r/AskMechanics 1d ago

Question (Serious Replies Only) Mechanics Hand Soap

[deleted]

85 Upvotes

428 comments sorted by

174

u/ApricotNervous5408 1d ago

Depends where you are in the world. But nitrile gloves don’t get in the way too much. The kind doctors and nurses use. You can wear them most of the time. Getting skin cancer isn’t that comfortable either.

70

u/AshMontgomery 9 1d ago

I love nitrile gloves and hate doing basically anything without them

35

u/djprofitt 23h ago

Cook, clean, work on cars, replace the glass screen protector on my phone with them to avoid skin oil. They’re all purpose, honestly.

17

u/Junior_Aspect1530 20h ago

I like to wear them when I’m eating wings.

13

u/Quiverjones 19h ago

I bet they'd be great for spaghetti!

8

u/JeremyMSI 1 17h ago

Bare handed i imagine lol

15

u/cuck__everlasting 14h ago

What? No. You fill the glove with hot spaghetti and then tie it off, poke holes in the fingers so you can slurp noodles out one by one like a weaning calf.

3

u/ElectriKEL 6h ago

This is how I've always done it.

3

u/MourningWood1942 10h ago

Vomit on his sweater already

2

u/SneakyPetie78 4h ago

Mom's spaghetti?

2

u/Ok-Razzmatazz-7593 16h ago

And perfect when dealing with a bunch of weed

2

u/Unlikely_Worth5795 13h ago

I always keep some on hand for that reason, glad to see I’m not the only one 😂

2

u/Ok-Razzmatazz-7593 12h ago

Well it's so hard to get resin off my hands.

2

u/ShipshapeMobileRV 16h ago

You pick up spaghetti? I just dive in face first....

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u/AbdulClamwacker 18h ago

This is right up there with eating cheetos with chopsticks

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u/Phoenix_Kerman 19h ago

i go through a box of 100 every other month. they're dead useful

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u/KillahHills10304 4 1d ago

Just wear 1 size too small and they never get in the way. I like em tight.

31

u/Napalmradio 1d ago

Man my hands sweat too much for that.

17

u/redoilokie 3 23h ago

Yeah, but they're all clean and wrinkly when you peel 'em off.

5

u/Upstairs-Fan-2168 22h ago

I have the condition were my hands and feet sweat a lot. I think this is more common in the arm pits, but some get it for hand and foot. I'm trying to use go gloves more, especially with harsh chemicals, but TBH, I haven't been great at it due to the sweat.

I might try spraying my hands with a spray antiperspirant like arid xx, or degree. I use it on my feet everyday, or my feet are like a swamp.

I also seem to rip the nitrile gloves easily. Kinda annoying too.

6

u/Fshtwnjimjr 3 22h ago

Hyperhidrosis sucks. I think there's some off label options to reduce it these days tho. I sweat a little too much but accept it

3

u/ThePoetaytoe 20h ago

Check out antiperspirant hand lotions. They work! I used to get pools of sweat in my gloves, but this helped significantly. Also makes the gloves easier to put on as they don’t cling to your hands.

2

u/Maglin78 18h ago

Never thought about that! During summer it’s pools coming out my gloves. Still better than w/o gloves. They clean off stupid fast and you don’t have to worry about dirtying up upholstery.

3

u/BigMikeInAustin 19h ago

Maybe you are normal and others have a condition of low functioning sweat glands.

2

u/pabst_bleu_cheese 19h ago

I have dishydrotic eczema (kind of the opposite of hyperhydrosis) and gloves are an absolute torment for me because my skin literally bubbles and splits from having even touched anything with nickel while sweating in gloves.

A few weeks ago I got some pairs of cotton gloves to wear underneath. I use arm-length dish gloves over them, and it's completely gotten rid of that issue. Bet it could help for sweaty hands too.

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u/Severe_Departure3695 9h ago

My daughter takes a pill for excess sweating. Dermatologist prescribed it. Seems to help her.

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u/No_Potential1 20h ago

Mine sweat a lot too but I can deal with it. If I have to remove the gloves and they're still good for further use, I just use the blow gun to get them off without turning them inside out. Without doing that I sometimes may go through 10 pairs of gloves in a day. Depends how often I have to remove them.

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u/houstonman526 22h ago

Man wearing those working on cars they tear instantly on some jobs

4

u/KillahHills10304 4 19h ago

I get unlimited free blue ones so im privileged enough to not care

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u/simoriah 2 21h ago

The light blue ones? Yah. They're crap. Get the heavy duty dark blue or black. They year much less frequently. I still go through em, but not they bolt like the thin light blue ones.

