Awesome Hand Cleaner: $30

[TNToy]

Okay, well I started my new job a bit back, and this brand new Toyota shop is great. 36 climate-controlled bays. Ceramic tile floors. Large built-in toolboxes, a service-cart, work benches, and overhead-storage in each bay. And all the diagnostic and service equipment you could possibly need.

But the hand cleaner they use is horrible. It's ridiculous. I seriously think Fast Orange is better, and for you shade tree guys who haven't used anything better, that stuff is... um... not so great. I found a place online that sells my favorite product (TKO, made by ZEP) for $20 per gallon. If you're using it by yourself, a gallon lasts a very long time.

There's one of two problems with most hand cleaners:
First is the abrasive; you can use pumice, which works well. It's sharp (duh, it's tiny jagged lava rocks...) But it scrubs really well. Small plastic beads work nearly as well, but are much easier on your hands.
Second is the de-greasing agent: A lot of the waterless or industrial products use a solvent, kinda like a mild carb cleaner or gasoline.

My new shop's stuff has a cleaner that's both pumice, AND solvent-based. Consequently, the guys go through Diamond-Grip gloves by the case. I can't stand working in gloves, so I work on a car, wash my hands, and repeat. I worked on 12 cars today, and probably scrubbed them clean 15-20 times. I mix 2 pumps of hand cleaner with 8 pumps of soap... and it's okay. But it doesn't really get your hands cleaned off - just clean enough to drive the car without soiling it.

We had a thread on here a while back on hand cleaners, and I mentioned how much I love TKO. A couple of other professional grease-monkeys chimed in and agreed completely. It's got plastic-beads as the scrubbing agent, and some seriously effective detergent mixed in with some moisturizers to get your hands squeaky clean without leaving them red and dry.

So this is the stuff:


And here's where I found it for $20 a jug:
http://kscdirect.com/item/ZEP%2BTKO/...HAND%2BCLEANER

I bought 2 jugs for $51.72 (including $11.70 shipping).

Okay, great. Now I need to dispense it. They have an expensive wall-mounted bracket, but all you need is a bigger version of the pump on that bottle of SoftSoap your wife keeps near the sink. So I bought 3 of them (one for work, one for home, and a spare) off eBay for $14.92 each, shipped. Just go search for "gallon jug pump".

So for a total of $66.64 I'm set at home and at work for at least 6 months. If anyone out there is looking for something GOOD in the hand-cleaner department, this stuff is it. I used it over a dozen times a day in my old shop, my hands were spotless, and they weren't irritated or dried out. If you only wanted one jug and a pump dispenser, it'd be what? $30? Not too bad for a Sam's-Club size jug.

I'll let you guys know how all this works out if/when everything shows up.

[pearltsi]

I have this stuff in my shop at work. Its great. My hands and/or arms are always covered in grease or oil

[TNToy]

I know. I want it back... Badly enough to pay $60 for soap.

[kartracer55]

Ever try mean green? The Meangreen "Power scrubber" is their top of the line stuff. Its around 20$ for a tub but it lasts forever and it uses micro scrubbing beads. The rep told me that the beads are all sized so that they can fit into the cracks of your skin, its awesome. Im interested in this ZEP TKO stuff now, I was told about it but have never tried it.

And I use fast orange after I wash my hands with a heavy scrubber because fast orange has moisturizers in it... in the winter 10 or so hand washings will beat the hell out of your skin.

[bmwpower]

Cool! I could use something like that. I've been using the orange stuff for a while, but in the winter it's really painful since my hands are dry before I even enter the garage.

How high is the jug? Does it pour? I'm thinking of putting it another container cause I'd rather not have a gallon jug sitting on my sink. If it's the right height I could probably fit it behind my sink.

[TNToy]

Off the top of my head... between 12"-16" tall. I'll measure it when it arrives, if you like.

Doesn't pour all that well. In my old shop, the pump dispenser broke over 2 years ago. The guys all poured a little out (and a lot on the floor) and used it that way. I got pissed one day and lopped the ends off of a bad sway-bar link I was replacing...

So I had a 1/2" steel bar that was 18" long. I tossed that in there. When you needed some, you just used the rod like a dipstick, wiped it off in your palm, and dropped it back in the jug. Worked great as long as the bottle was over 1/4 full.

[jay50]

$20 for hand cleaner WTF?...well, maybe you can afford it with the shop rates Toyota charges per hour for repair...LOL

I'll stick to my go-jo,,, cheaper price and does the job....

[bmwpower]

Originally Posted by jay50

$20 for hand cleaner WTF?...well, maybe you can afford it with the shop rates Toyota charges per hour for repair...LOL

I'll stick to my go-jo,,, cheaper price and does the job....

Yea, you ever see those "Misc Shop Supply" charges? lol.

[TNToy]

Go price a GALLONof that crap you're using because you don't know any better. I bet it's ony $5-10 cheaper. And TKO is worth every penny.

If $20 for hand cleaner freaks you out, you've clearly never spent $45 on one tool-truck brand socket. See, you still have some perspective...

[Franz©]

I'll just keep usin the little woman's Dawn dishsoap and a packet of sugar. Damn I'm makin money every time I wash my hands.

[PAToyota]

Might have to check that out. My hands get dry, cracked, and sore on a good day in the winter - without setting foot in the shop and the subsequent orange goop cleanup...

[Kevin54]

I'll just keep usin the little woman's Dawn dishsoap and a packet of sugar.

Never heard of the sugar deal but I also use Dawn. Works really well. The orange stuff cleans, but I end up getting cracks in my fingers from drying out that feels like razor blade slices. I like Boraxo. I work on dies and wash my hands probably 15-20 times daily. Boraxo, even though abrasive, does not dry my hands out. It gets the grease out completely. GoJo is great but I hate the solvent smell it has. But I keep GoJo in the garage where I don't have running water to clean my hands before I head to the house to wash up.

[bmwpower]

Do they make a container smaller than a gallon? There's gotta be other places that sell this stuff...

BTW, my price shows up as $23.53. Shipping for me is $13.72.

[amwalker]

Ask around some local shops, some/most are seen by a local Zep representative. That's how I was able to get some, from the rep that stopped by our shop.

[PAToyota]

From the Zep website, the gallon container is the smallest - although they can provide you with a 55 gallon drum!

They do mention a case of sample packs of some sort, but not sure on the size...

[Freejack]

What about good ole fashioned GOOP? I still find that to be one of the most cost effective degreasers.

Jake

[joa65]

We use Kresto at work. I think it works great.

[sethbriancollins]

i love scrubs
its like babie wipes with abrasive in it.
works really well for me without runing water in the garage on on job sites.
they also scrub white walls to perfection...

[kbs2244]

Like Franz, I use dishwashing soap. Not dishwasher soap. The stuff meant for people hand washing dishs. It is meant to cut grease but still be kind to your skin. And it is a whole lot cheaper.
I trick I learned by accident a long time ago is that after you wash your hands, use some cheap hand lotion, and work it in. I tried it because of chapped skin, but I noticed the lotion was desolving the grease down in the creases. The white lotion was turning gray. I washed it off and repeated. Hands came out both cleaner and softer. Clean enough to go to a wedding the next day with out being embaressed. While you are at it, work it under your fingernails. It will soften that stuff up so it will come out with a brush.
I use it after dinner while watching the TV news. Just keep rubbing it in. It will dry a bit, but still wash off real well after they sign off.

[Fedwrench]

We use Zep Cherry Bomb at work. It's great once you get used to the cherry scent. You may want to look at getting a tub of scrubs or some other type of hand cleaner wipe. They're great if you only need a quick clean up.