How to clean hands

Labradors2 · July 12, 2016

My hands are permanently dirty from constant gardening, and the side of my index finger is black from pulling weeds without gloves. Then there is tomato tar which is so hard to remove.

I have found something that seems to help AND it makes my hands feel soft afterwards.

I shake some Baking Soda (roughly one teaspoonful's worth) onto my left palm, then some liquid soap (the usual amount). Rub hands together to make a paste and rub all over my hands. Then I take the nailbrush and smear some paste over that before having a good go at my nails and the blackened finger.

It's not perfect, but seems to be a heck of a lot better than plain old soap and water.

Are there any more suggestions out there for cleaning dirty gardening hands?

Linda

AlittleSalt · July 12, 2016

I just came in from tilling, raking, and pulling climbing bean plants - along with some weeds. I use Klar & Danver liquid soap from the Dollar tree. It doesn't say it's anti-bacterial, but it does a good job and leaves our hands feeling smooth.

Ever sense I got the nerve disease in my hands - I can't stand to have dirty fingernails. I can feel the dirt under the nails. So I use gloves as often as I remember to.

Key word is, "Remember"

Allisa · July 12, 2016

I clean with "Orange Goop" (got this idea after my visit to auto shop)

Father'sDaughter · July 12, 2016

Boraxo powdered hand soap.

Ricky Shaw · July 12, 2016

My hands are a mess, the peat fines in the promix work their way into every crack. I've got to get me a brush too.

Worth1 · July 12, 2016

Plain old clear hydraulic fluid AKA mineral oil.
If you can find it get ISO 32 it is about like 10 Wt ISO 46 is more common and it about like 30 Wt it is odorless and removes all sorts of stuff.
Baby oil works as it is mineral oil too.
This stuff is much better than soaps that suck the oils from your skin.
Use clean oil to remove any type of resin or oil type stuff then soap and water.
For epoxy type resins like the foam in a can use vinegar.

Worth

kurt · July 12, 2016

Baby Oil(good old Johnsons)will take off any asphalt,tar,oil.Then a straight green Dawn dish soap no water at first.Couple years ago there was a thread regarding Okeefes foot and hand creme.Some have a allergy due to the compound in it.But after a couple of days of hard gardening I will use Okeefes it to heal and moisturize hands and feet.

Worth1 · July 12, 2016

When I worked as an industrial engine re-builder the other guys on the crew saw how clean my hands were.
How on earth did you do that?

No I wasn't born knowing.
A logger showed me when I was a kid about 15 years old when we were rebuilding the engine in his 1950 Log truck.

Worth

AlittleSalt · July 12, 2016

Not that any of you are going to be laying brick or stone with black mortar any time soon, but to get the stain off your hands - you use Lucky Tiger hair tonic.

Worth1 · July 12, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Not that any of you are going to be laying brick or stone with black mortar any time soon, but to get the stain off your hands - you use Lucky Tiger hair tonic.

I just about bet Lucky Tiger hair tonic is mineral oil I know it has ethanol in it.
I get mineral oil in my hair every day.

That is carbon black in the dye that makes mortar black.

Worth

bower · July 12, 2016

Nail brush and soap here - and hot water, I find the cold water doesn't do anything to tomato gunk. Gotta try the soda though because thumbs especially are black no matter how i scrub.

I feel I'm doing a good scrubbing as long as I don't stain the towel when I dry my hands.

Not always, unfortunately.

**carolyn137** · July 12, 2016

Take a rotten tomato and squish it in your hands rubbing hard to get the green stain and other stains off your hands.

If you don't have ripe ones yet that you can let rot,go to the grocery store ASAP and buy some tomatoes to let rot.

My father taught me,the farmer's daughter,that and it works like a charm. Better than anything else I've tried.

Carolyn

clkeiper · July 12, 2016

for tomato green hands use a rotten/yucky tomato as the "soap". it works wonders. I even go to church with hands that look like this most of the Summer until the tomatoes are ripe and there a few bad ones to use. If you go to a farmers market this is the tell tale symbol of a producer... not a purveyor of vegetables...100_2210.JPG

AlittleSalt · July 13, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by clkeiper

for tomato green hands use a rotten/yucky tomato as the "soap". it works wonders. I even go to church with hands that look like this most of the Summer until the tomatoes are ripe and there a few bad ones to use. If you go to a farmers market this is the tell tale symbol of a producer... not a purveyor of vegetables...Attachment 63694

Carolyn, seeing your hand picture made me think.

As a 7th generation mason, there are some tricks you learn along the way, and gloves happen to one of those things. There is a type that has been around for a long time called Jersey gloves. They are cheap and actually last a long time. Best of all, they do not restrict your hand movements much.

