Epoxy paint can be used in various applications. For instance, some people apply coats to the garage, patio, and basement floors.
Meanwhile, this paint is also often used to touch up or cover old appliances, giving them new looks. Regardless of the projects people tackle with epoxy resin, they all usually have one thing in common.
If individuals do not wear gloves while mixing epoxy resin and hardener, they’re sure to be left with fingers and palms covered in residue.
Have you used these ingredients in the past? If so, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t shy away from these products, though. Instead, learn how to clean yourself up with ease after projects calling for epoxy resin.
That is correct; there are ways to remove this substance, and ten of them will be taught to you right here.
Therefore, you shouldn’t go away because you aren’t going to want to miss this. Plenty of helpful tips are coming up, which could be perfect for you.
So, stick around and read on to learn more. Then, it won’t be challenging to remove resin from your skin.
Is Epoxy Resin Toxic On Your Skin?
Ahead of getting to the tips, there is something else I must discuss with you first. Is epoxy resin toxic on your skin?
When inhaled or ingested, resins probably aren’t all that good for you. However, most epoxies are food safe.
That means you should be okay afterward, but it is best to wear a mask to prevent substances from getting into your nose or mouth when using them.
If you accidentally swallow or inhale resin, don’t induce vomiting. Rather, rinse your mouth with water and seek medical assistance.
Meanwhile, as for the skin, epoxy resins aren’t necessarily toxic. But that doesn’t mean they won’t cause irritation or possibly even leave burns on the skin.
Thus, always wear the appropriate safety equipment to ensure you stay injury-free. That will save you a lot of headaches and suffering in the long run.
9 Ways Of Getting Resin off Hands
1. Vinegar, Soap, And Water
Vinegar is a tried-and-true method for removing resin from the hands. The type of vinegar doesn’t typically matter, so whatever you have at home should suffice.
To begin, pour some vinegar into a bowl. Then, grab a paper towel and place it inside the container with the liquid.
Once the napkin gets good and soaked, hold it above the bowl and ring it out. Now, use the vinegar-soaked paper towel to rub the spots of resin on your skin in a circular motion.
They should soon disappear, but you may have to repeat the process a few times, like if your paper towel falls apart after wiping down only the fingers of one hand.
FYI, if you don’t mind soaking a small dish towel or rag in vinegar, those pieces are options as well. Use the steps mentioned above with the cloth, using it in place of the paper towel.
Finally, lather your hands with soap for 20 seconds or so before rinsing them beneath warm water. That will remove any remaining residue and ensure your skin doesn’t have an unpleasant vinegar smell.
2. Rubbing Alcohol, Soap, And Water
Some people use rubbing alcohol to get resin off their hands. Therefore, if you have alcohol wipes or a bottle of rubbing alcohol at your place, that may do the trick.
Open a wipe or soak a paper towel/cloth in rubbing alcohol. Then, rub the resin spots in a circular motion with the item of your choosing. This should loosen the adhesive and get it off the skin.
Once that’s all done, put soap in the palm of your hands and rub them together for 20 seconds, interlocking your fingers, getting in the cracks and crevices, and all that good stuff.
If successful, this process will leave your hands looking, feeling, and smelling great.
3. Baking Soda Or Salt
Are you still looking for another way to remove epoxy resin from your hands? Have you considered baking soda or salt? Some individuals swear by this method.
They pour baking soda or salt into a container that’s big enough to fit their hand inside.
After you believe an appropriate amount is in the dish, place one resin-covered hand in the container, remove it, and then do the same to the other hand.
Next, rub your hands together and use your fingers to work the epoxy spots. The adhesive should stick to the salt or baking soda.
Then, you can form the glue into little balls to remove it with ease. Finally, you’re done after washing with soap and warm water.
4. Citrus-Based Cleaner
Did you know that a citrus-based cleaner can be used to get resin off your hands? It’s true. However, a little bit of elbow grease is going to be needed too.
Hence, if you have to go to an auto parts store or retailer to purchase the orange cleaner, you should see if they have scrub brushes for the hands for sale.
Apply the cleaner to your hands and rub them together.
Afterward, you may want to rinse one hand or not before grabbing the scrub brush. The choice is yours, but doing so may prevent it from slipping out of your hand.
