Same Orange Swarfega here

I use this stuff… I get it through work, it works really well

http://www.bacasafety.com/shop/product.aspx?title=Veltuff+Honeytub+Hand+Cleaner+Wipes+-+150+wipes++-+(3+Ltr)&i=26398&c=Paper%20Towels,%20Rolls%20&%20Cloths

Steve

Wife hates the smell of Swarfega, I use Manista which meets with her approval

Swarfega Orange. The green stuff was/is awful!

While we're talking about Swarfega, I've had a tub in the kitchen cupboard for years (forget to use it) which has now turned to liquid. Any ideas why and if I can return it to its semi-solid state.

Gary

Liquid hand soap and sugar. (A bit kinder on the skin than washing up liquid despite what the adverts claim!)

Gordon.

Before starting to get my hands dirty in the workshop, I rub in some barrier cream. It really does prevent getting your hands too hard to clean afterwards. Most of the time I could get away with using soap and water, but just to make sure, I usually clean off with De-Solv It beaded hand cleaner before the soap. It is petroleum free so doesn't take all the oil out of your skin. Got it off eBay, but I think Kleenezee or one of those type of outfits sell it.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

WD40 then a sloosh in a bucket of water and dishwashing soap that I keep in the shed.

Lidl's W5 heavy duty hand cleaner is excellent. It removes all sorts of muck from the hands including some that Swarfega will not even "look at" such as paint, hardened Isopon etc. . After I have got the muck off with the W5 I then use ordinary soap and water to finish the job so that I can be allowed into the house again!

I always try to wear nitrile disposable gloves in the workshop. Not perfect, they do tear, but with the use of talcum powder to put them on I can get a few uses out of one pair. If you do go this route, don't try to save money by getting latex ones. The first time you turn the cross slide handle they'll just wind themselves around it.

I have never understood the very common notion that sugar added to soap of washing up liquid etc. has any beneficial effect in cleaning hand. Perhaps it is the initial gritty feel of the sugar granules that give the impression that it is a good cleansing agent. Sugar is readily soluble in warm water and as far as I know has no solvent action on oil and grease.

No doubt someone may be able to explain the reason why sugar is used in this way.

Eric

In days of yore, ie BME, I used to do all my own car maintenance and generally got rather mucky. A quick jam of the old digits into the boss's washing machine powder, a drop or three of H2O and off all the muck came. Then I discovered Swarfega – the green version – which I think is probably better for the hands than detergent powder.

I find that Swarfega along with a scrubbing brush – as long as it is a decent stiff one, and not a namby-pamby ladies gentle skin tickler one – does the job satisfactorily.

Recently, Aldi had a pack of disposable latex gloves going remarkably cheap. Perhaps as well because it would be remarkably easy to damage three or four a day. I've now, after only a few days gone back to bare hands.

I did find with these gloves that they became extremely slippery once they came into contact with cutting fluid or oil. Ok, it wiped off easily, but in the end, I'm not convinced.

I've also used paraffin to get the really deeply engrained stuff off, WD40 if it happens to sticky stuff or methylated spirit for Araldite, and sometimes white spirit/turpentine for paint. I've even used that horrible solvent for Hammerite paints. But, these days I do wonder just what damage these items are doing to the skin so I can't really recommend any of them. Of course, after using these liquids I usually have a good handwash with good old soap and water. Perhaps the answer may be to reserve the gloves for use with the worst of these solvents.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

(BME – Before Model Engineering)