This Classic Garage Hack Is The Perfect Solution To Degrease Your Hands Fast
When you're working for a while in your garage, whether it be on your car, some manner of personal mechanical project, or whatever else, it's pretty much a given that your hands are going to get covered in grease or some manner of grease-like substance. The annoying thing about greasy substances is that they never seem to completely wash off with soap and water, which means you could be walking around for days on end with gross, slippery hands.
As it so happens, though, there is a good way to not only degrease your hands, but do so in a way that's fast, effective, and relatively mess-free. What's the secret to this magical degreasing method? It's all thanks to a little something that you can find in just about any garage in the entire world: a can of WD-40. It turns out this stuff is not just for lubricating rusty hinges! Who knew?
WD-40 is not only one of the most vital tools for any self-respecting gearhead; it's also a surprisingly excellent tool for quickly and safely removing stubborn grease from your hands after a long day of work. Any good mechanic has a can of WD-40 on their utility belt or on a shelf, so anyone can make use of this simple hack.
To degrease your hands with WD-40, all you need to do is spray a little puddle of the stuff into your palms and rub them together, the same way you'd use hand sanitizer. WD-40's potent lubricating power will loosen up any grease or other sticky substances coating your hands. Wipe the chemical off with some paper towels, and large swaths of the gunk will fall right off your hands. You can then use soap and water to scrub off any stragglers. Just like that, your hands are sparkling clean and grease free, ready to work elsewhere in the house.
Among the many uses of WD-40 approved by its manufacturer, degreasing hands is indeed one of its accepted applications. The ingredients that make up WD-40 are non-toxic, at least far as skin-to-chemical contact goes. However, as with anything else in the garage, there are some safety precautions and warnings you should be aware of.
First and absolutely foremost, WD-40 is not a substitute for soap and water, but merely a supplement to it. After you degrease your hands with WD-40, you need to then give them a full scrubbing with proper hand soap and clean water. This is because while WD-40 is non-toxic, continuous application of it to your skin is known to cause irritation such as dryness, itchiness, and redness.
Additionally, WD-40 can be dangerous if it gets in your eyes or mouth. In that situation, you'll need to seek immediate medical attention, possibly from Poison Control in the latter situation. That's just another reason that you'll want to scrub the stuff from your hands with soap and water as soon as the grease has been removed.