How to clean hands

[Labradors2]

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]

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]

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

[Father'sDaughter]

Boraxo powdered hand soap.

[Ricky Shaw]

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]

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

[Worth1]

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

[kurt]

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.

[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.

[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...100_2210.JPG

[ContainerTed]

I find that if you add the baking ssoda to the soap (I use Dawn) gets it done. Being a male of our species, I am just as inclined to reach for the Comet scouring cleanser and I am to combine the Baking Soda with a hand soap. Both work for me equally well. The ladies might not like the harsh bleach of the scourting powder on their hands. They will definitely need a hand moisturizing cream.

Tide laundry soap takes those stains out of clothing.

[Worth1]

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]

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]

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

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

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

Suggestions?

Move to Finland.

No need to wash your hands of tomato tar. I recommend to start eating Tervaleijona and/or Tervapurit while handling tomato plants. The residue from the hands can only improve the flavor.

After that, take a long sauna, and watch the dirt just melt away.

I'm likely in deep doodoo with Narnian, by now. (and I'm really hoping she's able to translate that last sentence to its correct symbolic meaning)

"Tar"mato (for just a bit longer)