diy hand cleaner

[Bugboy]

The other day the wifes axle ujoint went out. So i ran up bought all the goodies except forgot hand cleaner. it can be a messy slimy repair. well i got it done took 2 days because of my back injury and a broken bolt but anyway.. i went to wash my hand and had no hand cleaner. so just did the best i could with soap etc. i am sure most of us have been through this. later that night i went to see a good friend who owns a farm :farmer: and was an old timer mechanic in his 80s. he saw my hands and asked if i wanted to try some of his hand cleaning recipe. well, you know how hard it is to get grease etc off after you already tried to get it off your hands etc. anyway he poured this goop on my hands and i started rubbing it and it came right off. he gave me the recipe and to be honest i thought it was just coincedence that it worked. well the next day i was helping a friend with a rear main. something i can do since i can just lay on my back. but you know how slimy you get there. well i tried the recipe and the only grease left on my hands is under my finger nails and even that isnt that bad.
here is the recipe.

dishwasher detergent liquid (cheap dollar store for me)
baking soda

that is it!

i didnt mix it up ahead of time instead i just put some detergent in my hand and some baking soda and just a little bit of water and it worked awesome only took about 30 secs to aminute and it was all gone.

It is cheap. $1.00 for the detergent and .50 for baking soda. and you have enough for alot of jobs.

Give it a shot.

thanks to Sam Eshelman for the recipe!:thumbup:

Sean

 

[Bugboy]

oh another thing that has helped in the past was to use dishwasher detergent before you work and use it like a lotion on your hands and arms. it helps also but i didnt do it this time.

let me know how it works if you try it.

Sean

 

[Steve_Moore]

Another old trick. Use dishwashing liquid and pour some sugar in your hands. This eats at the grime like sandpaper as you rub your hands together and then you just wash it away. :yelclap:

Don't use salt. If you get it in a cut...ouch.

 

[ChiXJeff]

I'd bet you could use anything gritty that won't dissolve in the detergent. Baking soda should a finer grit than table sugar.

 

[98XJSport]

I was in a pinch once and used armor-all cleaning wipes. Not the protectant wipes, but a wipe they make for general cleaning. Worked pretty good considering.

 

[5-90]

Type F transmission fluid to cut the heavy crud, common hand soap to remove the Type F. If your callouses are up to it, cleanser also works well (Comet, et al.)

Type F will work on pretty much anything up to, but not including, creosote. Dexron isn't quite as effective - Type F has a higher detergent content.

 

[.40CalPatriot]

Last time I did my oil pan gasket I still worked in a resteraunt. They called me in last minute right after I finished up. When I arrived our Regional Manager was there and I ended up using some of the heavy duty industrial degreaser we had there for the floors. Worked real well minus all the stinging and all the skin cells that were killed off. :bawl:

 

[99xjclassic]

wd-40 works in a pinch

 

[creeperjeep]

Last time I did my oil pan gasket I still worked in a resteraunt. They called me in last minute right after I finished up. When I arrived our Regional Manager was there and I ended up using some of the heavy duty industrial degreaser we had there for the floors. Worked real well minus all the stinging and all the skin cells that were killed off. :bawl:

Yup, I did that once with the "acid" that cleans the grill.....nothing like plastic feeling hands

 

[Wayne Sihler]

Tooth Paste the cheeper the better,cleans the grease and leaves your hands "Minty Fresh"

Wayne

 

[asp]

kind of along the same lines, but not quite

carb/brake cleaner gets fresh oil stains off of concrete when your dad yells at you for making a mess.

dish soap works decently well too but takes a bit more elbow grease and then is harder to clean up.

 

[billyjp2]

what about not-so-fresh oil on the driveway?

 

[asp]

what about not-so-fresh oil on the driveway?

i haven't spilled anything on pavement, i've been fortunate enough to do it inside... i'd say maybe the same stuff, but i would wonder if they would eat away at the pavement, because the pavement is oil based as well. :dunno: try a small spot first and see what happens?

