Cleaning hands.

Just interested in how people clean their hands when given the five minute countdown for dinner?

I use Swarfega barrier cream then Swarfega (the orange one with bits in) soap.

Same Orange Swarfega here

Gentlemen,

I use Swarfega orange but I have another method of getting hands spotless, my job means that I have to wear protective clothing etc and this also means I have to wear thin rubber gloves and I found that if I had been restoring one of my Lister engines and got covered in oil, grease etc and had to wear gloves at work the next day the sweating action would clean them spotless. I dont wear them at home as I find them getting in the way but at work I have no choice.

Martin P

I use this stuff... I get it through work, it works really well

http://www.bacasafety.com/shop/product.aspx?title=Veltuff+Honeytub+Hand+Cleaner+Wipes+-+150+wipes++-+(3+Ltr)&i=26398&c=Paper%20Towels,%20Rolls%20&%20Cloths

Steve

Green Swarfega mixed with liquid soap. The soap does away with the Swarfega pong!

Wife hates the smell of Swarfega, I use Manista which meets with her approval

Washing up liquid and sugar.

Swarfega Orange. The green stuff was/is awful!

Daz washing powder or similar. Used it 50 years ago in the workshop.

Dennis

While we're talking about Swarfega, I've had a tub in the kitchen cupboard for years (forget to use it) which has now turned to liquid. Any ideas why and if I can return it to its semi-solid state.

Gary

Throw a handfull of sawdust in it, that's usually what the bits are in hand cleaner.

Liquid hand soap and sugar. (A bit kinder on the skin than washing up liquid despite what the adverts claim!)

Gordon.

I have never liked Swarfega, nor found it much good. Same goes for a lot of the cleaners on the market.

Lidl do a W5 heavy duty hand cleaner in a round tin that I find exceptionally good. A small amount does a very thorough clean. Feels very soapy when washing off. Rinse till the soapy feel goes and hands are spotless. Not at all severe on the hands and leaves skin soft . I wouldnt buy anything else now.

They only have it in occasionally and all the local motorheads have got to know it so it walks off the shelves on the days it is on offer. Worth a try.

Before starting to get my hands dirty in the workshop, I rub in some barrier cream. It really does prevent getting your hands too hard to clean afterwards. Most of the time I could get away with using soap and water, but just to make sure, I usually clean off with De-Solv It beaded hand cleaner before the soap. It is petroleum free so doesn't take all the oil out of your skin. Got it off eBay, but I think Kleenezee or one of those type of outfits sell it.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

Like Martin I usually wear gloves when working in the workshop, so oridnary liquid hand soap is enough to get my hands clean.

Thor

WD40 then a sloosh in a bucket of water and dishwashing soap that I keep in the shed.

Simple !
Don't get them dirty !
I had a boss a few years ago at a hardchrome place that got some chromic acid on his hands so he went to the caustic strip tank and dunked his hands in , he didin't know i had dumped a 100 kg of caustic crystals in there the day before !
By the time he got to the tap he was screaming !

All he was worried about was the stain from the chromic acid but losing several layers of skin solved this !

The only stuff i have found that will get the smell of diff oil off you is washing powder and yes i have had to have a shower using this - some one told me they had drained the gearbox oil but when the tailshaft was unplugged from the rear of the gearbox i discovered they had not !
I now mostly use diswashing liquid but if really dirty i use hand cleaner and here in Australia i found that the products from HI TEC to be best , i have used just about every product available here over 30 years and as usual no connection just a satisfied user .

There is a smell to diff oil and kidneys that nothing will kill even vinigar so these days if i do work on a gearbox i wear gloves and if i make steak and kidney pie i wear gloves!

Ian

Lidl's W5 heavy duty hand cleaner is excellent. It removes all sorts of muck from the hands including some that Swarfega will not even "look at" such as paint, hardened Isopon etc. . After I have got the muck off with the W5 I then use ordinary soap and water to finish the job so that I can be allowed into the house again!

Green swarfega for heavy dirt (old oil etc.) washing up liquid for normal muck. Wash hair to deep clean hands. Had a mate, a motor mechanic , who reckoned eating fish and chips was the best hand cleaner.

I always try to wear nitrile disposable gloves in the workshop. Not perfect, they do tear, but with the use of talcum powder to put them on I can get a few uses out of one pair. If you do go this route, don't try to save money by getting latex ones. The first time you turn the cross slide handle they'll just wind themselves around it.