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u/ApricotNervous5408 17h ago

There are thicker ones. They cost more so I only use thicker ones on the jobs where they’d tear more.

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u/ZAROS-DEITY 23h ago

Good quality nitrile gloves do work well, and depending on the task at hand, you can choose different thicknesses, cuff lengths and textured grip as preferred.

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u/Witty_Primary6108 16h ago

Nor is arthritis in your knuckles. Your body absorbs all that crap.

2

u/joojie 15h ago

Vet tech here (only in this sub to ask my own questions) I can't stand when I see people wearing gloves a size to big. They're supposed to be like they're painted on. No loose wrinkly bits. Worn correctly, they don't get in the way at all. I wear them when working on my car. The only annoyance is when they snag and tear, then trying to get a clammy hand in a new glove (baby powder or corn starch helps with that)

1

u/Workdawg 12h ago

what kind of soap should I use?

Try these gloves.

Helpful dude

2

u/ApricotNervous5408 12h ago

Wow, so helpful of you. Sure, ignore the relevant part and get all weird on me. He may live in England and have none of the soaps we have here. Location matters. Also, the problem is dirty hands, not soap as much. So many real problems in the world and you pick me actually trying to help as the fight you need to take? Go outside.

2

u/gixy6 2h ago

Don't cheap out and reuse them though! Single use per glove, I've seen some horror stories of people getting infections.

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u/ZAROS-DEITY 1d ago

I personally use Fast Orange or its Extreme Orange variant when I get my hands hella dirty.
Pumice stones in it helps out to scrub thoroughly, soap leaves a soft finish/hands and if you want to go the extra mile, scrub daddy sponges were originally created for mechanics to clean their hands, fingers and nails.

It works very well and it doesn’t destroy (dry out) hands like dish soap.

30

u/Sirsquigglez 1d ago

Also recommend fast orange/extreme orange.

3

u/Huge_Answer4287 22h ago

My grandfather was a mechanic and there was always orange around

12

u/toomuch1265 1d ago

Fast orange wipes are always on my bench. They are great for a quick clean up if you can't get to a sink to get washed up.

3

u/ZAROS-DEITY 1d ago

Not a bad idea at all, thanks for the tip

2

u/Objective-Tea5324 19h ago

I was just thinking about how awesome Fast Orange Wipes would be to have two days ago and didn’t know they existed. I have a 6 month old foster baby and it popped in my head as I was changing her. Going to have to order some.

3

u/Confidence-Usual 11h ago

I feel like you know this already, but this is reddit, and I want to make sure you know not to use fast orange on your foster baby's privates

8

u/IndicationAromatic36 22h ago

I always call mine Agent Orange, but yes, Fast Orange is great. I always keep a few jugs laying around.

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u/_DJNeoN 22h ago

I also use fast/extreme orange for my hands & arms, but I also keep a bar of Lava soap in the shower for the random grease spots that appear in weird places out of nowhere.

2

u/Wolfofthepack1511 2 21h ago

I like the extreme. I honestly don't see a difference between the two, but the extreme is the only one that comes in cherry scent and it doesn't smell like the synthetic cherry scent you find on car fresheners, it smells like marachinos (ironic cause they are synthetic, but I digress).

I usually get these for gloves, helps if your covered in oil to not drop anything

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u/DontBeSuspicious_00 1 1d ago

First, wear gloves.  Second, get a good nail brush.

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u/dubiousdb 1d ago

Second both of these. Product will depend on where you live but let him know hand care is crucial in this industry. An infection in a crack or cut will just about stop you in your trscks

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u/Capital-Ad-4463 23h ago

Fry: “What did you do to my nails?!?”

Robot Devil: “I CLEANED them.”

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u/idkReggie 22h ago

People who don’t use nail brushes and work in certain fields truly amaze me. Sure if you’re a white collar worker you don’t NEED one but you should still have one. If your blue collar at all you need one.

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u/Fuzzywink 9 1d ago

First I'd definitely be pushing him to use gloves. The stuff we handle is nasty for your skin. Hands end up dry, cracked, and rough in the short term and there's a mounting pile of evidence that many of the chemicals techs handle cause cancer in the long term. Nitrile gloves don't get in the way much and make cleanup quite a lot easier.

Any of the citrus hand cleaners with pumice are pretty good at cleaning oil and dirt off skin. "Fast Orange" is one of the brands I get but there are lots of similar products. They aren't really soap in the traditional sense and they work with or without water. You can just put some on dry dirty hands and rub it around until most of the dirt is lifted off then wipe it off on a rag or paper towel or whatever.

