Every time I wash my bikes, if I forget to wear gloves, my hands become stained with bike grease from the chain etc.
I’ve tried the usual washing up liquid, hand soap, face scrub (salt/sandy mixture thing) and also baby oil which sometimes works. I still have some residual staining deep in my fingerprints etc.
Any tips? I don’t want to scrub my skin clean off or get too sore hands.
Most auto shops carry a good variety of hand soap & cleansers. Many contain citrus and/or abrasives (like pumice) to help clean well.
One hack I have also discovered is spray window cleaner works well too. I spray some in a cupped and and rub around, then wipe with a rag and it gets some of the nasty stuff without even needing a water rinse.
I use Gojo or Fast Orange (they’re the same thing). It’s a gritty liquid soap that has been around since at least my grandfather. A nail brush does indeed help!
I’ve found dish soap works slightly better than regular hand soap (but not as well as gojo). My go to has been dish soap + scrubbing it with a no scratch scrub sponge. It works, though it’s less a deliberate strategy vs what happens to be on hand. Haven’t noticed it making my hands sore.
If you don’t have the specialty stuff handy, Dawn dish soap works pretty well, especially with a paper towel to scrub. Be sure and wash your hands with regular soap after; if I don’t Dawn leaves me pretty itchy.