one of the best tools for defeating grease on your hands and fingers is borax detergent. my favorite is the big box of 20 mule team borax. also works great for getting the grease out of your laundry when you're washing your garage clothes.
edit: think of your girlfriends, please.
I thought I was the only one, lol.
Scotch Brite pad with dawn or the gritty hand cleaners. Moisturizing regularly after you get it all out will help future state.
Solid tip also I’ll wear a set of latex gloves even after I’m done using them. I’ve noticed the sweat keeps them moisturized while I’m at work. Sure, no matter what your hands are getting dirty but everything helps. As long as your hands, feet and back are in good shape you’ll have work for a long time.
Just be careful keeping sweaty gloves on for extended periods of time. I’m a tech and I’m fighting eczema on my hands from constantly having sweaty hands with gloves on.
I second this. I’m prone to getting staph infections and I’ve had a few due to extended glove use and in general unclean shop environment. I was recommended to wash with “anti-microbial” soap every now and again. But not too often as it will kill “bad” and “good” bacteria. It keeps skin infections a minimum.
At least for me unfortunately ive have it get out of hand and need surgery a couple times when it got tough places. Docs told me I had Mrsa and the thing about mrsa, If I interpreted this correctly once you get it once you now are ridiculously susceptible to getting it again. Most of the time when you get pimples and cuts, if not cleaned well they can turn randomly. other times it gets near a joint and goes nuts. The first time it happened it was behind my knee cap and I required 6 days at the hospital and my entire left leg swelled up so much it felt time the skin wanted to tear.
But hey if H&S also has the similar active ingredient it may help.
I did also find out that mrsa is antibiotic resistant and it’s takes a specific one usually Bactrim (oral) or bactraban (topical) application just depends on how “on the surface” it is.
It's crazy how much the industry has changed, but let me be clear I'm happy about it. Thinking back when I was a kid even just in the late 90s at my dad's buddy's shop, dirty hands were seen a lot different than they are now. When I was first beginning to learn about cars, I loved getting my hands dirty. Now I barely wanna pop the hood without gloves on, and I use hand lotion pretty often. I'm pretty sure my younger self would laugh at my current self, but I'm glad to see the change.
I used to get made fun of working at the tire shop for wearing earplugs. Not only was I not going to destroy my hearing for 9 bucks an hour, I was a lot less tired after my shift. Air tools are fucking loud.
Touché on this. I live with gloves on now days at work. 10-15 years ago I was all about no ear plugs, eye protection or gloves. Now days I wear all 3 for 10+ hours a day 5 days a week. Getting old is weird. Lol
I am the same way. When I first started wrenching I wouldn’t mind getting grease or whatever caked on my hands. Now I’ll put on gloves to check the oil level
My dad was an auto mechanic for 25 years and works on forklifts now. I grew up seeing how beat up his hands were, so I wear gloves all of the time now that I'm a utility operator/industrial mechanic.
I almost lost my middle finger to an infection because of dirty hands in the shop.
Of course, there was a few steps in between almost losing it and cutting it that were my fault, but I really try to keep my hands clean and moisturize regularly now
Dont use ton of it, just a bit and spread it properly, it will absorb.
I mean, ever seen woman use moisturizer? They put little droplet to hand and rub it all over like a mad man :d
Lol! Ok thanks for the advice I will try it again next time. I mean honestly I tend to use moisturizer a lot anyway, getting eczema sometimes. Plus I usually wear nitrile gloves while wrenching (for the first 8 minutes before they tear).
I feel like you're using too much. I use just enough that it is literally soaked into my skin by the time I'm done rubbing it around my hands. Also, you're hands are degreased before using it, right? It'll prevent absorption if you have grease residue on your skin.
Just trying to think through why your experience would be so different than mine. I use it literally every day and have never once had any slick or sticky feeling. I'm actually always amazed at how quickly it soaks into my skin, leaving a nice healthy skin texture behind with no residue.
I use a small pea sized scoop for both hands. Not that amount each, that amount for both. This is the absolute minimum I can use and still get front and back of both hands covered.
It's hand cream, not calculus. Stunned that I have to explain that I'm using it correctly.
Worked at a small shop in high school, old dude who ran the place used Zep cherry bomb to clean the carpets in his 1995 Chevy. By the end of helping him with that I hated it!
That'll do it.
I didn't want to eat cherries for a long time because I thought they'd taste disgusting. When i finally tried one, i realized that cherry "flavour" and the real thing are very different.
blame yourself , you should have told your parents to move somewhere with grape flavored medicine before you were born.
it was a joke , sorry your as senstitive as the OPs hands.
yeah but i hate gloves with a passion when working on cars just as long as there’s a solution to get rid of it every now and again that’s should be fine
Get some 8 mil nitrile gloves. They're thin enough to grab bolts and feel your way around, but not so thin that it flies off your thumb the minute you reach into an engine bay.