In my experience, they are the perfect glove for weeding because you can dig into the soil with your fingers without splitting a nail to the quick. They also keep tomato tar off of your fingers.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ben Franklin

peebee · July 13, 2016

What I do is take a shower afterwards and wash my hair really well. I roll my fingers inward, sort of like a clench, and use the nail surfaces to shampoo my scalp for a long time. No, I don't scratch my scalp, as I do not use my nails, just the surface of the nails. My hands and nails come out super clean.
Another trick is to use clear nail polish (or any color if you prefer) before gardening, to protect my nails. If I do that, I don't have to shampoo my hair like I described above. Just shampooing will clean my hands overall. I also use surgical gloves as much as possible as I find that dirt will find its way into any other glove no matter what eventually. But I don't like surgical gloves for long periods cuz they make my hands sweat.
Someone here once mentioned in a prior thread about this same subject, that she just makes meatloaf with her bare hands and she has really nice clean soft hands afterwards.

July 12, 2016	#1
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	How to clean hands My hands are permanently dirty from constant gardening, and the side of my index finger is black from pulling weeds without gloves. Then there is tomato tar which is so hard to remove. I have found something that seems to help AND it makes my hands feel soft afterwards. I shake some Baking Soda (roughly one teaspoonful's worth) onto my left palm, then some liquid soap (the usual amount). Rub hands together to make a paste and rub all over my hands. Then I take the nailbrush and smear some paste over that before having a good go at my nails and the blackened finger. It's not perfect, but seems to be a heck of a lot better than plain old soap and water. Are there any more suggestions out there for cleaning dirty gardening hands? Linda

July 12, 2016	#7
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,500	Baby Oil(good old Johnsons)will take off any asphalt,tar,oil.Then a straight green Dawn dish soap no water at first.Couple years ago there was a thread regarding Okeefes foot and hand creme.Some have a allergy due to the compound in it.But after a couple of days of hard gardening I will use Okeefes it to heal and moisturize hands and feet. __________________ KURT

July 12, 2016	#12
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Take a rotten tomato and squish it in your hands rubbing hard to get the green stain and other stains off your hands. If you don't have ripe ones yet that you can let rot,go to the grocery store ASAP and buy some tomatoes to let rot. My father taught me,the farmer's daughter,that and it works like a charm. Better than anything else I've tried. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

July 12, 2016	#13
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	for tomato green hands use a rotten/yucky tomato as the "soap". it works wonders. I even go to church with hands that look like this most of the Summer until the tomatoes are ripe and there a few bad ones to use. If you go to a farmers market this is the tell tale symbol of a producer... not a purveyor of vegetables...100_2210.JPG __________________ carolyn k Last edited by clkeiper; July 12, 2016 at 03:53 PM.

July 12, 2016	#2
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I just came in from tilling, raking, and pulling climbing bean plants - along with some weeds. I use Klar & Danver liquid soap from the Dollar tree. It doesn't say it's anti-bacterial, but it does a good job and leaves our hands feeling smooth. Ever sense I got the nerve disease in my hands - I can't stand to have dirty fingernails. I can feel the dirt under the nails. So I use gloves as often as I remember to. Key word is, "Remember"

July 12, 2016	#3
Allisa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Oregon Posts: 176	I clean with "Orange Goop" (got this idea after my visit to auto shop)

July 12, 2016	#4
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Boraxo powdered hand soap.

July 12, 2016	#5
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	My hands are a mess, the peat fines in the promix work their way into every crack. I've got to get me a brush too.

July 12, 2016	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Plain old clear hydraulic fluid AKA mineral oil. If you can find it get ISO 32 it is about like 10 Wt ISO 46 is more common and it about like 30 Wt it is odorless and removes all sorts of stuff. Baby oil works as it is mineral oil too. This stuff is much better than soaps that suck the oils from your skin. Use clean oil to remove any type of resin or oil type stuff then soap and water. For epoxy type resins like the foam in a can use vinegar. Worth

July 12, 2016	#11
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Nail brush and soap here - and hot water, I find the cold water doesn't do anything to tomato gunk. Gotta try the soda though because thumbs especially are black no matter how i scrub. I feel I'm doing a good scrubbing as long as I don't stain the towel when I dry my hands. Not always, unfortunately.

July 13, 2016	#15
peebee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southern CA Posts: 1,714	What I do is take a shower afterwards and wash my hair really well. I roll my fingers inward, sort of like a clench, and use the nail surfaces to shampoo my scalp for a long time. No, I don't scratch my scalp, as I do not use my nails, just the surface of the nails. My hands and nails come out super clean. Another trick is to use clear nail polish (or any color if you prefer) before gardening, to protect my nails. If I do that, I don't have to shampoo my hair like I described above. Just shampooing will clean my hands overall. I also use surgical gloves as much as possible as I find that dirt will find its way into any other glove no matter what eventually. But I don't like surgical gloves for long periods cuz they make my hands sweat. Someone here once mentioned in a prior thread about this same subject, that she just makes meatloaf with her bare hands and she has really nice clean soft hands afterwards.