Hand Cleaner favorites

[Raisedonadeere]

I left my Go Jo wall mount dispenser behind during last move. Had it for 25 years so Go Jo was what I used. I liked the one handed gob I could get and not have to place greasy hands to hold stuff. I have terrible experience with bottle top dispensers, That Go Jo dispenser gave me a good gob every push, right into palm of my hand with a push from the heal of my hand. I see Go Jo doesn't sell the dispenser any more but Permatex has one that looks a bit fragile in pictures I see on Amazon.

So I decided I would ask here. I am into something messy about once or twice week, tractor, zero turn, truck or grand kids cars.

 

[noid]

I left my Go Jo wall mount dispenser behind during last move. Had it for 25 years so Go Jo was what I used. I liked the one handed gob I could get and not have to place greasy hands to hold stuff. I have terrible experience with bottle top dispensers, That Go Jo dispenser gave me a good gob every push, right into palm of my hand with a push from the heal of my hand. I see Go Jo doesn't sell the dispenser any more but Permatex has one that looks a bit fragile in pictures I see on Amazon.

So I decided I would ask here. I am into something messy about once or twice week, tractor, zero turn, truck or grand kids cars.

Coconut or cooking oil + normal hand soap.

https://rtstools.com/how-to-clean-greasy-hands-after-working-on-a-car/

Works better than industrial hand cleaners and is good for your skin.

 

[Raisedonadeere]

Thanks, that may be the way I go of I can come up with a convenient place for it to be permanently placed somewhere in my garage.

The convenience factor is an important part of what I am looking for. In my last garage, that GoJo fixture on the wall was just there to reach for whenever, and stayed there for years with a scrub brush on top right next to towel dispenser and trash.

I am thinking the coconut oil might go rancid after a while unless it is sealed up in a special dispenser. With heavy use like a professional mechanic you would go through the stuff fast enough for that not to matter. In my case I wouldn't use much more than a half gal in a year. Does the stuff stay good in a warm garage for a year?

 

[ZRX61]

Ya need this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082CZ8LSR/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[ChargerRT]

Man I have really been loving the Tub O Towels... One of them gets the majority off and I love that you don't need water.... Hit the ol mits with a tub o towel and then just go wash with regular soap in the house

 

[justintendo]

Stoko kresto handcleaner is my favorite by far...gets them very clean without drying out. You can also buy a dispenser and use that way, just like the gojo you are familiar with. I think it works much better tho.

 

[zmotorsports]

Man I have really been loving the Tub O Towels... One of them gets the majority off and I love that you don't need water.... Hit the ol mits with a tub o towel and then just go wash with regular soap in the house

This is what I have started doing the past couple of years at my home shop.

At work we use ZEP Cherry Bomb which works fantastic but better to rinse with water. I don't have running water in my shop plus the ZEP dispenser I had in my last shop always seemed to drip/leak and I had to continually wipe up the floor under it. I didn't want to deal with that in my new shop so I've been using the wipes in the buckets. I've used the Tub O' Towels as well as a couple of other brands that my local Bolt & Nut Supply carries and really like the cleanliness and convenience. Even really grimy hands can get clean with the wipes and then just wash normal once in the house.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I use dawn dish soap in the kitchen sink

 

[cjarvis]

Joe's Hand Cleaner for me. I've been using it for 30 or so years.

https://joeshandcleaner.com/products/joes-all-purpose-hand-cleaner/

 

[seber]

I use whatever hand cleaner I come across and add a dip in borax. It makes a big difference.

 

[icthruu74]

I’ve been using ‘fast orange’ hand cleaner and have been pretty happy with it. Buy it in the 1/2 gallon bottle with a pump.

 

[HeadsUp]

I use dawn dish soap in the kitchen sink

Agreed.

I remember years ago my kid was playing in a fresh asphalt patch out friends has just done to his driveway. What a mess! Used cooking oil for his young hands. Couldn't believe how well it worked.

 

[u2slow]

Dish soap most of the time... failing that, the Worx green, gritty powder stuff.

 

[charbar]

Work truck has Goop hand cleaner in it. Works great, comes in a tub though, not sure if you can use it in a wall dispenser or not.

In the shop I use Boraxo powdered soap or Cra-Z soap bars.

These three seem to be the best that Ive ever ran across, in no particular order.

 

[LDO]

I like Go-Jo as well but that Fast Orange stuff is pretty nice too.

 

[u2slow]

Fast Orange stuff is pretty nice too.

Ouch. I may as well wash my hands in brake-clean for what it does to my skin.

 

[Renegade1LI]

The extra benefit of hand sanitizer seems to be hand cleaner, couple of pumps with a paper towel & hands are clean.

 

[bwringer]

Dish soap most of the time... failing that, the Worx green, gritty powder stuff.

That Worx stuff is the best I've ever used by far. But holy flaming hopping hades, it is incredibly expensive stuff. I found a bunch on the shelf on clearance at a remote Walmart once a long time ago, but I ran out some time ago, and I can't bring myself to spend that kind of cash.