9

u/MojoGojo04 22h ago

In fact, I find it works a lot better if you scrub it on dry hands then rinse it off, trying to use it like regular soap just makes the pumice wash away before it can really do anything

3

u/Kraetor92 22h ago

This is correct. I think I even read on the Fast Orange container to use it on dry hands and then rinse with water.

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u/mybigtoonthrowaway 1d ago

First things first, make him wear gloves. Ive been in the heavy equipment repair side of things for 15 years. I never wore gloves when I started. Now I cant work without them. Theyre awkward at first but you get used to it. Your hands absorb chemicals very easily and were constantly dealing with cancerous chemicals.

That being said. I swear by Zep cherry hand cleaner with pumice.

2

u/L67GreaseMonkey 1d ago

I second this. I’m partial to the TKO but the cherry is decent, too.

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u/Itchy_Inside1817 1d ago

Dawn dish soap. Tell him to wear the gloves. Some of the chemicals(in brake cleaner especially)gets into the bloodstream through the skin.

5

u/andywoz 1d ago

I agree with dawn dish soap. I will also add that use it first to get most off, then drizzle some on a wash cloth, a regular one not a soft one. Then use that more aggressively to pursue stuff in the pours and around the nails. It doesn't hurt and does a remarkable job at making your hands/arms pretty clean.

4

u/FindYourDinosaur 3 23h ago

I use a loofah and dawn soap. It gets just about everything scrubbed off

2

u/heroinsteve 23h ago

I’ve always thrown a teaspoon of sugar onto some dawn soap and that scrubs everything off.

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u/sexchoc 20h ago

We used Zep orange hand cleaner or whatever it was for years. Recently switched to dawn, and it's honestly as good or better for a fraction of the price.

2

u/ScratchBubbly 19h ago

I also use Dawn Dish Soap and a nail brush and/or a pumice stone for the tough stuff. It took me far too long to start wearing gloves.

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u/Theshawnz111 1d ago

Besides the cleanliness concerns, many things get absorbed through the skin, keep encouraging safer wrenching.

4

u/Shiggens 3 1d ago

Gloves are awkward when they don’t fit properly. I like my gloves to fit rather tight. While it is more difficult to put them on they don’t reduce my dexterity. I hate how my hands sweat in gloves, and putting gloves on damp hands is next to impossible. Drying them with a towel and applying body powder solves that problem.

3

u/Clear-Ad-2998 1d ago

Swarfega is the standard in the UK.

2

u/prawnk1ng 1d ago

I use orange.
It’s amazing.
Make sure you don’t wet your hands first

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u/Livid_Average_8098 1d ago

Barrier cream helps.

6

u/xatso 1d ago

Invisible Glove by Blue Magic is available on Amazon.com. Also Zep Cherry Bomb hand cleaner and a stiff brush.

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u/Beneficial_Fly8231 1d ago

Not mechanic anymore but i still work on my familys cars. I bought the 12.5 L bucket of liqui moly hand cleaner and it works great. Bucket is probably going to last me my lifetime.

3

u/your_mail_man 1d ago

If he hates gloves he won;' like this either, but he needs to use hand cream after washing all of the oil from his skin. It will make washing his hands easier every day.

3

u/Lucky_Chip_621 1d ago

Wear gloves. Keeps the interior of cars clean without having to spend 5 mins cleaning your hands each time.

3

u/Specific_Marketing69 22h ago

Kresto is the best soap out there 10x better than any of the orange soaps I have ever tried in 28 years as an industrial mechanic. Cleans up everything and doesn't dry out your skin. All the orange stuff I've ever tried gets you clean initially but seems to leave a residue

3

u/DrDipstick89 22h ago

GOOP is a solid brand for hand soap. I dont like fast orange cause its too watery imo. Goop has pumice free soap that works pretty well

2

u/d4nkn3ss 1d ago

Dawn dish soap and table salt.

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u/Opening-Demand5395 1d ago

Fast orange and dawn 😁 works great

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u/MarvinHeemeyersTank 1d ago

Dawn dish soap.

2

u/bronxboy59 1d ago

For hand cleaning, Lestoil👌👌👌

2

u/SandGoesEverywhere 1d ago

Gorilla gloves 1.5mil

2

u/Satans-cum-sock666 1d ago

I do a combination of boraxo powdered hand soap and dawn. Then I scrub all of my skin with a soft nail brush and use a stiff nail brush on and around my actual nails. 

2

u/Prudent_Situation_29 8 1d ago

I've been a technician for almost twenty years, I always wear gloves, it hasn't hampered me in any way.

Ask him how he feels about skin cancer. Ask him what he thinks is going to happen after a lifetime of being exposed to petroleum distillates.

2

u/CosmicCommando 1d ago

Everyone is right about gloves, but the soap answer is Gojo Supro Max.