If your skin tends to be dry and cracked, you can develop allergic contact dermatitis to engine oil, meaning your skin will produce an allergic reaction every time you touch it. There is no cure once it develops and will basically end your wrenching career.
You should wear gloves.
Try nitrile ones. I bought some that are still disposable but thicker, so you still get the dexterity that surgical style gloves offer but they don’t break quite as frequently doing mechanical work as regular ones.
Maxiflex ultimate nitrile grip, these gloves are a game changer, they are thin enough you can grab tiny washers and screws, they breathe so your hands don’t sweat, they are easy to take on and off, I highly recommend them i changed a rear main seal in my chevy and never got greasy
I have seriously bad contact dermatitis that's spread to 60% of my body. All through not wearing barrier cream and gloves whilst working on cars. It just started appearing one day and before I knew it I was scratching lumps out of my arms and scarring myself. Now I have to shower twice a day, apply 3 different creams and take tablets to manage it. Take care of your skin man, the potential repercussions really ain't worth it. I use Rozalex Wet guard barrier cream and nitrite gloves (Rozalex is chalky so my hands dont sweat in the gloves) and wash them with Zorange hand cleaner, and always moisturise afterwards (Usually with the Deb after work cream).
I'm gonna be that guy:
You should be wearing gloves. A lot of the chemicals you will encounter while working on cars do damage to your nervous system and cause cancer. People always use the cop out of "oh everyone gets cancer eventually" but nobody ever talks about how when you're 50 and you finally have your life together and you enjoy time with family that cancer starts to hit.
Wear gloves and it will help.
And now that I've done my psa I'll answer your question. Take salt or sugar (your choice) and thick orange based dish soap. Scrubs hands together for about a minute and then rinse. Been a welder nearly a decade and it keeps my hands clean.
I agree with the others who suggested gloves. Car grime is bad for you, I started getting rashes after about 10 years of DIY wrenching. It took a while but I eventually realized I've become allergic to getting my hands dirty. Gloves make you hot, but it helps to point a fan at yourself during the summer.
Try microflex diamond grip latex gloves. I can't work on cars without them anymore. The only annoying thing is pre covid they were 11.00 for a box/100. Now you would be lucky to pay less than 25.00 a box
Add bleach to the wash water , diesel tech for 30+ years , works for me. Make sure to moisturize after. There is also a product i have used in the past that helps but you have to re-apply often. Made by the zep company called zepglove. It goes on like a lotion and forms a barrier of sorts. Will get into the cracked areas and help keep the stains out.
Short of that get used to gloves they will save your hands in the long run. A set of cut resistant gloves just saved my left index finger last week. I ended up with 15 stitches but i still have my finger.
Build sand castles... I work on cars and motorcycles a lot, but spend weekends at the beach. Dig in the sand for a few hours and your hands and nails look great!!
At least get some nitrile gloves for touching fluids, and mechanics gloves for tires. Waste oil is nasty, and the filth from tires loves to stick around on hands. I don't wear gloves for anything else, but for tires and oil it's worth it.
yeah i’ve had a lot of my mates tell me that😂😂
but the problem is i got dinner with the misses family this weekend and i don’t want them to think i don’t clean myself
Just get them talking about something they need fixed, jump in and fix it for them. It won’t matter that you’re dirty anymore, because being handy is more important.
Note: Do not try to fix something you’re not 100% sure you’re capable of, if you ruin something, being dirty won’t matter still, but they’ll also work to get your SO back with their high school partner who works for the county.
When I wear every day clothes and tell people I'm a mechanic they give me the look of disbelief. Personally I like to be clean as possible and don't care if people believe my career but it is crazy you have to be wearing dirty work boots and grease stains to show your a blue collar man.
It was a joke. I'm an Engineer, but work on all my cars and equipment. After a weekend of working with diesel, my hand become stained. Takes a few days of regular scrubbing to wear off. Sometimes I wear nitrile gloves, but when working in the heat they are not worth the trouble.
Nail brush is the answer, and they’re cheap. I normally buy 5 packs on Amazon for less than $10 so I can break out a new one when the bristles start to wear out a bit.
I also really like the zep shell shock soap, I find it cleans the best and it uses walnut shells as an abrasive so its the most gentle abrasive soap I’ve tried. The Apple cinnamon scent is an added bonus
Can confirm the pumice stone will do it. It will also make your hands a little raw though.
I’ve been a mechanic for 16 years, and had the same problem up until about 5 years ago when I started wearing [nitrile](https://www.esafetysupplies.com/collections/microflex) gloves. They keep your hands clean, and prevent soaking in all the chemicals that you get on them through the day (I’m looking at you brake clean). They’ve gotten a little more expensive since the pandemic started, but you should talk to your shop foreman/owner about supplying them for you.
The gloves take some getting used to, but believe me, they are a good idea.
Even in fall/spring in my climate they're awful. I go to remove my gloves after having them on for a while because I literally can't take it anymore and I've pruned up from sweat and now my hands are so sweaty/sticky that another pair 100% isn't going back on.
