The Ordinary Kitchen Ingredient You Can Use To Instantly Degrease Your Hands

Whether you work on your car engine, lawn mower, bike, or sewing machine, chances are you've ended up with greasy hands that need thorough cleaning with plenty of soap and water. You may find that constant hand washing is chapping or drying out your hands, especially if you're using very hot water. Hand sanitizers may be more convenient, but health-wise are no better for you because the alcohol ingredients are meant to remove oil, including your skin's natural oils.

An effective skin-soothing way to remove grease includes using an ordinary kitchen ingredient. Even the most basically stocked kitchen is filled with multi-purpose items that can help around the house. A few of the common household ingredients you should be using to clean your kitchen include vinegar, baking soda, and even coffee grounds. The ordinary kitchen item that removes grease from your hands is inexpensive and widely available— you probably have some in your cupboard right now. Plain, ordinary vegetable oil can remove grease but leaves your hands clean and soft with healthy skin that's not abraded or parched. Washing skin with oil is hardly new; a casual dive into history indicates that the technique is ages old, and was used by the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. And sure, soap has been around since 2800 BC, but it was used primarily as a method for cleaning fabric, not people.

While it's not the most effective method, in a pinch vegetable oil can also remove sticky goo such as sap from your hands as well as your car. You can also remove gooey substances from your hands with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, but be aware both dry out your skin, while veg oil doesn't. However, all three substances may damage the wax on your car if you're trying to remove pine sap, for example. Another household staple that will take care of greasy hands after working in the garage is WD 40. This multi-purpose product also removes sap and goo from your hands, tools, and car, and prevents rust.

There are numerous genius ways to use vegetable oil around the house, and since this cooking product is so abundantly available and affordable, it makes sense to keep some on hand for cleaning tasks. You can use it for polishing wood, protecting wicker furniture, and shining stainless steel. Applied correctly, vegetable oil removes hardened candle wax from most surfaces and also removes stubborn price tags and stickers from retail items. In the garden vegetable oil mixed with soap is a natural insecticide, and you can also use the oil on a clean cloth to prevent garden tools from rusting. This handy kitchen ingredient can also loosen stuck zippers, in addition to getting rid of greasy hands in an economical and eco-friendly manner.