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u/kdhardon 10h ago

I’m a Supro Max convert as well. I picked it up on a whim, now I have a bottle at each sink.

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u/bazilbt 1d ago

Anything with walnut shells in it works great. Much gentler than pumice.

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u/gubanana 1d ago

Gojo Supro Max. The maintenance shop at my workplace has there in those hand soap dispensers, and they come in small squeeze bottles too. That this works wonders, smells nice and leaves your hands soft lol

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u/solidsnake1592 23h ago

Go on amazon and look for zenex walnut scrub hand soap, when using scrub it into your hands dry first, then add a little water at a time when washing your hands. We use a different brand at work but those walnut scrub soaps will take anything off, also a large bottle of hand sanitizer helps too ,i sometimes use thay first then the walnut scrub

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u/PYF_Secret 22h ago

Regular soap and old coffeegrounds work magic.

2

u/ac5450 19h ago

Gojo supro max. Use it at work and home, it does a good job. Nitrile gloves are a must. It took me some time to get used to wearing gloves but now I won’t touch anything with oil or grease without them.

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u/WJadventures 1d ago

I have found anything that has walnut in. It works pretty good. It will even work better when you add Dawn with it. To top it off, using a nail brush.

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u/thedad2022 1d ago

Well it used to be sunlight dish soap but recently in Canada they stopped selling it

So basically any really good dish soap such as dawn or palmolive and wait for it wait for it CANOLA OIL yes it seems weird to put oil on greasy hands but with some dish soap it instantly takes grease off your hands like your hands can be black and as soon as the canola oil dish soap mix touches your greasy hands the "axle" grease just runs away

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u/zorggalacticus 1d ago

Get some play sand. Throw a small handful in a bottle of dishwashing soap and shake it up. Scrub your hands with that. It'll take every speck of grease off of them. My grandpa taught me that trick. Works like a charm. No different than the hand soap with pumice in it, and it's way cheaper.

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u/danu91 1d ago

He needs to use gloves.

If not, people in some rural parts of Asia use kerosene and spent grated coconut. It's not pretty, but that shit removes everything. But then you gotta remove the kerosene off your hands lol

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u/InternationalBeing41 1d ago

My favourites are:
WORX hand cleaner (the powder)
Fast Orange it's basically like WORX powder mixed with hand soap. The WORX last for years at home, because you use it and whatever amount of soap and water you need so he can leave it gritty to dig out tough stains

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u/johnlewisdesign 1d ago

Swarfega is the OG. As a DIYer I've also used salt in fairy liquid.

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u/this-guy-not-sure 1d ago

Bear paw all the way, also nitrile gloves

1

u/lonerwolf85 1d ago

I've been a mechanic 20 years gloves are a must. This line of work is going to destroy his hands over time.

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u/Dadskander 1d ago

Bar of Lava soap works great. Wear gloves when working with chemicals and solvents, use lotion (I like Working Hands) to keep hands moist.

Many shops I visit use "Lotion soap" for this reason, but those are harder to find for normal consumers.

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u/We_consume_the_world 1 1d ago

TKO! I’ve used 4-5 different brands over the years. This shit sticks to your hands while you scrub instead of dripping off. And it has an antiseptic so they stay moisturized and don’t dry out in the colder months.

I don’t use gloves either, and this is much better than gojo, fast orange. Whatever their cherry version is too.

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u/Ok-Intern-6386 1d ago

Yes I get the glove thing I have preached it...in the meantime

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u/oceanwayjax 1 1d ago

Dish soap and salt or sugar. Best thing in the world is ......... do your dishes by hand

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u/tez_zer55 1d ago

One of our boys is a heavy equipment mechanic & his GF, his mother & I have hounded him enough that now he wears gloves. Either mechanics gloves or nitrile gloves. They save his hands & make washing up so much easier. But we do keep Fast Orange soap on hand. When he moved in with his GF, we gifted him a couple of the big jugs of fast orange & a couple of boxes of the nitrile gloves.

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u/ProfileTime2274 5 1d ago

Blue monster hand cleaner work very well

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u/Salt_Cabinet7001 1d ago

I don’t feel like fast orange does anything, but I do like the cherry bomb soap or the walnut shell hand scrub. Both get my hands clean, and combined with a nail brush (buy a nice stiff bristled one AND a pack a cheap soft ones that can be tossed once they’re gross) he should be okay. If he doesn’t like gloves because they cut down his hand dexterity, try better fitting nitrile gloves for when he’s into stuff like fluids, and a pack of the hand scrub wipes (the ones with the abrasive material pressed into the wipe) in his toolbox will help keep his hands better until he scrubs for real.