 

[bcmaxx]

what about not-so-fresh oil on the driveway?

coca cola, though i've never tried it myself, a product called flash fllor cleaner (zep manufacturing) works great too

 

[billyjp2]

i emptied the entire contents of an ax-15 and 231 onto my driveway about 2 months ago. the spot is huge. im gonna dump coke on it and see.

 

[asp]

i emptied the entire contents of an ax-15 and 231 onto my driveway about 2 months ago. the spot is huge. im gonna dump coke on it and see.

that is a pretty big spot. it's almost so large that it doesn't look that bad. i've heard coke is good for biological waste because the phosphoric acid in it eats away at stuff. i have no idea how well it would work or not work for oil based stuff.

 

[Bugboy]

i emptied the entire contents of an ax-15 and 231 onto my driveway about 2 months ago. the spot is huge. im gonna dump coke on it and see.

I am a cheap cat litter kinda guy when it comes to driveways or sidewalks. you can usually get even old marks off. It may take a few times to get it all but usually you can get rid of the spot. just dump and mash it in with your feet then sweep it off.

 

[.40CalPatriot]

Yup, I did that once with the "acid" that cleans the grill.....nothing like plastic feeling hands

Yeah some kid saw me do it and thought he could do it too, and said whoa i like how my hands get all smooth! I just replied that is your skin cells being melted away. He started freaking out:doh:

I am a cheap cat litter kinda guy when it comes to driveways or sidewalks. you can usually get even old marks off. It may take a few times to get it all but usually you can get rid of the spot. just dump and mash it in with your feet then sweep it off.

Yeah every now and again the girlfriend asks "honey did you work on your jeep again? We are almost out of cat liter and I just bought some":lecture::nono:

 

[Art Triggs]

I tend to use whatever is within reach, sometimes wd, sometimes brake cleaner, both sting a little if you have cuts and nicks on your hands, after the initial layer of crud is burned off I will use dishwashing soap. I used to work with a guy who would use turpentine, or gasoline ...he liked to live dangerously I guess...I've been keeping some orange base cleaner with pumice in it around lately, same result, and a lot more pleasant to live with....

 

[n1ywb]

Prevention is the best medicine. Am I the only one here who wears rubber gloves? I buy the big boxes of nitrile gloves and go through them like water but it's always easy to wash my hands and plus I'm not exposed to all those chemicals. I have encountered few if any jobs where the gloves are a problem. Solvents soak into your skin and damage pretty much every part of your body. I like my body.

Before anybody calls me a wimp, I have a couple of stories to share. A childhood buddy of mine who is a full time mechanic recently came down with leukemia and had to undergo a bone marrow transplant. I can't help but wonder about all the chemicals he's exposed to on a regular basis. Another full time mechanic FOAF had his whole hand split open one winter from the combination of dry air, solvents, and washing it so often. He spent the next 6 months wearing gloves over his hand bandage.

Ditto the kitty litter, works great, especially if you get it on a fresh spill. They also sell stuff that's especially for oil, speedi-dry or something, looks just like cat litter to me though. If I really need to make it look pretty I'll get a gallon of industrial degreaser, pour it on the stain, scrub it with a stiff brush, and hose it off. Power washing would probably work too. Be careful of anything containing acid as it might etch the concrete.

Again with the prevention, if I am doing something especially messy, I will put down some oil absorbing pads or a tarp to catch the drips. I've also seen some huge metal drip pans at walmart for like $5, been meaning to pick one up. Also I use 5 gallon pails instead of oil pans when I drain stuff, I jack the jeep up just enough so that the bucket will fit. With the higher sides on the bucket there's less splatter, and since I would just be pouring the oil into a bucket anyway, it saves a step. I try to mop any drips or splatters with a rag before they get a chance to soak into the concrete. Someday when I'm rich I'll have my own garage with an epoxy floor.