[oldred]

Originally Posted by jimfulco

Fast Orange and Goop/GoJo irritate my hands sorta like poison ivy, so I use WD-40.

WD40!

About 10 years ago there was one of those "urban legend" things got started here about WD40 and Arthritis, seems someone came up with the idea that rubbing WD40 on stiff swollen joints would bring relief (I suppose they figured if it would loosen up a rusty metal hinge why not finger joints? ). Well what happened was several people got very sick from doing this by rubbing the stuff on multiple parts of their bodies. There was quite an uproar over it with several newspaper articles written about the dangers of doing this. Seems that the very same properties of the stuff that make it penetrate rust so well will also make it easily penetrate the skin. Most people tend to think of WD40 as a lubricant but it is not, it is a very powerful solvent that will be readily absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream. One doctor who had treated several of these people explained in one of the newspaper articles that once absorbed this solvent will travel to all parts of your body and can damage various organs but the liver is especially susceptible. He said that when absorbed over large areas of the body the short term effects would be kidney damage and one of those $10 words I can't recall that was used to describe a blood disorder that could also result, he went on to say that even small exposures over time could lead to liver damage. This is not to say that WD40 is dangerous, it is not when used for the purpose it is meant for but just as with any other solvent don't rub it on your skin and limit exposure to the the very minimum. I would strongly discourage anyone from using WD40 as a hand cleaner, it is not meant to be used for this purpose and apparently can be dangerous to do so. The argument then, as it probably will be now, for the safety of doing this was to point at the low toxicity of the product as determined by the MSDS and it is true that WD40 is a relatively safe product as far as being only a mild toxin and no one should worry about it's normal use, BUT! As was pointed out then the exposure when intentionally rubbed on the skin is far in excess of any testing done except for the LD50 ratings (The size of the dose that would be lethal in 50% of cases) so the MSDS means very little when exposure is this great.



You list Fast Orange, Goop and GoJo together but Fast Orange is different than the other two. While Goop and GoJo are well known for causing the problems you described (I know first hand about that!) the Fast Orange contains Lanolin that will condition the skin and no harsh solvents, I have been told but do not know for a fact, that GoJo contains kerosene. Have you tried the smooth formula Fast Orange? The pumice formula will cause some problems and is the reason I switched to the smooth type which actually helped my hands heal, this stuff is almost as good as a hand lotion.

[Kevin45]

Used to use Fast Orange but it would dry my hands out to where they would crack at the edge where the fingernails meet the thumbs. I am a Tool & Die Maker and do die repair on a daily basis, so I constantly have to wash my hands to get rid of grease. I use Boraxo powdered hand soap. No cracking, no drying out, and no stained hands.

[oldred]

Kevin, I have had just the opposite result with the smooth formula Fast Orange, were you using the pumice type? I suppose any solvent type hand cleaner would cause drying if used often enough, even Fast Orange, and I would think a tool and die maker would use quite a bit of it.


Also the Orange version of the GoJo, smooth or pumice, will cause drying of the skin because it is basically just regular GoJo and not the same as Fast Orange.

[n-gin]

I use MAGIC. It is by far superior to gojo, reach, DL, fast orange, lave, boraxo, or any other hand cleaner I have used in the past.
It has pumice and does not leave a residue on your hands. Even gets out the black grease between the figer prints. Does not dry out your hands either, and I work on Salt trucks with calcium.

[Irelands child]

I think that I've used about every formula from gasoline, kerosene, thinner, Palmolive dish detergent, DL, GoJo, Lava. Now I'm using Fast Orange (don't read the ingredient label though - a bunch of unpronounceable chemicals). This stuff seems to really work without drying my hands too badly tho my wife complains........(oops that's more information then you need to know ) ). Then after clean up, the Gold Bond - usually a couple of applications. May not be silk purse smooth, but for sure not like a piece of 40 grit .

Dave W

[Kevin45]

Also the Orange version of the GoJo, smooth or pumice, will cause drying of the skin because it is basically just regular GoJo and not the same as Fast Orange.

Okay...my bad. I just went to the garage and looked as I have a gallon of the same here. It is the GoJo Orange. It and the regular GoJo tears my hands up. Same with the D&L Hand cleaner. The Boraxo has never hurt my hands. If I use the GoJo once or twice, it will dry out around the cuticles and crack. Also it will crack on the ends of my thumbs. And that gets as sore as running a razor blade through them. But at work I have a dispenser on the wall by our sink, and probably once or twice per hour and maybe more my hands get washed. Not because of a disorder of any type, but with phone answering, paperwork, computer programs, restrom breaks, lunch, etc. I don't like leaving anything greasy and most jobs require dexterity to where you can't always have gloves on. But I do keep a box of latex gloves by the solvent tank. the older I get the more I am concerned about solvents, etc. But anyways, I am pretty well sold on the Boraxo. For what I do, it's probably the best that I have found so far.