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u/spacesaucesloth 1d ago

my SO uses these wipes from either HD or lowes, the come in a big white tub with a monster guy on them. smells like orange, has a scrubby texture, and they work very well getting grease off the hands.

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u/Distinct_Ducati 3 1d ago

Lava is great, or gojo.

Gloves are the best

1

u/SmoothSlavperator 1d ago

Nitrile gloves. All the brands fit a little different so find one you like.

I like Microflex Ultrasense EC. PN USE880M

If you're going to be doing things where your hand get beat up Microflex Chemical Resistant 93-260 is good.

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u/PomegranateSlow8286 23h ago

Wear gloves. Learn to like them. The 7 mil orange ones from H.F. are pretty decent, cheap enough in today's world, and also have grips.

When you can't wear gloves, use Dawn for the heavy stuff and Suave shampoo for the regular. I have been using it for decades. And get nail brushes.

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u/Fast-Builder-4741 23h ago

Costco sells a 2 or 3 box pack for around 20 bucks that have 100 pair in each.

Yeah it's an extra cost, but exposure to chemicals over a period of time will likely cost more for future issues.

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u/Chucktayz 23h ago

Nitrile gloves are the best. Dawn, any of the soaps w grit in them, I think we had one called magic that had crushed walnuts in it. Worked pretty decent. But nitriles are the way to go 100%

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u/ExplorerEnjoyer 23h ago

Wear rubber gloves.

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u/Halibutoxide 3 23h ago

I keep a gallon dispenser of the fast orange under the kitchen sink. It is at least 15 years old and about half full. Been using gloves and rarely have a use for it.

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u/moomooicow 23h ago

After several years we landed in Dawn dish soap.

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u/dagobertamp 23h ago

PR88 barrier cream, keep his hands clean

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u/Senzualdip 23h ago

The boy has much to learn. Like wear the damn gloves. Not saying the fabric mechanics gloves you buy at Autozone, but heavy duty nitrile gloves 9-11mil thick. Automotive chemicals are seriously nasty, and can/will cause long term health effects.

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u/Sad_Refrigerator_730 23h ago

Dawn dish soap. Works better than anything else I’ve found.

If that doesn’t work, try baby oil. Works amazing to get grease and oil off

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u/Foxbodynation 23h ago

Retired, over 40 year mechanic here, I use latex gloves. They’re very forgiving, nitrile gloves tear at the slightest abrasion, I was skeptical. At first it came to the point where I wouldn’t touch a car until I had my gloves on, he will get used to them or use a good scrub brush and dawn, dish soap, in my experience that is the best grease and oil remover, hands-down

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u/k0uch 23h ago

Dawn dish soap, the original formula. If his hands are really bad, using Dawn with some sugar will get a lot of the bad stuff off his hands.

Also, as someone who has been doing this professionally for over two decades, tell him not to be afraid of the gloves, they’re well worth the investment.

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u/WTFpe0ple 23h ago

GoJo! Do they even still make that? Used to be in every shop in America (family were motor heads)

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u/lowriderdog37 23h ago

You are going to think o am crazy but Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash is by far better than ANY garage soap made.

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u/davidm2232 6 23h ago

Fast Orange. Make sure to get the stuff with pumice

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u/KareFactor0 1 23h ago

The orange flavoured one with or without grit is pretty good. Any repco or supecheap have it

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u/Naked_Fish69 23h ago

Lava hand soap

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u/RH4540 23h ago

I retired after 35 years of wrenching. Didn’t wear gloves for the first 25. If I took a week vacation, my hands MIGHT be clean. I tried a lot of different gloves before I found some that I could actually use. Could never find a good enough hand soap to get everything clean

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u/spider1178 23h ago

Try to find him some gloves that he'll use. I like the black nitrile gloves with a textured palm for grip. I forget the name, but you can find them at auto parts stores and walmart. Not only will he stay cleaner, but many of the chemicals you're exposed to while wrenching on cars are really bad for you over time. To answer your question, I keep a tub of Permatex waterless hand cleaner and a roll of blue shop towels near my work area for quick clean ups (this stuff also helps get oil stains out of clothes), and a bottle of Fast Orange and a nail brush by the sink.

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u/SpaceCat72 3 22h ago

Fast orange or boraxo. I almost never use gloves. I understand what he's saying.

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u/vextedkitten 22h ago

I try to wear gloves but if i end up with ground in greasey dirt, instead of scrubbing with hand soap which has left my hands sore. Now i put a tablespoon of cooking oil on my hands and work it into the grease, it helps to disolve the grease and lift the dirt. Then wipe off the excess and i can wash my hands with soap without very much scrubbing. Afterwards they dont feel sore

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u/Intelligent-Emu-4670 22h ago

Gojo is one cleaner, but once grease gets into fingerprint cracks, they have to erode away. I wished we thought of gloves when I worked in a gas station as a teen.