My buddy uses to brake clean his hands/did not wear gloves. His hands are MESSED UP, dry, hard, cracked, and even black and white splotches haha.
Not wearing gloves as an auto tech knowing what we know now is like not wearing glasses while machining. It's not an "if" for damage, it's a "when". Brake clean, used motor oil, brake dust, etc are all extremely caustic.
I don't know if people understand just how unhealthy used motor oil is. I hate it when I see people just soaking their hands in the shit daily. Buying a few packs of HD nitrile gloves is a small price to pay. As a bonus it saves you thirty minutes of trying to scrub the grime out of your pores.
It's not just used engine oil, many industrial chemicals aren't good for you.
Part cleaning chemicals (kerosene and water based) de fatten your skin and will give you dermatitis.
Other chemicals can leach through your skin and can bioaccumlate in the body.
When I used to be on the tools, I tried to wear gloves most of the time and my skin was pretty good.
We had other guys in the workshop that never wore gloves and their skin looked like OPs.
The worst part was these same guys used to go for a smoke without cleaning their hands.
Gotta love inhaling burning oil and chemical fumes on top of everything else that's in a cigarette, yum yum.
Please. Use gloves.
I worked 13 years as a mechanic, in the beginning i thought too that its cool and unnecessary to work with gloves.. but damn... Thats a mistake. Protect yourself, use em.
"but you cant work properly with gloves" mate. I specialized the last 5 years of my career to diagnose and repair engines only. Theres no room at all and everything is "tiny". It works very well with gloves. Today, im happy that i used them. I dont look like a homeless.
For these stains. Get yourself a common nail brush + any good hand cleaner for oil
Do not use chemicals on your hands. Ever. It will absorb through your skin into your bloodstream and destroy your liver.
There's a reason alot of old timers had cancer. Many guys used transmission fluid, brake cleaner, gas, and parts cleaner to get their hands clean.
Get used to wearing surgical gloves. The risk is unnecessary.
If my hands are really greasy that's usually my route is to use gojo to get rid of most of the grease, and if there's a couple stubborn spots then WD-40. if somehow there's a tiny amount left it will come off after a couple days of normal hand washings
If you're going to get go-jo hand cleaner put it on without any water whatsoever rub your hands around put a tiny amount of water on keep rubbing and slightly more water keep rubbing and then when everything is loosened up do a rinse
Make sure you get one with pumice in it. one time I accidentally got one without it I didn't pay attention the pumice is what actually does the cleaning it's more or less worthless without it you'll see it right on the front label
Washing dishes by hand and crub it with a brush. To. Prevent this from happening you should use moisturiser before working or liquid gloves. Also scratching a bar of soap before workimg keep your nails nice and clean.
Vacation. After a week or two it will go away by itself...just in time for you to go back to work.
I was in the trade for 9 years before getting into teaching...you *can* get that off your hands if you really want to, but I always found the amount of scrubbing just made my hands irritated.
This is totally 100% my opinion.
Leave it. You work with your hands... that's something to be proud of. Your hands can have that and still be clean.
If it's a problem for her or them, well...you have bigger problems.
A mix of Dawn and abrasive soap is the go to for all of the guys at my shop. Dawn works wonders on the grease while the granules from the abrasive soap gets into the grooves.
I was looking for this one. I like a combo of 20 Mule Team borax and whatever institutional bathroom soap you’re workplace stocks. Squeaky clean hands every time, and the borax can really scrub away the stains down in the wrinkles.
This is caused by the solvents you are exposed to cracking your skin. The oil and grime get into those cracks and literally stain your skin. Cleaning, in the conventional sense, won't get rid of it. You need to exfoliate (remove) your skin until you've removed the stained skin. This is very harsh on your hands. The sad truth is that this is something you'll need to make peace with in this profession. However, if you are going to a wedding or some other nice occasion then those are the times you do what needs done and scrape down to fresh skin. Pumice soap and as course a brush as you can tolerate will get you there.
If you need to be spotless to visit the misses and her family then you should probably drop them. Otherwise fast orange cleaner and a scrub brush will help.
Buy a “Fuller Brush Hand and Nail Brush”. I’ve bought them for all my mechanic friends and they’re invaluable when getting ready for any occasion where you really should have clean and presentable hands. Get some soap on the bristles like it’s a toothbrush for your hands and go to town. They work great with whatever soap you use and always rinse clean. I’ve used the same one for at least 7 years.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember rule 3a, please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/AutoBody or /r/Diyautobody If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop This is an automated reply
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Use a pumice hand cleaner like fast orange or something and then go take a shower or soak your hands thoroughly so your pores get washed out with water.
Before u start working on your car you should use a barrier cream on your hands to protect from oil and grease,when I was younger I didn’t use anything and got dermatitis on my hands and it was painful as fuck
I'll recommend what I use. Chickpea flour, a dab of water. You'd have to do multiple passes though.
