Thread: Update on a good hand cleaner request

There was a thread about 4 years ago asking for recommendations for a good liquid/paste hand cleaner.
I'm just wondering if anyone can do the same for stuff currently available.

I'm just about at the end of a 5 litre pump pack of liquid Solvol which I will not be buying again as its really only good for hands that are not very dirty. Plus the supplied pump keeps clogging up and has to be disassembled every couple of weeks and cleaned out. If I used it every day it might be ok, but its mainly only weekend use. Even so, surely it cant be that hard to supply a pump that will last to the end of the container.

I also don't want anything with micro beads in it. Pumice is fine.

So any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Peter

G'day Peter
That might have been a thread that I put up. The current one I'm using is a ChemTools hand cleaner. It was good enough that I recently bought another bottle of it -
https://www.chemtools.com.au/product...-hand-cleaner/

There is also a mint version. Apparently the same thing but with different colour/ fragrance.

Michael

PS - they do a 500ml bottle. I decant into that from the larger container. No clogged pump to worry about.

Thanks for the info Michael.
What sort of price is it?
There is a reseller about 100 metres from where I work so I'll probably buy some after xmas.
peter

Lately (last couple of years) I have been using small bottles from Supercheap. Yeh it works reasonably well but it is not as good as Protectalene. This stuff was really good for grease, oil and even paint (Turps based). No one up this way sells it anymore. It did get a little dear but it worked so well.....lament

Originally Posted by bollie7

What sort of price is it?

A 5 litre bottle is around $40; a 500ml squeeze bottle is $7.50 (SA Alltools)

Michael

Original thread was https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t200...s-hand-cleaner

At the steam depot (where it's possible to get unbelievably dirty, just ask my better half) we use Septone Protecta Grit hand cleaner. I use the same stuff at home, it makes the difference between being allowed in for tea at night and having to sit at the back door whining...

It comes in a 20 kg drum and you can use a normal drum pump to dispense it. It shifts the most recalcitrant heavy greases and soot.

Hi Guys,

FWIW I use "Swarfega" 500 ml pump bottle from supermarket ! If I need something a little stronger I dip my fingers into the wife’s washing powder !

I’ve been using Lightning Scubber.
They do a version without the pumice too.
A 4kg tin lasts about a year for me. I just leave the lid on loosely and running the fingers of one hand across the goop is usually enough to wash both with.


https://www.totaltools.com.au/2741-l...d-cleaner-390i

Steve

I often end up washing my hands sometimes 5-6 times a day and find I can't use strong soaps as the wrecks my "thin" skin so I use Glitz Hand wash from Bunnings, $30 for 5L.
It contains orange oil which is a good solvent for grease/oil.
For really ingrained dirt I keep a bar of Solvol on hand but only use that say once at the end of the day.
Another trick is to get half a lemon and crush the skin up so the oils come out.
Between the oils and the citric acid this really gets the black out from under the skin and around the nails.

Increasingly I'm using some form of glove which also helps

I can really reccomend rather than an aggressive hand cleaner I use a Wurth hand protecting cream. I work on filthy stuff and it really makes washing off easy. Need to wash off and reapply after a couple of hours but is good stuff.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

I use Septone Protecta pink.

Zep products work well. If You have Them over there.

If you know anyone into making bio-diesel, beg them for some glycerine. It is a byproduct of soapmaking and bio-diesel production. Wet your hands with water, shake most of it off, then just add a small amount of glycerine and rub around fingers and finger nails to loosen the crud. Rinse off for really clean hands and soft too like a baby's bottom. Apparently soap makers remove the naturally occurring glycerine from the soap that they make, and sell it to the cosmetics industry, it's a high value product.

I bought a 1L bottle of pharma gradeglycerine back in early 2020 when I was making hand sanitzer and still have most of it - so I might give it a go.
I think I paid about $30 for it but it can be had a bit cheaper $25/L these days, or $40 for 5L, that's for Pharma grade stuff - I wouldn't use it otherwise..
Most of the glycerine I've seen is usually made from Canola or Soya beans.

Originally Posted by BobL

I bought a 1L bottle of glycerine back in early 2020 when I was making hand sanitzer and still have most of it - so I might give it a go.
I think I paid about $30 for it but it can be had a bit cheaper $25/L these days, or $40 for 5L, that's for Pharma grade stuff - I wouldn't use it otherwise..
Most of the stuff I've seen id usually made from Canola or Soya bean oil.

G'day Bob, I remember that my mother had a jar of the stuff for years, it was like clear honey in appearance, clear as water, while the stuff that I have used is like soy sauce in colour and like runny honey in viscosity, somewhat thinner than my mothers jar as I recall. I never had anything to do with mums glycerine unfortunately, and have no idea of what became of it. Although strongly coloured, the stuff I have doesn't stain at all and washes away very easily. Give yours a try, I think that you'll be surprised at just how good it is.