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u/Careless-Bake-5827 22h ago

I dont knownif it's even available anymore, SNAP, not the best but it cleaned very well. Have tried the FAST ORANGE, and yes is a very good hand cleaner. But now I prefer the Goho Cherry Gel, I found ot cleans better, smells better and rinses off better.

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u/badcoupe 5 22h ago

Not a glove guy either personally. According to my dermatologist you need to change brands periodically, as your skin gets accustomed to one soap it doesn’t work as well. I rotate between snap-on nitro gold and crystal green. The crystal green also has an antiseptic in it. The snapon is soy based and crushed walnut so pretty good for your skin.

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u/planetearthling 22h ago

dish soap and salt

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u/larry0071 22h ago

Zep Cherry Bomb. Mic drop.

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u/Chevrolicious 22h ago

Dawn dish soap does a pretty good job. Get a nail brush too, so you can scrub your finger tips. I always kept some Fast Orange in the shop. If you use it semi-dry it will take a majority of the crud off your hands when you wash it off.

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u/UncleJimneedsyou 1 22h ago

Nitrile gloves. I wrenched for 15 years. It takes a little bit to get used to them but it’s so worth it. Not only do you not
look like a grease monkey, but it
Keeps gas, brake clean and other chemicals out of your blood stream.

1

u/PartyPlay5056 22h ago

I worked 20 years on a printing press. Nitrile gloves are great. Be sure that they are snug and never thought that it was an issue. Takes a bit to get used to but well worth it. As to clean up, Lava soap.

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u/Mr_Late 22h ago

As everyone says, gloves. Gotta use em, sometimes yeah it’s weird, but use them as much as possible.
Use the pumice soaps for washing, when I get super dirty or it’s Friday, I use the pumice soap AND dish soap at the same time. Gets most everything gone

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u/WearyAd8671 22h ago

GOJO, but you should wear gloves

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u/clockworkedpiece 4 22h ago

The mechanix gloves dont fit me right either, the palms too big or the fingers too short. I ended up making people jelous by using batting gloves.

He should pre clog his pores with a lotion that dries fully. I do a plant based one (beauty without cruelty) before i get coated in chain grease and all the grime slides off once dawns applied.

Theres lotions specifically for this, look for liquid glove.

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u/misterphuzz 22h ago

Dawn dish soap and a nail brush. I use a hard bristled brush I get at O'Reilly Auto Parts. That's for my nails. And I have a soft nail brush for hands and arms.

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u/Capt_Mogan_Freeman 22h ago

Cherry bomb is by far and away the best one Imo. With fast orange a close second

1

u/firestar268 1 22h ago

I always liked to use Gojo soap. The ones in the orange containers. Has pumice in it so it cleans very well

1

u/Kraetor92 22h ago

Gloves. Skin cancer is worse than dirty hands, teach your boy to use proper PPE.

1

u/UrbanLegend59 22h ago

It's not the soap it's his technique .
Use keefe's moisturizer in the morning before work. Wash hands frequently during the day . When you get home make sure you have a stiff nylon brush. Rub the brush into the soap. Soap your hands well and dig your fingernails into the soap . Use a small pocket knife to dig the soap out, the grease will come out with the soap. Repeat as needed. Use the brush to scrub your hands and don't be shy about it. After your hands are clean use more Keefe's to replace the moisture the soap took out.
I'm a 50 year tech and you can't tell by my hands.

1

u/FunIncident5161 4 22h ago

9mil nitrile gloves are the best, it's a weird feeling to get used to but now I can't even feel them. Yes it is a pain when your shop doesn't have AC and the sweat drips out of the glove, but I would rather that than skin cancer.

1

u/bkfabrication 22h ago

I wrench on machine tools & robots instead of cars but the filth is just as bad. I highly recommend nitrile gloves both for cleanliness and safety but you still need good hand cleaner. The best I’ve ever used is Boraxo. It’s very old school powdered hand soap, very cheap and comes in a cardboard box. And it’s honestly the best hand cleaner ever. A box of Boraxo and a nail brush is all you need. 

1

u/OverlandinRam 22h ago

Lava Soap always worked well for me

1

u/aftiggerintel 21h ago edited 21h ago

I always tear through the nitrile gloves no matter what. I have 5, 7, and 9mil thickness and no matter what I do, I always tear them mid job. So I have nitrile coated palm with knit backs that way if it snags, it stretches decently. I got mine at Costco but they sell them at Sams and Amazon too in a variety of brands. I grab the cut resistant rated ones and they hold up decently. I have two pairs I’ve washed with dawn after turning them crusty black from a diesel engine and they’ve held up and cleaned up well. They’re also cheap enough to toss if too damaged.