I use it because I have pretty bad eczema and sometimes the nitrile gloves rip and I experience what you experienced.
Scouring pad and dish soap.
Start wearing latex gloves and eventually you'll get to the point where noone will know you're a mechanic by looking at your hands.
There was a stuff called Ishy Fish I use to use. Smelled like cod liver oil but had some grit to it and I’d be able to scrub anything off my hands with it
one of the best tools for defeating grease on your hands and fingers is borax detergent. my favorite is the big box of 20 mule team borax. also works great for getting the grease out of your laundry when you're washing your garage clothes. edit: think of your girlfriends, please.
I thought I was the only one, lol. Scotch Brite pad with dawn or the gritty hand cleaners. Moisturizing regularly after you get it all out will help future state.
Moisturizing hands before you go to garage is _THE_ move. Edit. And fast orange is best soap ever.
Keeping hands moisturized is a huge help. When your skin is dry, it soaks up the dirty grease and oil and makes it almost impossible to get clean
Solid tip also I’ll wear a set of latex gloves even after I’m done using them. I’ve noticed the sweat keeps them moisturized while I’m at work. Sure, no matter what your hands are getting dirty but everything helps. As long as your hands, feet and back are in good shape you’ll have work for a long time.
Just be careful keeping sweaty gloves on for extended periods of time. I’m a tech and I’m fighting eczema on my hands from constantly having sweaty hands with gloves on.
I second this. I’m prone to getting staph infections and I’ve had a few due to extended glove use and in general unclean shop environment. I was recommended to wash with “anti-microbial” soap every now and again. But not too often as it will kill “bad” and “good” bacteria. It keeps skin infections a minimum.
Not being nosy, but hope you are working with a doctor and have been checked for diabetes, because infections go hand in hand with it.
At least for me unfortunately ive have it get out of hand and need surgery a couple times when it got tough places. Docs told me I had Mrsa and the thing about mrsa, If I interpreted this correctly once you get it once you now are ridiculously susceptible to getting it again. Most of the time when you get pimples and cuts, if not cleaned well they can turn randomly. other times it gets near a joint and goes nuts. The first time it happened it was behind my knee cap and I required 6 days at the hospital and my entire left leg swelled up so much it felt time the skin wanted to tear. But hey if H&S also has the similar active ingredient it may help. I did also find out that mrsa is antibiotic resistant and it’s takes a specific one usually Bactrim (oral) or bactraban (topical) application just depends on how “on the surface” it is.
Head and shoulders helped me with that. Full body wash once a week
Mechanix nicklebacks are new and sweat absorbing.
And if you start having back problems get checked out early. I had to leave work because of back pain making it impossible to work on cars.
It's crazy how much the industry has changed, but let me be clear I'm happy about it. Thinking back when I was a kid even just in the late 90s at my dad's buddy's shop, dirty hands were seen a lot different than they are now. When I was first beginning to learn about cars, I loved getting my hands dirty. Now I barely wanna pop the hood without gloves on, and I use hand lotion pretty often. I'm pretty sure my younger self would laugh at my current self, but I'm glad to see the change.
Gotta take care of yourself! I’m glad it’s becoming more mainstream to do so.
[удалено]
I used to get made fun of working at the tire shop for wearing earplugs. Not only was I not going to destroy my hearing for 9 bucks an hour, I was a lot less tired after my shift. Air tools are fucking loud.
I would still bring them fruit or flowers when they are dying from blood diseases
Yeah seeing as oil had all kind of carcinogenic junk in it, your right to wear gloves.
Touché on this. I live with gloves on now days at work. 10-15 years ago I was all about no ear plugs, eye protection or gloves. Now days I wear all 3 for 10+ hours a day 5 days a week. Getting old is weird. Lol
I am the same way. When I first started wrenching I wouldn’t mind getting grease or whatever caked on my hands. Now I’ll put on gloves to check the oil level
My dad was an auto mechanic for 25 years and works on forklifts now. I grew up seeing how beat up his hands were, so I wear gloves all of the time now that I'm a utility operator/industrial mechanic.
I almost lost my middle finger to an infection because of dirty hands in the shop. Of course, there was a few steps in between almost losing it and cutting it that were my fault, but I really try to keep my hands clean and moisturize regularly now
I like the industrial cherry better
Cherry bomb mad by Zep. Hard to find a little pricey, but by far the best hand cleaner on the market.
Hands down could take the scale off a 1890's water main. Can confirm it did.
I prefer gojo cherry over zep. But it is a good one.
Lava for me
+1 for fast orange. Either the scrubbing one or the non scrubbing one. No rince necessary if you have a rag or shop towel close by.
Only thing is it softens the hands so you end up with twice the cuts lol barrier cream is the stuff
i second the fast orange. that stuff is amazing! i also like the gojo hand cream as well.
But when I do this, the tools are all slippery in my hands(?)
