I use to work in a lab where we handled nasty stuff from time to time, and we figured out that that you don't want to use a solvent on something that will enhance absorbtion into the skin. In general that means lots of soap and water, and to try avoid things like alcohol, acetone, thinner, etc. But, paint is paint and you need to use a solvent. Before working on the vehicles I'll trim my nails nice and short, and if I remember to do so I'll put some hand cream on as it works as kind of a light shield for dirt. I use a good detergent, although not the best we use Palmolive with the anti-bacterial stuff for dish and hand soap, and a good brush. Even if you use some type of dedicated hand cleaner a brush still works well.
Hand cleaners
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That's one of those things that's so obvious (once you hear it)that I wish I had thought of it. I don't use solvents much for hand cleaning except for paint, and will use them less in the future. I've been using surgical type gloves more for that type of work anyway. The nitrile ones hold up pretty good.
I use whatever orange smelling hand mechanics cleaner with abrasive is on sale. The label has fallen off my 1 gallon hand pump jug of it so I don't know what brand I have now.
Mechanics hand cleaner also does a good real good job on grease spots in clothes. Rub it in good and let it sit for 10 minutes or so before they go in the washer.
http://www.handscrub.com/Products Page.htm
This is the BEST hand cleaner on the market, and I've tried most of the others out there. Mac Tools even repackages this and sells it under there own brand name. The thing I like most about this stuff, other than the fact that it cleans SUPER, is that it doesn't dry out your skin during the winter months, which leads to chapping and bleeding. Try it and you'll probably not want to use anything else ever again.
This is the BEST hand cleaner on the market, and I've tried most of the others out there. Mac Tools even repackages this and sells it under there own brand name. The thing I like most about this stuff, other than the fact that it cleans SUPER, is that it doesn't dry out your skin during the winter months, which leads to chapping and bleeding. Try it and you'll probably not want to use anything else ever again.
Ever since my high school chemistry teacher told us about the dangers of using solvents, most of which are known carcinogens, I've been using liquid laundry soap and a good scrub brush. It's a little harsh, but cars aren't my day job, so I don't damage my hands this way. I won't get cancer from it, though.
My citrus cleaner doesn't do a very good job by itself, even using it with a nail brush on everything dark & grimey. But I've had really good results using mineral oil ("intestinal lubricant"!) first & wiping most of the gunk off with a paper towel. Then I go at it with my citrus cleaner & nail brush, rinse off, & finish up with liquid dishwashing detergent & the nail brush.
I'm almost out of citrus cleaner, so I recently bought some of this wood pulp hand cleaner to try. The bike company selling it says it works about 3X better than citrus-based cleaners! I'll post an opinion once I get the chance to use it.
I'm almost out of citrus cleaner, so I recently bought some of this wood pulp hand cleaner to try. The bike company selling it says it works about 3X better than citrus-based cleaners! I'll post an opinion once I get the chance to use it.
I find that Lava bar soap with a nail brush works better than just about anything else I’ve used.
Hand washing isn't as simple as it sounds. If the cleaner you use has too high a viscosity, your hands will just float hydrodynamically on eachother, and the grease won't get rubbed off. Small amounts of a powerful surfactant with no thickening agents (eg. cellulose gel), works best.
I was visiting a university, and there was this bottle of Triton X100 sitting on the "free" table, so I took it and tried it out in my laundry. It got my hands squeaky clean, too.
I was visiting a university, and there was this bottle of Triton X100 sitting on the "free" table, so I took it and tried it out in my laundry. It got my hands squeaky clean, too.
On diesel: I used to volunteer at a railway museum and used to use diesel for general wipedown of the steam engines, etc. (traditionally they have been wiped down with oil, not soap & water) until one day I noticed on my right hand there was one tiny spot of blood in the base of pretty much every hair as far as the arm had gone into the diesel. I figured that was a good time to quit. Arm hasn't fallen off, or started growing odd lumps, but I can't recommend diesel + skin.
Don't think of your skin as a barrier, think of it as a membrane. Solvents absorb right through, then your liver has to remove the solvents from the blood stream. This is where cirrhosis of the liver comes in.
Had a chemical acne reaction on my hands after working with Safety-Clean for the better part of a day.
I remember a "little old lady" where I worked one summer, she worked in MEK bare handed "because the gloves they gave her disolved".
Nitrile gloves are great, get a box.
Had a chemical acne reaction on my hands after working with Safety-Clean for the better part of a day.
I remember a "little old lady" where I worked one summer, she worked in MEK bare handed "because the gloves they gave her disolved".
Nitrile gloves are great, get a box.
My vote goes for Fast Orange with pumice. Works great as long as your hands aren't wet when you go to use it. For really tough grime, I spray my hands with WD-40 and wipe it around before applying the fast orange.
I use Goop. My wife uses it to spot laundry. I like it much better than the Fast Orange and other gritty stuff. A good cleaner doesn't need grit. Used to use D&L, but haven't seen it in years. Tried GOJO a few times, works OK, but stinks. The Goop does a great job on grease and oil from working on the car. As for Lava, it is great on polyester fiberglass resin.
Has anyone know a decent hand cleaner on the market that will remove grease and grime from hands(and clothes as well) without much of a fuss? The grease i'm talking about is the stuff that takes 2 to 3 days of washing your hands with soap and water to remove, if your lucky.
Any home made remedies are also welcome.
Any home made remedies are also welcome.
diesel works on any grease mess no matter how bad it is.
wash youre hands with diesel untill they are clean. then wash youre hands with orange clean or some other citrus hand cleaner to getthe diesel off.
i have worked on some nasty 40 year old greasy engines and some of the worst stuff you can imagine. diesel awalys cleans it right off.
i think diesel is probably absorbed into the skin, so i wouldnt leave it on youre hands for hours at a time or anything, but a little 5 minute wash wont hurt.
wash youre hands with diesel untill they are clean. then wash youre hands with orange clean or some other citrus hand cleaner to getthe diesel off.
i have worked on some nasty 40 year old greasy engines and some of the worst stuff you can imagine. diesel awalys cleans it right off.
i think diesel is probably absorbed into the skin, so i wouldnt leave it on youre hands for hours at a time or anything, but a little 5 minute wash wont hurt.
Fast Orange is readily available, works the best, and smells wonderful when you are done washing your hands.
Most other common hand cleaners smell like an old **** .
Most other common hand cleaners smell like an old **** .
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As we all know sometimes we end up not wearing gloves (Get your mind out of the gutter!), so I prefer to first of all always use invisible glove, which is applied as a cream and cures into an thin protective layer that protetcs well against grease and grime. I also use disposable latex gloves, when possible. Fast Orange hand cleaner and lava soap work well for me, and if I still have some grease that just won't come off, I will use a chunk of pumice, and as a last resort, acetone. Acetone is not carcinogenic, and what the skin absorbs will be converted into ketones by the liver. The ketones are disposed off naturally when nature calls. Most other solvents are carcinogenic, and I would not use them on skin.
Try baby oil first, then use a citruc based hand cleaner. Baby oil worked great when I roofed house and got tar all over my hands. Tried straight gasoline, talk about burn!
I used to work at a steel drum refurbishing plant when I was about 18 years old. The liner that is sprayed on the drums ended up all over us, and they gave us MEK to remove it.quote:
Originally posted by Rick in PA:
I remember a "little old lady" where I worked one summer, she worked in MEK bare handed "because the gloves they gave her disolved".
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