[Mr.NutCase]

I have mixed Fast Orange with GoJo, it took all the grease off and my hands were not dry,
I like GoJo, it like purple, I bought 3 years ago, It was good, I hope they still make it, Have you tried permatex hand cleaner, it sucks, the one they sell at Autozone for one buck.

[fordmana1]

I use Dawn dishwater detergent full strength. It's a degreaser formulated for dishes but when used full strength works great on your hands. Just drizzle it on one palm rub it in ,then add a little water to make a little suds and rinse.Even works good on paint residue. If I get paint on my hands I'll wash it off with paint thinner which will leave a little paint film and your hands dry.Wash them with Dawn and they will be smooth and clean.

[HalfOunce]

After getting greasy i use Joe's (kinda smells like banana taffy to me) or dawn dish soap & a nail brush...(available @ any dollar store) When doing body work and time to wash i use either dawn or just reg bar soap. I don't like to use the joe's or gojo goop etc.. when doing body work, it leaves a residue that would not be paint friendly.

[carsavvycook]

Originally Posted by CDJr

Outta instinct I almost threw a couple jokes out there, oldred lol. That is til I remembered this stuff that a friend of mine who runs a print shop here gave my wife. It was similar to Fast Orange, which is what I use, but it was definitely smoother with no grit. He gave it to her cuz she told him about some "unremoveable" stain in a nice shirt and shed tried everything on it but he assured her itd get it out. And he was definitely right. So I used it for cleaning my hands (once I found out where shed hidden it) and I can honestly say I never found anything it wouldnt remove. I cant remember the name of it cuz it was many years ago, but Im sure if ya called a couple of print shops theyd tell ya, cuz there aint much thats harder to remove than printers ink

Does Tarkelp come to mind? This is my lifetime favorite hand cleaner. It even took off the fishy smell from using live bait, or cleaning and filleting my catch.
I have found my cut's do not heal quickly with the "Orange" products, and I prefer the Napa brand #1505 with pumice for cleaning and healing.

[scrot]

Have you tried permatex hand cleaner, it sucks, the one they sell at Autozone for one buck.

I tried some of that stuff. It's in a purple tube.
It was heavily, and I mean heavily advertised a few years ago as the new hi-tech way to clean your hands.
You don't use water. You just squirt a dab into your hand and rub your hands together.
It is some kind of polymer that sticks to the grime which then you rub off.
That's the way it's suppose to work. In reality you have to use 3x the recommended amount, and even then it doesn't work very well.

[Docc]

I busted up my neck..and back and most other stuff Pitching in Dec ( I used to be an ACTIVE pitching coach)..

I got a guy working on my roof..good old boy from Tennesee..

I have ..Goop..Orange cleaners..Lava..you name it..

Uh..nope...

Gasoline...er...gazoline..only thing he'll use..uh..saw him smokin' a cig while cleanin' up..lucky I have 5 acres..cause when he flames..he'll never make it to the garage...

[460beast]

after reading the wd40 post I guess I wont use brake parts cleaner anymore...

[malc]

When I was sheetmetalling we could go to the stores and get a green jelly to rub into our hands.
It stopped grease and muck penetrating the skin making washing up after
work a breeze.
No need for hand cleaners just regular soap.

[oldred]

Originally Posted by 460beast

after reading the wd40 post I guess I wont use brake parts cleaner anymore...

This is true for any petroleum solvent, do you really want to absorb petroleum distillates into your bloodstream? I know paint thinners, the urethanes, lacquer and enamel thinners can be absorbed in fairly large amounts and it does not take much of that stuff to make you sick, I would imagine that brake cleaners would be at least as bad or even worse. Something like WD40 may take a larger amount to show immediate effects and a person is not likely to get sick from cleaning his hands with it a few times but over a period of time who knows what could happen. I for one would not intentionally put something on my skin that is going to be rapidly absorbed with unknown consequences, for sure absorbing petroleum distillates into your blood stream is not going to be entirely harmless even if you don't get sick immediately. Think about it- once that stuff is in your system it will have to be removed through the kidneys and liver and if you let it absorb through your skin, even on your hands, that is exactly where it goes.