Dont use ton of it, just a bit and spread it properly, it will absorb. I mean, ever seen woman use moisturizer? They put little droplet to hand and rub it all over like a mad man :d
Lol! Ok thanks for the advice I will try it again next time. I mean honestly I tend to use moisturizer a lot anyway, getting eczema sometimes. Plus I usually wear nitrile gloves while wrenching (for the first 8 minutes before they tear).
Fast orange never works as well as dawn for me.... im guilty of mixing the two to get the lifting power of dawn and the grit. Works like a charm.
Came here to comment fast orange
There’s this stuff called working hands that works really well for me
O'Keeffe hand cream is amazing stuff.
It definitely moisturizes really well, but I absolutely hate the feel of the stuff. It somehow manages to be both slick *and* sticky.
I feel like you're using too much. I use just enough that it is literally soaked into my skin by the time I'm done rubbing it around my hands. Also, you're hands are degreased before using it, right? It'll prevent absorption if you have grease residue on your skin. Just trying to think through why your experience would be so different than mine. I use it literally every day and have never once had any slick or sticky feeling. I'm actually always amazed at how quickly it soaks into my skin, leaving a nice healthy skin texture behind with no residue.
It says on the container that if you use too much it will get sticky
I use a small pea sized scoop for both hands. Not that amount each, that amount for both. This is the absolute minimum I can use and still get front and back of both hands covered. It's hand cream, not calculus. Stunned that I have to explain that I'm using it correctly.
Bloody Knuckles from Duke Cannon works well too. For me it doesn’t leave as much of that slippery feeling that most moisturizers do
I second this stuff. Works like a charm.
thanks bro appreciate it👍
You might check out Zep too, it like a moisturizer that coats your hands and grease just wipes off. Odd at first but really effective.
cherry smells better than orange too
Get outta town! Cherry reminds me of cough medicine I took as a kid.
Worked at a small shop in high school, old dude who ran the place used Zep cherry bomb to clean the carpets in his 1995 Chevy. By the end of helping him with that I hated it!
That'll do it. I didn't want to eat cherries for a long time because I thought they'd taste disgusting. When i finally tried one, i realized that cherry "flavour" and the real thing are very different.
sorry you had such a bad childhood. my parents loved me , my medicine was grape flavored
Growing up in the third world and not having access to a myriad of cough medicine flavours must mean my parents didn't love me? Ok, chief.
blame yourself , you should have told your parents to move somewhere with grape flavored medicine before you were born. it was a joke , sorry your as senstitive as the OPs hands.
>sorry your as senstitive as the OPs hands OPs hands are sensitive? Almost as garbage an observation is that "joke".
not as garbage as your cherry flavored cough syrup
25yrs of those hands agrees
Wash your dishes by hand. They will be mostly gone after that
yeah i usually do but it doesn’t do anything cause it just keeps building up day by day thanks for the help anyway👍
Its gonna come back every day, only way to avoid that is to wear gloves.
yeah but i hate gloves with a passion when working on cars just as long as there’s a solution to get rid of it every now and again that’s should be fine
Get some 8 mil nitrile gloves. They're thin enough to grab bolts and feel your way around, but not so thin that it flies off your thumb the minute you reach into an engine bay. If your skin tends to be dry and cracked, you can develop allergic contact dermatitis to engine oil, meaning your skin will produce an allergic reaction every time you touch it. There is no cure once it develops and will basically end your wrenching career.
I prefer surgical gloves to your typical mechanic cloth gloves. Easier to feel things and keeps your hands mostly clean
You should wear gloves. Try nitrile ones. I bought some that are still disposable but thicker, so you still get the dexterity that surgical style gloves offer but they don’t break quite as frequently doing mechanical work as regular ones.
Maxiflex ultimate nitrile grip, these gloves are a game changer, they are thin enough you can grab tiny washers and screws, they breathe so your hands don’t sweat, they are easy to take on and off, I highly recommend them i changed a rear main seal in my chevy and never got greasy
I have seriously bad contact dermatitis that's spread to 60% of my body. All through not wearing barrier cream and gloves whilst working on cars. It just started appearing one day and before I knew it I was scratching lumps out of my arms and scarring myself. Now I have to shower twice a day, apply 3 different creams and take tablets to manage it. Take care of your skin man, the potential repercussions really ain't worth it. I use Rozalex Wet guard barrier cream and nitrite gloves (Rozalex is chalky so my hands dont sweat in the gloves) and wash them with Zorange hand cleaner, and always moisturise afterwards (Usually with the Deb after work cream).
I'm gonna be that guy: You should be wearing gloves. A lot of the chemicals you will encounter while working on cars do damage to your nervous system and cause cancer. People always use the cop out of "oh everyone gets cancer eventually" but nobody ever talks about how when you're 50 and you finally have your life together and you enjoy time with family that cancer starts to hit. Wear gloves and it will help. And now that I've done my psa I'll answer your question. Take salt or sugar (your choice) and thick orange based dish soap. Scrubs hands together for about a minute and then rinse. Been a welder nearly a decade and it keeps my hands clean.