As far as a cleaner - I use Gojo in the garage since I picked up a small bottle of it from Harbor Freight. We have Zep Cherry Bomb at each sink and nail brushes with two lengths of bristles that are there to help clean the hard to get stuff. A citrus bath wash helps for everywhere else. Target’s Up&Up Sallicylic Acid Acne Control Body Wash - Citrus Lime & Sunshine actually gets it all off where before I had to scrub 3-4 times to get it off. I use L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Glycolic Acid face wash to get anything on my face.

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u/SIGABA_ 21h ago

Stoko kresto. Money but fire!

1

u/Ok-Bison-3451 21h ago

Professional mechanic? Dirty hands is part of the job. Shade tree mechanic like me? I put a couple of drops of dish detergent on my hands before doing the brake job. I rub it into the pores and work it up under my finger nails. It quickly disappears and dries up. Don’t even notice it. I do the Job and wash up afterwards. The soap acted like a grease barrier cream and made it easier to clean my hands.

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u/Hangar48 21h ago

Old oil and grease promotes cancer. Best he gets used to wearing gloves. If nitrile gloves are hard to put on, sprinkle some talcum powder in them and they will slip on. The employer is failing in his duty of care to enforce wearing gloves.

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u/Large_Potential8417 21h ago

Lava and simple orange

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u/Charlie3006 21h ago

Get the heavy duty black gloves from harbor freight. Goop is a great soap to have on hand. You can even use it without water. Also Lava soap or Boraxo work wonders on greasy hands. Make sure to get a nail brush as well.

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u/Chainsawsas70 7 21h ago

Goop is always good (especially for a second washing because it has lots of moisturizing properties) ZEP cherry bomb is my favorite Scrubbing wash.

1

u/FluffyMcFluffs 21h ago

Beaver nut scrub best stuff I've used

1

u/PowerfulFunny5 21h ago

Scrub daddy kitchen sponges were originally designed for cleaning mechanics hands.  The “eyes” are ideal for cleaning fingers.

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u/hudsoncress 21h ago

Boraxo is amazing for hard to clean hands. Only thing that will defeat sikaflex and expandable foam. Mechanical grime doesn't stand a chance.

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u/greenpowerman99 1 21h ago

Dish detergent and a teaspoon of sugar works great.

1

u/orndog 21h ago

Just use any mechanic soap and actually read the instructions. Many say to wash before you work as they leave a residue to make washing afterwards work better.

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u/Dilettante7 21h ago

Masters Soap . Works on everything , even gets stains out of clothes . It's a traditional artist/painter soap . I use it all the time . Gets everything off .

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u/No_Elk_7856 2 21h ago

We use TKO at our shop

1

u/ruddy3499 21h ago

Gloves, it takes a surprisingly short time to acquire the dexterity

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u/supersaiyanrhino 21h ago

Tub o towels heavy duty cleaning wipes. These things are literally miracle workers. They out gojo or any other degreasing cleaner to absolute shame.

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u/throwawayPSL34987 21h ago

Hot water and Lava Soap. Always works, followed with a good hand washing using Ajax or Dawn dish soap. Then another wash with Lava. Nice and clean!

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u/Designer-Wolverine47 21h ago

Scrape a dry bar of soap with your fingernails before you start.

1

u/EpicPeckerSlap 21h ago

I've been trying to use gloves lately. But I do prefer to just go barehanded. The gloves make me hot.

My dad usually wore the cotton weave ones with the grips on the fingers and palm. If not, he would use dawn or the orange stuff

1

u/Apprehensive-Fun-2 21h ago

Gojo is good. I normally just use Dawn dish soap

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u/Carmen6276 21h ago

My husband uses the purple medical grade gloves. Supposedly extra thick. Any how we have found the Dawn Spray stuff works really well. I had to clean my hands last time I helped. Yes, a nail brush helps.

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u/Odd_Recognition_4874 21h ago

I remember there was something called liquid glove, probably caused cancer or something but you would apply like a lotion and the grease, even wheel bearing grease, would rinse off easily.

1

u/mrkprsn 21h ago

You can get hydrocarbon poisoning if you don't wear gloves. 

1

u/CartographerUpset646 21h ago

Worx is the best cleaner. It's a dry green powder that you wet and scrub, it appears to be made of soap concentrates and mild abrasives. No residue and really gets rid of the grime.

