What's your favorite cleaning solvent?

[Todd727]

Mineral spirits for cleaning greasy parts. Also, go ahead and get a parts washer. One of the ones that sits on a drum if nothing else. Even without the parts washer, you can still use the mineral spirits.

For hands, Zest works for me. The biggest thing I've learned over the years is to use very little water, just enough to get some suds, until it's time to rinse. If you wash your hands with the soap under running water, you end up washing the soap away before it has time to work out the dirt and grease.

 

[arrow]

Just finished greasing my Deere, as usual I got a lot of the stuff on my hands. Since I don't have a parts washer, my favorite solvent to clean hands, greaseguns, fittings, etc is the cheapest paint thinner I can find. It does a great job and is a lot less flammable than gasoline although about a buck more per gallon. The only downside is that it really dries your skin out.

Don't laugh, but I keep a supply in one of those lift-top dishwasher soap bottles, one is always in all my shops, just pop the top of the bottle open and squeeze out what you need.

Or is there another type of cleaning solvent you feel is better?

I have a concern JD about paint thinner on your hands. There are known carcinogens in that stuff and your skin absorbs things in 26 seconds. I know of two former friends from my sign painting days that used thinner on their hands. One died at 49 the other at 57 and both from leukemia. I dunno if it was a coincidence but I would be prone not to take the chance. Actually Dawn dish cleaner does a pretty good job on my hands as far as grease is concerned. For paint and stain stuff, I wear latex gloves.

 

[sam5570]

see what you have done JD you have got the peoples attenision that thinks that what we have been using for the past 60 years plus is whats killing us. shame on you i have a parts washer with 13 gallons of kerosene in it i clean my tools and when my day is done thats where i wash my hands been doing that for over 30 years i youst to use varsole but no body carrys it any more.:thumbsup:

 

[Bird]

When I had a 40' x 60' shop building, I did not have water in the building, but did have an outdoor hydrant right outside. I used Varsol in my Northern Tool parts washer and of course that never bothered my hands as long as they were wet with the Varsol, but if I just let the Varsol dry, it really dried out the skin. So I kept a bucket of water sitting there and would dry the Varsol with a rag, then use GoJo Orange and rinse it off in water.

You can barely see the parts washer on the right under the window in the attached photo, but the GoJo Orange, bucket of water, and towel are clearly seen.

 

[JDgreen227]

see what you have done JD you have got the peoples attenision that thinks that what we have been using for the past 60 years plus is whats killing us. shame on you i have a parts washer with 13 gallons of kerosene in it i clean my tools and when my day is done thats where i wash my hands been doing that for over 30 years i youst to use varsole but no body carrys it any more.:thumbsup:

Oh yes, and I have been changing oil on my vehicles for 45 years, probably done 300 complete oil changes on cars, trucks, tractors, plus all the ones for mowers tillers etc. Probably have absorbed 10 gallons of oil thru my skin by now. Now I learn paint thinner is bad for me !! Well is kerosene any less harmful?

 

[timswi]

Citric acid works great on equipment...Spray on and hose off...No damage so far...Keep some in the spray bottle and wash your hands with it too.

 

[gengine]

I used to have a tub of "uncle Jim's hand cleaner", and man was that stuff great. It sounds a lot like that snap-on stuff with the lanolin. You don't need water, just rub it in and use a clean-ish rag to whip off. I bought that a few years ago and haven't found it since. Now, I use latex gloves during the job, and wipe my tools with a clean rag. When my hands are dirty, I use goop hand cleaner and paper towels followed by dawn to get the film off.

 

[rswyan]

Use a good amount of rubbing alcohol for various cleaning tasks.

Up in the shop we've got CRC Brakeleen and Kerosene in the parts washer ....

Permatex Fast Orange for the hands ....

In the shop (no water) it's the regular (smooth) variety, in the house where there's water to rinse with, it's the one with pumice.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I buy this in the 99 cent stores by the gallon. It is cheap and amazing.

LA's Totally Awesome Products - All Purpose Cleaner

 

[Johnp33]

When my hands get really black I use a little ATF and rub it in and it cleans you hands really well and does not dry them out.
To finish off I use the citrus with pumice.
Next time your hands are black with brake dust, and brake fluid try it.