Use the brush to scrub the resin spots on your hands, but not too hard. You’re not trying to hurt yourself and remove the skin. Eventually, the glue with be gone, and it will be time to wash with warm water and soap.
5. Acetone And Lemon
Juice Acetone is a naturally occurring compound that also goes by the name of propanone.
Being made from the components of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, acetone is extremely flammable.
So, be careful and don’t try this technique around any type of open flame or anything that can spark.
Also, you’ll want to make sure you don’t have any open sores on your skin before attempting this option.
If you do have them and attempt the venture anyway, it’s probably going to burn. Other than that, soaking hands in acetone is relatively harmless, but it does cause nails and skin to dry out.
Hence, don’t soak your hands for over 30 minutes to reduce the risk of irritation. Pour acetone into a waterproof container large enough for your hands.
You will need to soak them for approximately 15-minutes. After that, rub lemon juice on your hands. This will help finish loosening up the adhesive so you can remove it. Plus, it will leave your hands smelling lemony and fresh.
That’s not quite all, though. As with the other solutions found here, you’ll also need to wash your hands with soap and warm water at the end.
6. Baby Wipes And Hand Sanitizer
Are you uninterested in using straight rubbing alcohol on your skin? If that’s the case, how about a compromise?
Instead of alcohol, get some baby wipes that are gentle on the skin. The wipes alone won’t be enough to remove resin from your hands.
So, apply a few drops of your hand sanitizer to the wipe. Depending on what type of hand sanitizer you own, it could be alcohol-based or alcohol-free, but either way, it won’t be straight rubbing alcohol.
With little to no alcohol, you’re going to have to work to get the resin off your hands. The task shouldn’t be too challenging, though, as it will only require some gentle rubbing.
Once the resin is off, take the time to lather your hands with soap for 20 seconds or more. Then, rinse the soap off in warm water, dry your hands, and go about the remainder of your day.
Not only will people not be looking at you funny because of stuck-on resin, but you’ll also be able to eat without worrying about your hands contaminating foods.
7. Soap And Water
Sometimes, it is possible for people to remove epoxy resin from their hands with only soap and water.
Hence, if harsh chemicals and drying agents don’t float your boat, perhaps this is what you should try first. The types of soaps people use will vary.
For instance, one person might attempt to wash resin away with Dawn dish soap.
Meanwhile, at the same time, somebody else is using something with a gritty texture, a soap with oatmeal maybe, or it could even be Lava soap, which contains ground bits of pumice.
The possibilities are endless, really. After all, there are tons of soaps on the market today.
Regardless of the one you choose, you’re going to have to lather, wash, and scrub your hands with a washcloth to get the resin off.
This alternative is often tougher than others, but with a little initiative, it is usually successful.
So, give it a go and wash your hands with soap and water to remove the resin. If you’re lucky, that’s all you’ll need to do to get your skin clean.
8. Sugar Scrub
I wouldn’t be surprised if you had never heard of sugar scrub to get resin off your hands. It isn’t as well-known as some of the other items mentioned here.
Yet, that could all change if you use the method, like it, and recommend it to others. The sugar scrub approach isn’t going to be quite as effective as, let’s say, using vinegar or baking soda to remove resin from the skin.
However, it can serve you well in a pinch.
Those going this route will need 15 drops of essential oil, half a cup of olive oil, and two cups of sugar. Put these ingredients in a bowl with a lid and mix them together thoroughly.
After everything is blended, rub the scrub on your resin-covered hands. Once the epoxy resin has disappeared, wash your hands with warm water and soap.
If there is a leftover sugar scrub, put the lid in place and save it for next time.
9. Baking Soda And Dish Soap Scrub
What about baking soda and dish soap? Do you have those two ingredients at home? When combined, these items can do easy work out of getting resin off your hands.
First of all, dump one teaspoon of baking soda into your right hand. Then, it’s time to pour approximately one teaspoon of dish soap onto the powder.
Next, scrub your hands together, but be sure to do so over a sink. That will ensure that you don’t have to clean a mess off a cabinet or floor.
Now, rinse your hands with warm water. If the epoxy resin is still present, repeat the baking soda and dish soap scrub process as many times as needed.
