How to Get Bike Grease Off Your Hands?
If you are an avid cyclist, you must have experienced getting bike grease on your hands. Not only is it difficult to remove, but it can also be harmful to your skin.
In this article, I will discuss some of the most effective methods that will help you get bike grease off your hands. I look at using lotions, scrubbing mixtures, and so on. However, I will also advise you on using risky methods which can harm your skin in the long run and dry out the skin.
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Contents
How to Get Bike Grease Off Your Hands?
There are several ways you can try to remove bike grease off hands. Let’s look at the easiest ones to pick the way you like the most.
Using Oil or Lotion
How do you cut grease? With more grease, of course!
When cleaning grease stains from the hands, lotions or oils appear useful. Such products include emulsifiers that prevent water and grease from forming a mixture.
To have it work effectively, rub a generous amount on your hands. Please do not wash your hands immediately or get any water on them! Just wipe the grease with a towel.
Johnson’s Baby Oil is one of the most beneficial products. We recommend it because of its light texture, which prevents your hands from becoming greasier. Another product worth trying is Neutrogena’s Light Sesame Formula, which combines sesame oil and a light lotion.
You can pour these products onto your hands and rub them together until the grease is not clinging to your skin. The best part is that this method even moisturizes your hands!
Using Scrubbing Mixture
If you believe that soap will be sufficient, you’re mistaken. You’ll need a lot more. Scrubbing is effective in removing stubborn grease. Furthermore, we know the dangers of using chemicals on our hands. As a result, we’d like to offer a more natural option.
Mix a teaspoon of salt, sugar, or gritty ingredient with dish soap. Exfoliating your hands with this mixture will remove the oil. If you don’t want salt or sugar, you can exfoliate using a Cuccio Earth Lava stone or a toothbrush.
Using Toothpaste
Toothpaste works wonders for stubborn bike grease as well. Squeeze a generous amount onto your hands and rub them together. Do not use water until you have lathered up, as it will wash off the toothpaste but keep the grease on your hands.
Wipe down your hands with a paper towel, and then proceed to wash them.
Instant Coffee/ Coffee Grounds
If you are a coffee fanatic, your addiction is here to save the day.
Get yourself a container of hand soap or dish soap that is 3/4th full. Add water and ground coffee (this can be fresh or used). The coffee will help exfoliate and remove the stubborn grease on your hand, so do not be stingy; put 4-5 spoons in.
Remember to wash the coffee grounds out with hot water until the water runs clear before adding it to the soap. You can also add a tiny bit of water to the mixture if it is too thick. And, voila, there you have it, the solution to your greasy hands!
Using Baking Soda
Using baking soda is another way to remove grease from your hands permanently. Apply it directly to your hands, and it will quickly remove any oily residue. You can decrease the concentration by mixing soda with water if it is too abrasive for your skin.
You can also try mixing the baking soda with some soap gel. Rub your hands together until all the muck is off, but do not wash them immediately. Let it sit, and wipe it off with a paper towel.
However, because baking soda is corrosive, apply a thick coating of moisturizing lotion after cleansing your hands. It will give your hands a baby-soft softness rather than a dry, hard texture.
Questionable Methods
While surfing the web, you’ll come across various strategies for ensuring that your hands are free of grease residue. On the other hand, most resources ignore how using them may harm your hands.
Chemicals make up most of the substances we believe will instantly remove bike grease from our hands. These chemical products are primarily used for other purposes, for example, removing bike grease from your clothes. That means the chemicals are not intended to be suitable for our skin.
Laundry Detergent
Many people recommend using laundry detergent on greasy hands, for example. Although we agree that it may assist you in achieving your goal, it does have consequences.
Contact dermatitis is a skin ailment caused by detergents. You may develop red, itchy rashes on your hands as a result. Additionally, this alkaline product is not the best choice for you if you have allergies.
Dishwasher Soap
Applying dishwasher soap to remove grease is another potentially dangerous practice. When you wash your hands, every time, grease gets on them. You’ll notice that they dry up much faster than when you use regular soap. The presence of toxin-based substances in the product causes our hands to feel dry and itchy.
Dishwasher and laundry detergent dry your hands and cause long-term skin problems such as dermatitis, eczema, and itchy rashes.
WD-40
Scrubbing hands with WD-40 is another solution we always consider when removing grease from hands. Not only will this chemical spray dry out your skin, but it can also irritate, tear, and cause redness on your hands. Furthermore, it can cause major skin problems if absorbed through the skin.
As a result, while we recognize that chemical solutions can be a quick fix, they can leave your hands dry and irritated in the long run. Better use WD40 on your bike chain!
Conclusion
It is very common for your hands to get filthy if you perform bicycle maintenance without gloves. Understanding how to get bike grease off your hands is essential for any avid cyclist.
Using oils or lotions, a scrubbing mixture, toothpaste, instant coffee or coffee grounds, and baking soda are all effective methods. I suggest using toothpaste as you will usually have it at home and it takes off the grease quickly.
However, do not use laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, and WD-40 as they can cause long-term skin problems like dermatitis and eczema. Chemical solutions may be a quick fix, but they can cause irritation. Therefore, it is better to go for natural solutions that are gentler on your skin.