If you're running a Ferrari garage or something, then treat yourself to the best on the planet.


Dispenser, $55:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VG0XEWE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Three pound container, $55:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VNH5STG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

As it says on the bottle, a little goes a long way, and maybe the math works out, but...

 

[Big Bad Jon]

Cherry bomb works really well provided you can rinse

 

[Sumboodie]

Brody blue pumice.

I used Go Jo last night, got pissed as it didn't clean worth a ****, and threw it out.
Dug out the Brody and hands clean and not hurting from it drying out the skin.

Hard to explain but it's an awesome cleaner and like it has lotion in it too.

 

[hasco]

I like Gojo Orange W/Pumice.Orange Bar w/pumice,for light work.

 

[anino]

At some point in my career I developed an allergy to citrus based hand cleaners. Switched to soy based stuff from the local John Deere dealer. It's great stuff.

 

[MJK]

Stoko kresto handcleaner is my favorite by far...gets them very clean without drying out. You can also buy a dispenser and use that way, just like the gojo you are familiar with. I think it works much better tho.

Yup. It is way better than anything else I have tried.

 

[GrantCee]

I'm old school: Boraxo. Takes off everything, including Douglas Fir pitch. Cheap and available at any grocery store.

 

[Rinspeed]

I use dawn dish soap in the kitchen sink

Dawn soap and sugar works as well as anything.

 

[TRWham]

Cherry Bomb or NAPA orange in the shop, but I have used plain old sand in the field. My wife sometimes says my hands are rough- I wonder why?

 

[charbar]

Ouch. I may as well wash my hands in brake-clean for what it does to my skin.

You mean you don't use brakleen to clean up sometimes? That's a daily deal for me

 

[txvwnut]

This is what I've been using for the last 30 years, https://www.prosoap.com/
It takes everything off except skin and tattoos.

 

[dscheidt]

A question, which someone in this thread may know the answer to. When I was a kid, in the early 80s, my dad had hand cleaner that came in a tub. It was of about the consistancy of peanut butter, with some sort of grit (probably pumice). you scooped a bit out, rubbed it over your hands, and then washed it off. It worked very well. I remember the tub lasting forever, but it was probably a series of them, who knows. What might this have been.

 

[Indexmill]

Simple and cheap and hazardous in more ways than one: gasoline. But cheap.
Simple and cheap and safe: Dawn liquid dish detergent with a stainless steel scrubber.
Warm water. don't need no fancy, wancy stinking espensive cleaners.

 

[MitchL]

I have tried a lot of different ones over the years, Gojo cherry bomb, snap on, etc. but stumbled upon basic cheap washing machine powder a few years back by accident. (The cheaper the better it seems). This honestly works better than anything else I have ever used, and leaves your hand feeling soft and not dried out.

 

[rambler]

Mean Green hand cleaner

http://www.meangreen.ca/Products.html

 

[mr.lemons]

My Dad always used green Swarfega, so that's what I have always used. Are newer products better?

 

[macgee]

Borax powder bought at super market mixed with oxy dish soap. Its a nice abrasive that doesn't dry out hands and very effective compared to other pre made mechanic hand cleaners. I put it in a small plastic bottle, like the squeeze ketchup bottles at burger shops

And its cheap

 

[Skin]

Of the commercially available cleaners I havent used anything better than Kresto. Dawn or conventional hand soaps wont cut automotive greases and road grime without a lot of repeated scrubbing and a good brush. Most of the stuff you can find easily (GoJo) doesnt have enough pumice in it so it ends up more expensive since you need more of it. I rarely use more than a quarter sized blob of Kresto to clean filthy hands/arms.

 

[Isabella]

Joe's hand cleaner, I've been using it since couple of years and it works better than any other cleaners.

 

[Mgdoug3]

Until last week I just used Dawn. Went to a friend's shop and he had Snap-on Nitro Gold hand cleaner. It works better than anything I have tried. I told my friend to get me a bottle when the Snap-on driver comes around again. Dawn works well but I need a brush. With the Nitro Gold I just need a little water and all the dirt and grease comes right off.

 

[txvwnut]

A question, which someone in this thread may know the answer to. When I was a kid, in the early 80s, my dad had hand cleaner that came in a tub. It was of about the consistancy of peanut butter, with some sort of grit (probably pumice). you scooped a bit out, rubbed it over your hands, and then washed it off. It worked very well. I remember the tub lasting forever, but it was probably a series of them, who knows. What might this have been.

See my post or Ramblers post.

 

[dkroth]

A question, which someone in this thread may know the answer to. When I was a kid, in the early 80s, my dad had hand cleaner that came in a tub. It was of about the consistancy of peanut butter, with some sort of grit (probably pumice). you scooped a bit out, rubbed it over your hands, and then washed it off. It worked very well. I remember the tub lasting forever, but it was probably a series of them, who knows. What might this have been.

This it?

Dad used this when I was a kid.

.

 

[dkroth]

I worked at the corner garage during college. They had a product you rubbed into your hands before working on cars. It was supposed to help at cleanup time. I don't remember if it actually helped.

Anyone remember this?








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