After the sticky adhesive is removed, lather your hands with soap and rinse them with warm water.
How To Remove Hardened Resin Off Hands
Many of the tactics mentioned above will work to remove resin in sticky or dry situations. So, you should be set. However, I’ll provide you with another way to tackle hardened resin here.
Those with cured epoxy resin on their hands can apply baby oil or petroleum jelly to the affected skin.
The substances will need to stay in place for at least a few minutes. That should be an ample amount of time for the grease within them to loosen the resin.
After allowing the item of your choice to sit, wash your hands with warm soap and water. Then, the resin should wash off relatively easily.
How To Get Resin Smell Off Hands
Nobody wants to walk around with smelly hands all day. Don’t fret if you fall into that category and get resin on your hands.
I have the solutions you need to eliminate unpleasant odors.
To begin with, one of the best ways to stop a nasty aroma in its tracks is by washing your hands with soap and water.
Thus, lather with the soap of your choosing, rinse with warm water and kick that undesirable resin smell to the curb.
If soap and water alone won’t do what you’re after, you probably have a couple of other items in your bathroom to make things smell a little better.
Mouthwash or Toothpaste
One solution is to pour antiseptic mouthwash into your hands. Rub them together as you would, lathering soap or applying hand sanitizer.
The mouthwash will leave your skin smelling minty and fresh. Not to mention, because of its antiseptic properties, the solution will kill odor-causing bacteria to ensure the smell doesn’t come back.
Did you recently run out of mouthwash and haven’t made it by the store to get more?
That’s okay, but what about toothpaste? Do you still have it? This product can also be used to eliminate an unpleasant smell.
Place a liberal amount of toothpaste in your palm. Then, rub your hands together, letting the paste get everywhere.
After applying the toothpaste, it will be time to wash with soap and water. The hope is that your hands now smell delightful and aren’t sticky.
Coffee Grounds or Coffee Beans
There are other ways to eliminate bad odors on the hands. For example, are you all about the smell of coffee?
Cover your hands in coffee grounds and scrub them together in a bowl of warm water. That will activate the fragrance, leaving your hands smelling enjoyable.
Would you rather have something a little less messy? Some people also rub coffee beans in their hands until the odors disappear.
Hand Sanitizer or Vinegar with Baking Soda
Or how about hand sanitizer? Do you have some inside your purse, car, or home? It can be used to get rid of a resin smell.
Rinsing your hands in vinegar may also reduce or eliminate the stench, but beware because that could be just replacing one unpleasant odor for another.
You can pair white vinegar with baking soda, a natural deodorizer, as well. Simply put a pinch of baking soda in your hand and moisten it with a little water.
Rub your hands together and work the baking soda between your fingers. Next, put a squirt of white vinegar on the baking soda.
It’s going to begin fizzing immediately, so don’t let that worry you. After allowing the foaming to occur for a moment, rub the solution onto your hands.
Rinse the vinegar and baking soda off with warm water. Then, lather your hands with soap and rinse them beneath the water again.
Finally, dry your skin with a towel, removing all the excess moisture, and moisturize with lotion if you like.
What Happens If You Leave Resin On Your Hands?
Epoxy resin on the skin doesn’t do the same things to everyone. Hence, one person might get it on them, and it will wear off a few days later without a trace.
However, others won’t be so lucky. Some folks will get itchy and irritated skin from resin. However, the irritation is usually only mild.
That’s not all, though. It is possible for severe irritation to come about. If that happens, toxic eczema could be produced, resulting in dermatitis.
As you can see, various outcomes can enter the picture when you leave resin on your hands.
Sure, there’s a chance that everything will be A-okay, but you might also have an adverse reaction. So, why take any chances?
Use the alternatives listed here to find an efficient way to get epoxy resin off your hands. Then, you won’t have to worry about these unfavorable situations arising.
Some Last Words
Now that you’ve looked over this article, it should be easier than ever before to get epoxy resin off your hands.
Not only that, but there are tips to keep your skin smelling its best. Removing resin and bad odors can be challenging, to say the very least.
However, you are now ready to tackle the venture with ease. Therefore, don’t delay any longer. I
nstead, unleash this advice whenever stuck-on epoxy resin becomes part of the equation and get it off your hands.
