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Powdered hand cleaners

sikeward

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Feb 10, 2012
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Only on garage journal can a topic about powdered hand cleaners be started and taken seriously.

For years now I have used gritty girl powdered hand cleaner. My wife had bought me a case of it probably 10 yrs ago and anyway as I'm on my last bottle. So I went to order more only to find out the company is out of business. So now the search begins as to who make the best hand cleaner. What I liked about gritty girl was it is a powder, cleaned excellent, and left no smell or residue. Plus the volcanic cash that is was made up of left your hands feeling smooth and refreshed.

So I amazoned searched and found boraxo and worx hand cleaners. Both get good reviews but I thought I'd as here before make a choice.
 
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James-W

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Southeastern Wisconsin
Only on garage journal can a topic about powdered hand cleaners be started and taken seriously.

For years now I have used gritty girl powdered hand cleaner. My wife had bought me a case of it probably 10 yrs ago and anyway as I'm on my last bottle. So I went to order more only to find out the company is out of business. So now the search begins as to who make the best hand cleaner. What I liked about gritty girl was it is a powder, cleaned excellent, and left no smell or residue. Plus the volcanic cash that is was made up of left your hands feeling smooth and refreshed.

So I amazoned searched and found boraxo and worx hand cleaners. Both get good reviews but I thought I'd as here before make a choice.
Not sure about powdered cleaners, I would think anything "gritty" would work OK.

I have been using some "orange" cleaner that is a thick liquid and not a powder, but it works really well. A buddy of mine got it from where he works, they order it by the case and the company lets the people that work there buy a can for the price they paid for it. It does make your hands smell a little like oranges, but I don't find that to be objectionable. The smell wears off fairly quickly anyway.
 

tjdux

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Not sure about powdered cleaners, I would think anything "gritty" would work OK.

I have been using some "orange" cleaner that is a thick liquid and not a powder, but it works really well. A buddy of mine got it from where he works, they order it by the case and the company lets the people that work there buy a can for the price they paid for it. It does make your hands smell a little like oranges, but I don't find that to be objectionable. The smell wears off fairly quickly anyway.
Sounds comprable to fast orange which is availible at walmart and probably elsewhere. It's what i use and it works pretty good for most stuff. Plus its available in small and large bottles so you could get a little one to test if you like it.

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tjdux

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Sounds comprable to fast orange which is availible at walmart and probably elsewhere. It's what i use and it works pretty good for most stuff. Plus its available in small and large bottles so you could get a little one to test if you like it.

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Also its located with the automotive stuff at walmart not with other soaps or household cleaners

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Sawdustmaker

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I use "GOJO", picked it up at HD. Has pumice in it, thick with a mild orange scent. Works well and washes right off and doesn't make your hands smell like orange. Boroxo is just that, powdered Borax and has been around a long time and works really well.
 

gungatim

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west mich
if you do a search on here for the original gritty girl thread, I believe I posted my recipe. I make powdered hand cleaner myself, same as what you can buy. super simple and the best I have used.

Gritty Guy hand cleaner:
2/3 Borax – available at Walmart in soap aisle
1/3 Soap – microwave 1/3 of a bar until it bloats like a huge marshmallow, let it cool and grind it up.
Add 1/3 ground bar of pumice (cheap pumice bar from Walmart personal care aisle near foot care) I just put it between some newspapers and beat it with a mallot, then crush with a rolling pin.

you can make a huge supply at once, or just a little. store in whatever container you like, I use a plastic tumbler with a salad shaker lid...

or just use Boraxo and add some pumice.
BORAXO – original powdered hand soap
60-75% Borax (Sodium Borate Decahydrate)
40-25% soap (possibly 2 kinds “Fatty Acid Salts” Unsaturated (dry))
 

billspit

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SC
Wow, that just caused a flashback. I remember using it when I had a summer job in a textile mill back in 1971-1972. I now just use the cheapest Gojo there is.
 

jimgood

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Marshall, VA
Wow. I read the thread title to be "powered" hand cleaner. I was expecting to see some kind of machine you stick your hands in that scrubs them. :lol_hitti
 

bwringer

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Indianapolis
Worx hand cleaner is amazing stuff. More effective than any other I've tried, non-stinky, gentle, and easy on your plumbing.

It is somewhat expensive. However, it's a very "fluffy", lightweight powder, and you only need a very small amount, so it lasts far longer than you would think.

Unless you fail to warn a guest they only need a little, and they proceed to dump half the bottle down the drain... they really ought to put a better cap on the bottles that allows more control.