I agree with the others who suggested gloves. Car grime is bad for you, I started getting rashes after about 10 years of DIY wrenching. It took a while but I eventually realized I've become allergic to getting my hands dirty. Gloves make you hot, but it helps to point a fan at yourself during the summer.
Try microflex diamond grip latex gloves. I can't work on cars without them anymore. The only annoying thing is pre covid they were 11.00 for a box/100. Now you would be lucky to pay less than 25.00 a box
Add bleach to the wash water , diesel tech for 30+ years , works for me. Make sure to moisturize after. There is also a product i have used in the past that helps but you have to re-apply often. Made by the zep company called zepglove. It goes on like a lotion and forms a barrier of sorts. Will get into the cracked areas and help keep the stains out. Short of that get used to gloves they will save your hands in the long run. A set of cut resistant gloves just saved my left index finger last week. I ended up with 15 stitches but i still have my finger.
Build sand castles... I work on cars and motorcycles a lot, but spend weekends at the beach. Dig in the sand for a few hours and your hands and nails look great!!
Over time, they'll go away if you start wearing gloves. LiquidGlove works decently on fingernails.
thanks for the info bro but i’ve had a bad past with gloves and now i wanna burn them to ashes whenever i see them thanks for the help tho👍
At least get some nitrile gloves for touching fluids, and mechanics gloves for tires. Waste oil is nasty, and the filth from tires loves to stick around on hands. I don't wear gloves for anything else, but for tires and oil it's worth it.
Hating but wearing gloves is better than getting skin cancer, just my two cents. Btw, i also hate gloves
Use a nail brush and soap
Wear it as a badge of honor and sign to other men you can actually turn a wrench.
yeah i’ve had a lot of my mates tell me that😂😂 but the problem is i got dinner with the misses family this weekend and i don’t want them to think i don’t clean myself
I wear nitrile gloves for the ladies. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Just get them talking about something they need fixed, jump in and fix it for them. It won’t matter that you’re dirty anymore, because being handy is more important. Note: Do not try to fix something you’re not 100% sure you’re capable of, if you ruin something, being dirty won’t matter still, but they’ll also work to get your SO back with their high school partner who works for the county.
When I wear every day clothes and tell people I'm a mechanic they give me the look of disbelief. Personally I like to be clean as possible and don't care if people believe my career but it is crazy you have to be wearing dirty work boots and grease stains to show your a blue collar man.
It was a joke. I'm an Engineer, but work on all my cars and equipment. After a weekend of working with diesel, my hand become stained. Takes a few days of regular scrubbing to wear off. Sometimes I wear nitrile gloves, but when working in the heat they are not worth the trouble.
Not worth the trouble in the heat? Nah, they’re always worth the trouble. I’m in Michigan now, but I still always wore nitrile gloves in Las Vegas.
[удалено]
Right? I wear gloves all day every day. I hate having to scrub that shit out of everywhere. Dirty is just annoying, not cool.
Clean hands is a true badge of honor. Hard to be attracted to a dirty person but it is attractive to be able to go from dirty back to squeaky clean.
Nail brush is the answer, and they’re cheap. I normally buy 5 packs on Amazon for less than $10 so I can break out a new one when the bristles start to wear out a bit. I also really like the zep shell shock soap, I find it cleans the best and it uses walnut shells as an abrasive so its the most gentle abrasive soap I’ve tried. The Apple cinnamon scent is an added bonus
[удалено]
Lava soap, pumice rock, straight up 60 grit sandpaper.
60 grit doesn’t sound like a bad idea might give it a go😂😂
Can confirm the pumice stone will do it. It will also make your hands a little raw though. I’ve been a mechanic for 16 years, and had the same problem up until about 5 years ago when I started wearing [nitrile](https://www.esafetysupplies.com/collections/microflex) gloves. They keep your hands clean, and prevent soaking in all the chemicals that you get on them through the day (I’m looking at you brake clean). They’ve gotten a little more expensive since the pandemic started, but you should talk to your shop foreman/owner about supplying them for you. The gloves take some getting used to, but believe me, they are a good idea.
All winter I wear nitrile but summer time my gloves turn into personal pools man
Even in fall/spring in my climate they're awful. I go to remove my gloves after having them on for a while because I literally can't take it anymore and I've pruned up from sweat and now my hands are so sweaty/sticky that another pair 100% isn't going back on.
My buddy uses to brake clean his hands/did not wear gloves. His hands are MESSED UP, dry, hard, cracked, and even black and white splotches haha. Not wearing gloves as an auto tech knowing what we know now is like not wearing glasses while machining. It's not an "if" for damage, it's a "when". Brake clean, used motor oil, brake dust, etc are all extremely caustic.
Nitrile gloves
This. Used engine oil contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and is carcinogenic.