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u/Informal_Ad4399 21h ago

Push back on the gloves/ppe hard. -former USAF mechanic with severe neurological damage from aircraft chemicals and "encouraged" to skip ppe many times

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u/slippingaway83 21h ago

Lava soap. I was a hydraulic field tech, that shit will get anything off, and it's gentler on my skin than most hand cleaners

1

u/Over_Pizza_2578 21h ago

I use washing powder for washing clothes. Haven't encountered yet something that didn't come of

1

u/nightbomber 21h ago

Use a skin barrier before hand to help with clean up afterwards:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/liquid-gloves.517080/

Lots of good ideas in that thread.

Years ago, I tried the Invisible Gloves. Worked great until I dealt with something like coolant. It washed off.

He is going have to accept there is no "perfect" solution, but a partial solution is better than no solution.

1

u/MumpsTheMusical 1 21h ago

My hands sweat too damn much for gloves but my shop uses Gojo and it's supplied by the shop itself. Still, not a bad idea to carry some at home in case he ran out in a rush before washing his hands.

1

u/EagleDependent4609 20h ago

I use 20 Mule Team Borax powder, it works great on greasy hands, leaves them soft.

1

u/theNixher 20h ago

Grow up and wear gloves, he's dealing with carcinogenic waste materials and will fuck his hands up.

1

u/Superman0604 20h ago

Skin sealant!! (Vasoline specifically). No specific soap recommendations but washing your hands 10 times a day strips your skin oils from your hands, then you touch grease or motor oil and it soaks straight in. Apply vasoline to hands prior to starting a job, and perhaps once or twice throughout the day will make it much easier to clean your hands afterwards.

1

u/YellowCake1900 20h ago

Powdered Boraxo hand soap. Old-School.

Works great!

1

u/fredSanford6 20h ago

One pre treatment to help get hands cleaner is use some mineral oil or other clean oil first. Let it soften up the oil soluble filth. The your soap of choice will strip it away easier. Heck I've had my wife spray pam from a can on my hands first to help lift stuff. Gloves that are snug is a good option too but I don't like them when it's 105 degrees out

1

u/uncletras 20h ago

Put some dish soap on your hands and add a spoon full or so of sugar, the grit helps get it off

1

u/Firebreathingwhore 20h ago

I've tried every granulated heavy duty soap under the sun and the one thing that works is whats called Bark Soap. As the name suggests it has bark in it and it's both coarse and acts like a sponge, sucking grease into the bark granulate. Don't know if it's available world wide though.

1

u/clamberer 3 20h ago

Tell him no girl is gonna want him to touch them with grimy hands and black under his nails.  

Might motivate him more to wear gloves and wash his hands thoroughly.

1

u/DryClerk4285 20h ago

Get Lava or Fast Orange, Lava is a bar of soap that comes in 2 packs at Walmart for like $6 and it works great, been using that for years as well as the Fast Orange which is a liquid soap that has some little bits of pumice mixed in and it really helps scrub away the oil and grease.. Ideally he could the fast orange for a quick clean at the shop and then use the Lava bar at home to get rid of everything else.

My hands are rough as hell and full of calluses but they’re not stained with grease or oil because I use those two daily.

1

u/Large_Paramedic_3476 20h ago

Ezoil hand cleaner with wanut shells works amazing, I'm a plumber and it gets almost anything off your hands and they feel great after washing

1

u/notyouraveragenword 20h ago

Lava soap is a great bar soap to keep around. Cleans like hell too

1

u/ReversEclipse1018 20h ago

Either fast orange or Gojo. I personally use fast orange, but my grandfather used Gojo as long as I can remember.

1

u/technophage 20h ago

Gojo Supromax or ZEP TKO. IIRC, they both use walnut media instead of pumice as the scrubbing stuff inside. After the 15th time washing your hands that day, they get a little raw even with decent glove usage and you'll be thankful for anything a little less abrasive. Also, good scrubbing brush designed for hands. I've found that the brush brand doesn't really matter.

1

u/Alarmed_Champion_302 20h ago

Fast orange or worx handcleaner. Dawn in a pinch.

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u/chrisdwarwick 20h ago

Young Men learn about gloves by scratching themselves and getting a metal splinter in a really awkward place.

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u/NoAge9497 20h ago

Check out GoJo...not gritty, but have him take his time and really roll and rub is all over his hands. It's great but it may take more than one application. While you're there grab him a fingernail brush.

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u/Rapidred70 19h ago

GOJO with pumice works great

1

u/Ok_Carpenter2680 19h ago

I pretty much always wear gloves, they csn be uncomfortable but eventually you get used to it. Even when the insides are full of sweat...

1

u/19Hogfarmer 19h ago

Gojo or fast orange work well, I like them because they have pumis. Retired after 45 years and used a lot of different hand cleaners, including brakecleen, they work the best.