What hand cleaner do you use?

[Chicken_Satay]

I don't know why, but it seems absolutely fking impossible to get hold of a 1l tub of Swarfega classic. Are they going out of business?

I can still get a 450ml pump bottle for £6.99 from Screwfix, though.

What other hand cleaners do people recommend that are readily available in shops or online? I use it for removing oil from my hands from motorbike and bicycle repairs or paint if I've been doing some decorating, for example.

[okgo]

Fairly liquid and salt/sugar with cold water does the same. Or used coffee granules if you have a proper machine.

[smifffymoto2]

If you use barrier cream nearly any 1/2 decent soap will do the job.

[Belle427]

Comma Manista is one of the best I have used, the Swarfega orange in a pump bottle is ok from Srewfix too.

[ARH]

Disposable gloves have totally removed the need for hand cleaners, any normal soap will be fine then.

[megaphone]

I'm still using the 4L Swarfega orange pump bottle I got at Costco about 10 years ago. Works well. Better than the green stuff IMHO.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Grocery-Household/Cleanin...

Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 31st December 09:43

[Doofus]

megaphone said:

I'm still using the 4L Swarfega orange pump bottle I got at Costco about 10 years ago. Works well.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Grocery-Household/Cleanin...

Me too, but bought from somewhere else. I decant it into a 450ml pump bottle.

[woodypup59]

Sprint.
About £30 for a 4 L off ebay.
Like white wet gravel.
Not smelly. Shifts everything including paint.

[megaphone]

Doofus said:

megaphone said:

I'm still using the 4L Swarfega orange pump bottle I got at Costco about 10 years ago. Works well.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Grocery-Household/Cleanin...

Me too, but bought from somewhere else. I decant it into a 450ml pump bottle.

That's what I do, I use empty hand soap pump bottles.

[Chicken_Satay]

ARH said:

Disposable gloves have totally removed the need for hand cleaners, any normal soap will be fine then.

I've tried these too, but I found that they were too flimsy. It was very easy to split them and my hands got very sweaty and irritated in them.

[Chicken_Satay]

This answers part of the original query, i.e. the classic Swarfega is being phased out and updated products are being introduced:

"The new Swarfega® range features updated, hygiene-focused pump bottles in both 1-litre and 5-litre formats. These offer the same volume of product as previous jars, but with reduced mess and increased efficiency."

https://www.scjp.com/en-gb/news/2025/swarfega-orig...

I'm often sceptical about products that include hand pumps by default. Surely that just increases the cost of each product and is less sustainable than a tub/jar in which you can place your own pump?

[swanny71]

Since discovering these wipes my pots of old green and orange gritty Swarfega have pretty much gone unused.

Oil, brake dust, paint, Gripfill etc. removed with ease. And once hands are cleaned I often use that same wipe to clean tools/garage floor.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072K3XYQR?ref_=ppx_hz...

[chris1roll]

Probably got a tub of swarfega somewhere, but I've just used unpowdered disposable nitrile gloves for years now.
Touch-n-tuff are the strongest, but expensive; Ansell Microflex are a reasonable balance.

If i've got oil all up my arms I just use washing up liquid and a nailbrush to scrub it off.

[pteron]

[Richard-390a0]

Belle427 said:

Comma Manista is one of the best I have used

Yep deffo superior to Swarfega green, but I mainly use barrier cream with nitrile gloves these days & a standard supermarket gel handwash with nail brush is more than man enough to remove any grime associated with normal home DIY car maintenance duties. Back when I was in a workshop Manista was easily the best product of the grit in jelly type hand cleaners IMHO.

[bucksmanuk]

Manista for me as well.
And I use PR88 barrier creams, prior to starting too.
Although I now use disposable gloves far more than I used to. A mate put me onto using these as he HAS to wear them at work, or really decent mechanic type gloves - and it’s a serious bking if he doesn’t.

[mrpbailey]

Kresto special, loads better than swarfega which had always been my go to. Came across it when the Caterpillar engineers were using it at work, fantastic stuff.


https://www.hand-cleaners.co.uk/product/deb-stoko-...

[Digga]

Trouser legs.

Before you ask, not sure what Mrs Digga uses to clean those, other than it will be ‘something cheap from Aldi’.

[Plus4Four#]

I use gloves but moved away from the flimsy ones to a heavier gauge, Orange with textured areas for grip. I wash my hands with them on using whatever soap/Swarfega. They are then clean enough for repeated use. They are surprisingly tough yet allow good "feel".

[twibs]

https://www.rozalex.co.uk/products/zalpon-orange?s...