๐งผThe Best Hand Cleaners for Removing Grease and Oil
When I was a young lad, I used to work in the local butcher shop as a cleaner. I'd clean the machines that cooked fat and mince, I'd clean the mincer, I'd clean the tools and floors, and I'd get the maggots out of the waste bins using chlorine to kill them all.
Despite using gloves at various times, at the end of my shift, my hands were stinky as anything. I'd clean my oily hands with a soap degreaser. It was the best stuff and it smelled great.
I just can't for the life of me remember its name.
Now, years later as a real adult who cleans lawn mowers, uses chainsaws, and does the odd DIY car repair, I fully appreciate how a good degreaser can keep hands clean and free of oil and whatever else I can get on them.
I've also come to realize that most workshops, mechanic floors, and factories use specialized hand cleaners because when time is money, there's no point wrestling with a bar of soap when you could be getting on to the next job.
The Science of Clean: How Heavy-Duty Hand Cleaners Work
Sure, you can try home remedies like baking soda and lemon, but for serious grease and oil, you need something more powerful.
Heavy-duty hand cleaners work through a combination of chemistry and mechanics:
- Solvents: These are the primary active ingredients. In many cleaners, this is a citrus-based solvent like d-Limonene (from orange peels). These solvents are excellent at dissolving non-polar substances like oil and grease.
- Surfactants: These molecules have a water-loving (hydrophilic) head and an oil-loving (hydrophobic) tail. The tail attaches to the grease, while the head allows it to be washed away by water.
- Abrasives: Many cleaners include a gentle abrasive like pumice. These fine, porous volcanic rock particles provide mechanical scrubbing power to lift away stubborn, ground-in dirt without being overly harsh on the skin.
- Conditioners: To counteract the drying effect of the solvents, quality cleaners are fortified with skin conditioners like aloe, lanolin, and glycerin to leave your hands feeling soft.
๐Top-Rated Hand Cleaners for Tough Jobs
So what's the best choice for you? Here are some of the most popular and effective heavy-duty hand cleaners on the market.
| Brand Name | Why It Works Well |
|---|---|
| Permatex Fast Orange | Fortified with aloe, lanolin, and glycerin, this cleaner is effective against tough grime and oil while conditioning the skin. It's biodegradable and free from harsh chemicals. |
| GOJO Natural Orange with Pumice | Contains pumice for added scrubbing power, making it effective against industrial soils, dirt, and grease. It's gentle on hands due to the absence of harsh solvents. |
| Rozalex Zalpon Zorange | Contains natural orange oil and esters, making it extremely effective for ingrained oils, greases, and other stubborn dirt. Includes pumice for superior cleaning and moisturizers for skin care. |
| Brute Strength Wipes | These heavy-duty wipes are convenient for quick clean-ups and effective against engine oil, grease, and grime, especially in places without easy access to sinks. |
Spotlight: Permatex Fast Orange Smooth Hand Cleaner
This is the perfect consumer product: biodegradable, waterless, and free of petroleum solvents. Permatex Fast Orange is fortified with aloe, lanolin, and glycerin to condition the skin while its powerful citrus formula removes the toughest dirt, oil, grease, grime, paint, and even tile cement.
It comes in a convenient 1-gallon container with an easy-to-use pump dispenser.
Check Price for Permatex Fast Orange on Amazon
Spotlight: GOJO Natural Orange with Pumice
The second of our orange-scented cleaners is the heavy-duty GOJO Natural Orange Industrial Hand Cleaner. It's packed with gritty bits of pumice to scrub away a broad range of industrial soils, dirt, and grease.
With over 70 years in the business, GOJO knows how to make a cleaner that works, and this one is perfect for removing oils and grime without being overly harsh on your hands.
Spotlight: Brute Strength Wipes
For times when you don't have access to a sink, a heavy-duty cleaning wipe is exactly what you need. Brute Strength Wipes are perfect for cleaning tools, parts, engines, and, of course, your hands. As one reviewer on Amazon noted, "These are durable and cut through engine oil, grease, grime really quick. We use them in our airplane hangar where there isn't easy access to sinks."
They are incredibly versatile and perfect for keeping in your truck or workshop for any messy situation.
