How to clean hands

[NarnianGarden]

Tormanto: I'll send you some Tervaleijona and Tyrkisk Pepper for the swap, so you can share the goodness...

I'm an atypical Finn in the sense that I can survive well without sauna!

[Gardeneer]

I have never given it a thought.
I just use regular soap and water. Whatever come off, comes off. If not, I won't fuss.
Gardeneer

[AKmark]

Crush up Rhubarb, it is one of the best hand cleaners you will find. It is not sticky and water washes it right off. Grab a stalk, and simply crush it up in your fingers, and do that for a minute or two.

[GrowingCoastal]

I'd read that vinegar works to remove tomato tar but I found that the baking soda plus soap of any kind does a great job.
Never heard the rotten tomato trick before. A cheap one for sure.
Using a wash cloth under the nails, surprisingly, works better than a brush.

[AlittleSalt]

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]

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.

[Urbanheirlooms]

I clean with Gojo hand cleaner & a plastic scouring pad.

[Shapshftr]

Spray bottles of Awesome from the dollar stores. A buck a bottle and works good. It leaves a little green behind but gets rid of the oil from the trichomes.

[Hellmanns]

A lil' bleach in some water will get everything, even under the fingernails

[xellos99]

I have a 25 litre tub of Swarfega orange. Mechanics use it and it works as well as anything without going to extremes. Not much is needed so 25 litres is a lifetime supply.

[Worth1]

A lady friend of mine recommends washing dishes by hand.

Worth

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

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

Thanks, Salt... I did buy a pair of gloves just recently, But if they are the jersey cloth gloves... I can't stand those gloves. my hands are always getting wet and these would irritate me to no end trying to find a pocket to put them in... wet. yuck. Ummm, now if I can remember to use the ones I just bought. really my hands are the worst when suckering/pruning tomatoes. I need to feel them with my bare skin and it is just part of growing 300 plants. Next year I hope to grow more on strings than in cages.

And truly... the ripe/rotten tomato wash works wonderfully. I use it as soon as I have ripe tomatoes to spare.