How to choose a hand cleaner: paste, cream or liquid soap?

For grease, oil and workshop dirt, choose a hand cleaning cream or paste with microgranules or scrub. For frequent hand washing after light dirt, a liquid soap is enough, and where there is no sink you need wipes. In the collection, hand products range from 100 ml to 5 litres and declare a pH between about 5.5 and 8.5: the more often you wash your hands during the day, the more a gentle product is worth choosing.

Types

• Hand cleaning cream. Soft texture, often solvent-free, sometimes with microgranules. It is the most common choice for workshop and maintenance dirt. An example is the Extra Fluid hand cleaning cream by Chemical Roadmaster.
• Hand cleaning paste. Thicker and more aggressive, it contains scrub, including natural scrub. It is used when hands are very dirty with grease, oil, ink or caked-on residue.
• Liquid soap and liquid cleanser. Designed for frequent washing and light dirt, as in offices, warehouses, changing rooms and washrooms. It is easy to dose with a dispenser. You will find several in the Firma Chimica range, such as Soap and White Soap.
• Wipes and cloths. Used without water, in the van or on site where there is no sink. In the collection, packs range from 4 to 100 pieces, in materials such as meltblown polypropylene, meltblown fabric and viscose-polyester.
• Protective hand cream. It is not a cleanser: it is used on clean hands to help the skin. Read on the data sheet when it should be applied.
• Dispensers, wall holders and paper. Wall kits for hand gel, holders with a dosing pump and drying paper, in painted steel, ABS or plastic.

How to choose by job

Features to look at

• Type and texture. Paste, cream, viscous liquid: the thicker and grittier it is, the stronger it is on both dirt and skin.
• pH. It measures how acidic or alkaline the product is. In the collection the declared values range from about 5.5 to 8.5. The lower value is closer to that of the skin, so it is suited to frequent use. Higher values are typical of the stronger products.
• Content. From 100 ml for a personal tube or bottle to 5 litres for workshop canisters. With a fixed dispenser, choose the largest refill the dispenser accepts.
• Scent. It ranges from unscented to floral, fruity or cologne notes. In enclosed or shared spaces a mild scent is easier to put up with.
• Colour and appearance. White, green, blue, orange: they are just a feature of the product and say nothing about how well it cleans.
• Packaging. For wipes, the number of pieces counts; for liquids, the refill size compatible with your dispenser.

Common mistakes

• Washing with solvents, petrol or thinners because they “clean better”. They irritate the skin and can be absorbed: creams and pastes designed for hands exist for this reason.
• Using an abrasive paste for every wash. For light dirt a liquid soap is enough; keep the paste for when it is really needed.
• Overdoing the dose. A small amount on dry hands is enough, rubbed well between the fingers and under the nails. More does not clean better.
• Buying the dispenser without checking the refills. First check that the size of the product fits your holder.
• Neglecting the skin. Anyone who washes their hands many times a day should alternate a gentler product with a protective cream.

Frequently asked questions

Is a hand cleaning cream or a paste better?

Cream is fine for most work dirt and for daily use. Paste is for caked-on grease and very dirty hands, but it is more aggressive.

Is it used with or without water?

Creams and pastes are usually applied to dry hands, rubbed in and rinsed off with water. Wipes are used without water.

What pH should a hand cleaner have?

There is no single value. For frequent washing look for a pH close to 5.5; for heavy dirt a more alkaline product is fine too, used less often.

Can I use the same product for the workshop and the office?

Better not: in the office a gentle liquid soap is enough, while in the workshop you need a product with more cleaning power.

You will find the whole range in the Hand cleaners collection: if you are not sure which size or dispenser you need, request a quote or advice from the AMES technicians.