I really, really hate pumice hand cleaners. I can't ever seem to get all the grit off, and I really don't want that stuff contaminating the things I work on. And it can be brutal on your hands if you have to wash up several times a day.
 

nh_yota

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Seacoast New Hampshire
I've had good luck with Lava soap and Goop hand cleaner. I use the bar of Lava when I need the pumice to work the grime off my hands and I use Goop when I need to get something oily off my hands. Of course I don't use them every day so I don't know how prolonged use would affect my hands. I will tell you that whatever soap is used in my office bathroom can strip the paint off a bridge.
 

6PTsocket

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I am happy with my latest cleaner, Gojo Cherry Gel. It comes in a 1 gal. Pump bottle that sits on the counter. It has pumice on in it and a pleasant cherry smell. The white creamy stuff, in 1 lb jars, I used to use always seemed to break down into a liquid and had a petroleum product smell. I only vaguely remember powdered hand cleaners.

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WhiskeyRanger

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Boraxo. We use it in the plant by the case. Also good as a traction aid when trying to drive a PIV through pools of oil on a smooth concrete floor!
 

nes999

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IL
I might have to try that gritty girl.

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Corndoggeh

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Personal fan of fast orange, same stuff as all the other orange scented (gojo, orange goop, etc). I get a certain one that has aloe or some kind of moisturizer in it, I forget the name, but it helps keep the skin from cracking if I am constantly needing to use it. I buy the 1 gallon jug at oreilly for like $12 and it lasts me quite a while.
 

PFSard

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I found three five pound boxes of Boraxo in a dumpster. Works well. I probably wouldn't have even considered a powdered cleaner otherwise. Contrary to my initial thoughts on trying the stuff that it would dry out or damage my skin, it actually softened my hands.
 

MarkG

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Elgin, IL
Dawn dish detergent works fine without wet-sanding off a layer of skin. For grease/oil, you can actually just rub in some olive oil or vegetable oil first to loosen it up and then use the Dawn to wash it all off. Much easier on your hands, probably cheaper too.
 

seanc_mt

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Dawn dish detergent works fine without wet-sanding off a layer of skin. For grease/oil, you can actually just rub in some olive oil or vegetable oil first to loosen it up and then use the Dawn to wash it all off. Much easier on your hands, probably cheaper too.

After years of trying everything, I started doing this 3 years ago. Haven't found anything better than Dawn.
 

sberry

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We tried other detergents, the yellow Ajax worked well, the Dawn works well, lemon Joy works, cheap creamy lemon stuff didn't. The Ajax is the cheapest, we been trying to figure out a decent pump as its so easy to use way too much especially with a full bottle. Sometimes I pour half in to a used bottle, that helps.
 
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sikeward

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Wow I can't believe you found it somewhere. I'm going to call and see if I can order some. They must have old stock or something because the website for GG. Doesn't exist anymore.
 

vtcat

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Nov 12, 2015
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Northern Vermont
It is a liquid but the best I have tried in 40 years is Kresto,it has walnut shells in it.
Very easy on your hands.I use a little soap when rinsing to make sure it all releases.
 

gungatim

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west mich
It is a liquid but the best I have tried in 40 years is Kresto,it has walnut shells in it.
Very easy on your hands.I use a little soap when rinsing to make sure it all releases.

interesting about the walnut shells, I may try that instead of pumice. I've got a big bag of "lizard litter" from the pet store, which is just ground up walnut shells I used some for cleaning used brass...much easier to grab some already ground walnut shells than grinding a foot pumice stone...will report back how it works in a couple weeks...
 

Schurkey

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How about plain ol' powdered laundry detergent?

Tide, Arm & Hammer, etc.

Works fine. Needs to be thoroughly rinsed. Extremely inexpensive.

Does a damn good job of cleaning concrete, too.
 

DGersic

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DeKalb, IL
I've tried a bunch of soaps over the years, Gojo, Lava, Orange whatever. Most of them don't work for me. Boraxo works.

What works even better is the extra thick Nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight. If your hands don't get dirty, cleanup is a breeze.




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jimreed2160

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Tallahassee FL
Dawn dish detergent works fine without wet-sanding off a layer of skin. For grease/oil, you can actually just rub in some olive oil or vegetable oil first to loosen it up and then use the Dawn to wash it all off. Much easier on your hands, probably cheaper too.

Here is another vote for Dawn. I wash up at the kitchen sink because it is right next to the shop. For that ground in grease, I use the handy scotchbrite pad on really dirty areas. So far, my hands are very clean and my wife has not found out that I am using her kitchen sponge on my greasy mitts.
 

scooby074

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Nova Scotia
Worx is a great product.

Kresto is excellent.

So is Zep Reach.

But probably the best Ive used is SO Nitro Gold. Its very good and easier for me to get than Kresto or Reach.
 

kj_mustang

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Harrisonburg, VA
Any brand Borax powder mixed with a little Tide powder detergent will take any grease off. My Granddad thought me this mix back in the 70's.
 
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