Good cheap hand cleaner

[MontyVeda]

Washing up liquid with sugar, salt supposedly dissolves. Or whatever i can borrow from work. Started using orange work gloves a bit thicker than some cheap clear ones, they have a texture called tiger or fish grip to help.

sugar is just as likely to dissolve as salt is... but given the time it takes to scrub off some oil, i doubt either will.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

These days I mostly avoid having to clear oil/grease from hands by using nitrile gloves ...

... except extreme stupidity one ride when chain came off and stuck between frage and chainwheel and without thinking got my hands covered in grease so decided that to save bike I'd wipe my hands on my shirt (ruining that) and as they were still not very clean remembered nitrile gloves in my tools in my pannier so ended up wearing nitrile gloves over greasy hands to protect bike on rest of ride home. And to this day I cannot believe I didn't think of putting nitrile gloves on before fixing chain rather than after.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I use brake cleaner, just a bit to break down the worst of it. It doesn't seem to affect my skin (though I don't need to use it very much, and always rub my hands with moisturiser afterwards). You can get off-brand cans for a few quid

 

[Profpointy]

I use brake cleaner, just a bit to break down the worst of it. It doesn't seem to affect my skin (though I don't need to use it very much, and always rub my hands with moisturiser afterwards). You can get off-brand cans for a few quid

I don't know what solvent is in brake cleaner but I would check the label before using it as hand cleaner as some solvents are dodgy, eg some fierce shoe cleaning solvent I have included chloro benzene which really can't be good for you

Back when I did my A levels some 45 years ago we rarely used benzene (C6H6 in a ring structure) because it's somewhat carcinogenic, and usually substituted toluene instead. Toluene is basically benzene but with an extra methyl group (CH2) on it. It's very similar chemically but seemingly less carcinogenic. Our then newly qualified teacher said that at uni they'd wash their hands in benzene, but just a few years later it was rather deprecated for use in school, even for us 6th formers.

I do remember using benzene for the "nitrating" experiment as there was some concern that we might end up with tri-nitro-toluene rather than merely nitro-toluene as intended. Can't really see the issue as (a) TNT is exceedingly hard to set off, after all it can be fired out of a canon without detonating, and (b) I don't suppose tri-nitro-benzene is much less of an explosive had we somehow ended up with some of that in the mix

 

[Reynard]

I substitute used coffee grounds for the sugar.

Good call - if you drink coffee. Tea leaves, not so much...

 

[silva]

Between "public garbage" in city there's alot cotton fabric to find.
Best material to get hands clean, price zero.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Just wear gloves. Not the superthin latex sort. PU coated ones you can get at Screwfix for around £1.99. Pull inside out after use, to store gloves.