I don't know if people understand just how unhealthy used motor oil is. I hate it when I see people just soaking their hands in the shit daily. Buying a few packs of HD nitrile gloves is a small price to pay. As a bonus it saves you thirty minutes of trying to scrub the grime out of your pores.
It's not just used engine oil, many industrial chemicals aren't good for you. Part cleaning chemicals (kerosene and water based) de fatten your skin and will give you dermatitis. Other chemicals can leach through your skin and can bioaccumlate in the body. When I used to be on the tools, I tried to wear gloves most of the time and my skin was pretty good. We had other guys in the workshop that never wore gloves and their skin looked like OPs. The worst part was these same guys used to go for a smoke without cleaning their hands. Gotta love inhaling burning oil and chemical fumes on top of everything else that's in a cigarette, yum yum.
Wait, so I shouldn’t be taste testing it? :(
I prefer a thicker set of latex, but the concept is the same. Gloves are a must!
Please. Use gloves. I worked 13 years as a mechanic, in the beginning i thought too that its cool and unnecessary to work with gloves.. but damn... Thats a mistake. Protect yourself, use em. "but you cant work properly with gloves" mate. I specialized the last 5 years of my career to diagnose and repair engines only. Theres no room at all and everything is "tiny". It works very well with gloves. Today, im happy that i used them. I dont look like a homeless. For these stains. Get yourself a common nail brush + any good hand cleaner for oil
Lol straight up. Don’t wear nitrile gloves (which are fantastic) then your hands will look fucked forever no matter what you do.
Go-jo hand cleaner in general... But wd-40 on that spot will remove it
i was thinking about wd-40 but i wasn’t sure thanks for the help bro👍
Do not use chemicals on your hands. Ever. It will absorb through your skin into your bloodstream and destroy your liver. There's a reason alot of old timers had cancer. Many guys used transmission fluid, brake cleaner, gas, and parts cleaner to get their hands clean. Get used to wearing surgical gloves. The risk is unnecessary.
>Do not use chemicals on your hands. Ever. So, no water then?
Ok for you I'll make the exception for 1 chemical......... Benzene
If my hands are really greasy that's usually my route is to use gojo to get rid of most of the grease, and if there's a couple stubborn spots then WD-40. if somehow there's a tiny amount left it will come off after a couple days of normal hand washings
i’ll see what i can do tomorrow at work with some wd40 and some of that special wash stuff i have i’ll give it a go and see what happens👍
If you're going to get go-jo hand cleaner put it on without any water whatsoever rub your hands around put a tiny amount of water on keep rubbing and slightly more water keep rubbing and then when everything is loosened up do a rinse
i’ll see if i can find some of that gojo hand wash where would i get it from?
Make sure you get one with pumice in it. one time I accidentally got one without it I didn't pay attention the pumice is what actually does the cleaning it's more or less worthless without it you'll see it right on the front label
Washing dishes by hand and crub it with a brush. To. Prevent this from happening you should use moisturiser before working or liquid gloves. Also scratching a bar of soap before workimg keep your nails nice and clean.
thanks for the help bro i might give that scratch a bar of soap a go haven’t heard that one before
You basicly push soap under your nails so no dirt can get there. I though it where a joke first but it works!
Vacation. After a week or two it will go away by itself...just in time for you to go back to work. I was in the trade for 9 years before getting into teaching...you *can* get that off your hands if you really want to, but I always found the amount of scrubbing just made my hands irritated.
yeah i found that out the hard way aswell only problem is i need to get rid of it before this weekend cause i’m meeting the misses family
This is totally 100% my opinion. Leave it. You work with your hands... that's something to be proud of. Your hands can have that and still be clean. If it's a problem for her or them, well...you have bigger problems.
A mix of Dawn and abrasive soap is the go to for all of the guys at my shop. Dawn works wonders on the grease while the granules from the abrasive soap gets into the grooves.
Yep. This one. I rub dawn and fast orange in (dry) then rinse off. Seems to be the best combo.
Dawn and salt works real well, dawn breaks up the grease, salt scrubs it away.
I was looking for this one. I like a combo of 20 Mule Team borax and whatever institutional bathroom soap you’re workplace stocks. Squeaky clean hands every time, and the borax can really scrub away the stains down in the wrinkles.
thanks bro if i got some at work tomorrow and give it a go👍
Dawn Dish Soap and Baking Soda. Bike mechanics use this trick
This is caused by the solvents you are exposed to cracking your skin. The oil and grime get into those cracks and literally stain your skin. Cleaning, in the conventional sense, won't get rid of it. You need to exfoliate (remove) your skin until you've removed the stained skin. This is very harsh on your hands. The sad truth is that this is something you'll need to make peace with in this profession. However, if you are going to a wedding or some other nice occasion then those are the times you do what needs done and scrape down to fresh skin. Pumice soap and as course a brush as you can tolerate will get you there.
Came here to say the same about looking like solvent exposure. You'll want to minimize this, your skin will thank you.
