing the merits of every hand cleaner known to man. I'm sorry I did not mean this to happen :-((

Martin P

Nah, you can claim credit for the longest recent thread, by a long way, but this one hasn't beaten Kim's 2-stroke lubrication, or my ring gear, just yet. If it does, perhaps you should think positive - be proud, not embarassed

Cheers Tim

Deb Chemicals have a lot to answer for...

Suprega is what we use at the factory, it is a yellow thinnish opaque cleaner with plastic granules in that help to remove dirt and grease.

All solvent based cleaners take out the natural fats in the skin, and I find that a wash afterwards with ordinary soap and a proper drying of the hands helps to prevent skin cracking, especially in the winter.

Fairy Liquid is too strong for me, although used occasionally it is OK :-))

Peter

Could it be the slogan about hands being as soft as the face is somehow upsetting ??

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.