How do you wash your hands?

After a sharpening session or few hours of handles making, my hands looks super dirty. And no mater how hard and long I'll wash them, they still look dirty. Soap doesn't helps at all. I can see some effect from rubbing fingers with pumice, but it also doesn't fully help. Tried using acetone and alcohol — they help with removing any oil/glue residues, but doesn't help in cleaning dust from sharpening. Also it seems nearly impossible to fully clean all the dirt from under the nails.

I get a lot of strange looks in the office, because people tend to expect clean hands from programmers.
So are there any secrets? Or just spend more time rubbing soap into body?

 

When I sharpen or do any dirty work I use a couple of different hand cleaners by Swarfega, one is the original green goop and the other is a citrus one with granules in it for tough cleaning, I also use this with a stiff nail brush to get the muck from under my nails

 

I use Permatex Fast Orange


Jon Broida (Japanese Knife Imports) sells some soap that I've been meaning to try.

http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/jki-soap.html

 

Have you tried baby wipes? I'm serious, they work rather well.

Also could you wear Nitrile gloves or something like that without safety issues?

 

Lava soap and a nail brush.

 

I expect clean hands out of my line cooks. I buy nail brushes by the dozen and pass them out like Mardi Gras.

 

If my hands are really bad, I just use a soapy wet rag. It helps with abrasion. My hands don't have to be spotless either though, as long as they aren't gross.

 

Nail brushes are mandatory. They're stiff bristled, and you run them horizontally in a buffing motion parallel to your fingers, so the bristles run up under your nails.

Even when building or tearing down engines, a good nail brush with a proper soap does the trick. Sharpening swarf, and even grinding does doesn't stand a chance.

 

+1

 

Thanks for advices! I failed to find any of suggested solutions locally so gonna order Lava soap and nail online and see from there.
Also been talking to Marko Tsourkan and asked him the same question. His reply was that after polishing of blades, metal swarf can stay on his hands for days.

 

+1 to the JKI soap from Jon. Works exceptionally well.

 

I might have to try the JKI soap. Lava soap will get rid of grunge, but it's not exactly kind to your skin.

 

Another fan of Jon's soap.

 

I'm going to second using nitrile gloves, when it's safe to do so. I don't use them if I'm working with a machine, but any gluing, hand sanding, or sharpening I typically wear nitrile gloves.

 

Here is a neat little trick I have found. My hands also get quite dirty to the point where they won't come clean no matter how long, hard or what I scrub them with. When this happens and I want them clean I rub neutra genna hand lotion into them and then immediately put on a pair of nitrile or rubber gloves. If you can get some thin cotton gloves put them on first then the rubber gloves. In an hour take off the gloves an was your hands they will be significantly cleaner. The time in the glove can be adjusted to whatever it takes to get your hands clean.

 

Thanks Bill! Neutrogena was the only suggested solution that I was able to find locally. Gonna try it while waiting for Lava soap to arrive from US.

 

I'd stop using acetone as well, it can have severe long term effects with continued use

 

These days I rarely use any acetone. Mostly for removing residues of glue on blades after using painters tape.