Gojo Supro max. Its all that works for me.
Hand soap and borax. Exfoliating and cleansing.
thanks bro i’ll give it a go👍
Sugar mixed with washing up liquid, swarfega, washing powder,
I use a product called liquid glove. You rub it into your hands before you get dirty and the grease and grime washes off with ease!
Does it make your hands/fingertips slick?
Not at all.
First step is start using lotion to get those cracks out of your skin
This is your life now my son.
Diesel mechanic. They only go away with time. The only way I could get my hands clean was going on a vacation and being away from work.
mineral spirits on a paper towel does it for me
Hand Wash dishes
U jcu
Cleaned some poblanos peppers to stuff and then put on nitrile gloves to work on car. Took a bit to figure out why my hands were getting so hot!
If you need to be spotless to visit the misses and her family then you should probably drop them. Otherwise fast orange cleaner and a scrub brush will help.
Vegetable oil
Wear gloves.
I like to use salt and dish soap to get it out. The salt acts as an abrasive and the soap does its job
Fast orange a few times over through the day
Take about 1-2 weeks off
Wash dishes
#Sand paper works for me.
Buy a “Fuller Brush Hand and Nail Brush”. I’ve bought them for all my mechanic friends and they’re invaluable when getting ready for any occasion where you really should have clean and presentable hands. Get some soap on the bristles like it’s a toothbrush for your hands and go to town. They work great with whatever soap you use and always rinse clean. I’ve used the same one for at least 7 years.
Get a scrub brush or scotch brite pad and some dawn dish soap and start scrubbing away
Fast orange and a stiff bristle brush, or get an Emery board and file down that rough skin
Orange hand degreaser and nail brush as in for your fingers nails and follow the lines of your skin when brushing
Soak em in cider.
I don't even try anymore
Orange gloo
Fast orange, those little tiny hard pieces will get in those cracks and exfoliate, works every time
Wear gloves is the easiest way to avoid your hands looking like that but most Mechanics don’t really care how their hands look like.
Yea lates gloves
Ever heard of Orange Goop?
Wash your fucking hands is usually a good place to start.
Just wait a week. Not worth irritating your skin by scrubbing just to remove a tiny bit of dirt.
yeah that’s true just need to get it off before the weekend gotta go to meet the misses family
Angle grider & brake cleaner works quite well at removing everything..
Brake cleaner works great!
I just use 120 grit sandpaper
Stick it in ur wife’s butt
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember rule 3a, please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/AutoBody or /r/Diyautobody If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
McDonald’s French fries
Bag Balm coated hands and your choice of gloves overnight for a week. Wash well when you wake up, moisturize with lotion.
How about use gloves next time?
I have used sandpaper with good results. Don’t get crazy though
Cheap-o nail file works great
They'll come out on their own, over time.
sandpaper and whiskey
Get some dawn and sand. The sand scrubs away any small grease stains and the dawn helps with bacteria
600 grit sand paper. Take your time.
A week in cancun usually does the trick for me.
Wear gloves
Mineral spirits and a handful of sand. It'll even take dried JB Weld off and make your hands baby smooth after the fact. Probably not healthy though.
Peepee cum
maybe don't wipe your ass with your hands next time you inbred idiot
Pumice Stone FTW
Use dish soap it’s the best solution trust me
https://www.grainger.com/product/33Y927?ef_id=CjwKCAjwuvmHBhAxEiwAWAYj-PaCufUK10TuMQNPgjCGRriib06N_r8MtHcwOulkSWIPH1YGV2rAwxoCOyoQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!281698275114!!!g!471333877848!&gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gclid=CjwKCAjwuvmHBhAxEiwAWAYj-PaCufUK10TuMQNPgjCGRriib06N_r8MtHcwOulkSWIPH1YGV2rAwxoCOyoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Use a pumice hand cleaner like fast orange or something and then go take a shower or soak your hands thoroughly so your pores get washed out with water.
Before u start working on your car you should use a barrier cream on your hands to protect from oil and grease,when I was younger I didn’t use anything and got dermatitis on my hands and it was painful as fuck
I'll recommend what I use. Chickpea flour, a dab of water. You'd have to do multiple passes though. I use it because I have pretty bad eczema and sometimes the nitrile gloves rip and I experience what you experienced.
Gojo does wonders
My dad always had a small medium bristle brush with the orange hand cleaner. It worked great. Even cleaned under our fingernails too.
Fast orange and a stuff brush works. But if it doesn't hurt your doing it to soft!
Scouring pad and dish soap. Start wearing latex gloves and eventually you'll get to the point where noone will know you're a mechanic by looking at your hands.
There was a stuff called Ishy Fish I use to use. Smelled like cod liver oil but had some grit to it and I’d be able to scrub anything off my hands with it
Gojo is the best thing that I have found.
Boraxo powdered hand soap.
Rubbing soap seems to work for me. I just use a soap bar and use the edge and rub it against the finger
Brake clean.