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7rider
06-11-2010, 05:36 AM
Hey all.
My work bike team (i.e., me and a few others) are hosting a "Fix a flat" learning session at lunch next week. We'll have a few bikes (and wheels) and pumps, patch kits, CO2, etc. to go over the basics of repairing a flat tire.
But...I imagine folks will get dirty and not want to go back to the office with greasy, filthy, hands.
So, I wanted to get some handi-wipes or some such for folks to use to clean up afterward. Any special brand you find to be effective (we'll be in a conference room with limited water access, so it will ideally be wipes)? Should I get a case of gloves for folks to use?
Thoughts? Thanks!

OakLeaf
06-11-2010, 05:45 AM
Gloves. Wipes are great for getting the bulk of it off on the road, but they're not going to get anyone presentable enough to go back to work.

A box of 50 disposable/reusable nitrile gloves is under $10.

7rider
06-11-2010, 06:09 AM
Gloves. Wipes are great for getting the bulk of it off on the road, but they're not going to get anyone presentable enough to go back to work.

A box of 50 disposable/reusable nitrile gloves is under $10.

Yeah..that's what I was thinking.
Where does one get gloves? Would your basic corner chain drugstore have them?

withm
06-11-2010, 06:33 AM
Drugstore, maybe even pharmacy area of local grocery store would have the disposable latex gloves. Home Depot or Lowes would have bags of 40 gloves if you don't want 100. I keep a pair in a baggie with each spare innertube along with a wet-nap thingy in my seat pack. Doesn't really take up any additional room. For your class you might bring a bottle of hand cleaner - I think it's called Gojo or something like that. Comes in orange bottle. It also works on clothes if you get grease on them.

ny biker
06-11-2010, 07:34 AM
Do not get latex gloves. Someone could be allergic to latex.

I use Wet Ones to clean up after a ride and after working on my bike. They work great for me, and a little extra scrubbing gets the grease off.

Becky
06-11-2010, 08:25 AM
Vinyl gloves are easy to find at most grocery stores and pharmacies. +1 to "no latex"!

OakLeaf
06-11-2010, 08:46 AM
+1 to no latex, and anyway nitrile is resistant to a wider variety of the solvents that you use in your garage. That's why I said nitrile.

Pretty sure the drugstores have them, but I usually get mine in the paint or cleaning department of the home improvement store.

What you don't use in the workshop you can use at home. Solvents and lubricants are full of nasties that get absorbed through your skin. I hardly do any work on the bici or moto any more, without nitrile gloves.

NbyNW
06-11-2010, 05:49 PM
+1 on GoJo for cleaning up grease off of hands. I think they make a wipe, too.

RolliePollie
06-15-2010, 07:29 PM
Solvents and lubricants are full of nasties that get absorbed through your skin. I hardly do any work on the bici or moto any more, without nitrile gloves.

I need to stop cleaning my greasy hands with WD-40. But it works so well and I love the smell of it. However, cancer or whatever else I might get from doing this is not worth it. I am gonna get some nitrile gloves.

pfunk12
06-16-2010, 04:18 AM
One of the guys who sometimes does the Sunday shop ride suggested sunscreen to clean off the bike grease. It actually works really well.

7rider
06-17-2010, 10:29 AM
Well, thanks for the recommendations!
I picked up a box of Nitrile gloves from CVS across the street.
They worked great. I was worried that they would tear and not be strong enough for the task, but they held up just fine. We never even opened the container of Handi-wipes I got. Jim, the guy leading the talk, had a HUGE cask of GoJo, but we never even used it. Well, maybe he did. He didn't wear the gloves and his hands were filthy! :p

abejita
06-17-2010, 11:03 AM
I need to stop cleaning my greasy hands with WD-40. But it works so well and I love the smell of it. However, cancer or whatever else I might get from doing this is not worth it. I am gonna get some nitrile gloves.

I like the smell too, in a weird sort of way. Maybe more fond of it than like. It reminds me of summers in my Dad's workshop.

Owlie
06-17-2010, 11:38 AM
I'd always come back from lab with a supply of the blue nitrile gloves in my pockets. I kept them for exactly that purpose. Doesn't help you, though.
(It helped that I was the only one in the lab that wore medium gloves...)

On the topic of liking solvent smells...my research advisor likes the smell of chloroform. Odd character, him...:confused:

pumpkinpony
06-17-2010, 05:33 PM
I need to stop cleaning my greasy hands with WD-40. But it works so well and I love the smell of it. However, cancer or whatever else I might get from doing this is not worth it. I am gonna get some nitrile gloves.

You know, that foamy glass cleaner in a spray can works good for cleaning your hands too. I keep one right next to my bike stuff for just that purpose. Doesn't smell as good as WD40 though. :D

eswillwalker
06-28-2010, 03:50 PM
I've used mayonnaise as a hand cleaner - it's greasy and works pretty much like those industrial hand cleaners but without all the nasty volatile organics that are bad for your liver and your immune system. Of course, just as with those, you do need to wash your hands to get rid of the greasing feeling.

Nitrile gloves are a great idea, but sometimes you need the dexterity that naked fingers provide.

Remember to not put your oily rags in the trash - it's a recipe for spontaneous combustion (i.e., a fire!).

kalimom
06-29-2010, 06:48 AM
Gojo makes wipes, another TE post taught me that they are also GREAT for cleaning white grip tape! (check your home depot!)

bunny_ninja
06-29-2010, 11:49 AM
I use the scrubby side of a kitchen sponge and dish soap. Works ok... The BF uses that gritty hand cleaner stuff.