How do you keep fingernails clean when gardening?

laura D: How do you keep fingernails clean when gardening?
Does anyone have any “Martha” tips on how to keep nails from looking like an auto mechanics when you are an avid gardener? Martha Stewart suggested to put rubber gloves under gardening gloves, but they make your hands sweat badly! Or, how best to clean “gardener’s hands?” Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by Armen
you ware gloves

Answer by bethany
wear gloves.

Answer by jackmeeko
pva glue, wood glue, just over the tips of your fingers then gloves on whala when your done peel the glue off no dirty fingers or chipped nails

Answer by Jeep Driver
Just get the rubber finger guards. Some money counters at the bank have them. They are like surgical gloves without the palms

Answer by godged
EEW, rubber gloves are awful. I wear those loose fitting food service gloves under my cloth gardening gloves. I get them at a local food service supplier, a box lasts me for at least a year and I think the last box was about $ 5.

If I pull a few weeds without gloves, I have a hand cleaner called Cherry Bomb, it is a little bit gritty to take the dirt and stains out. If you can’t find that, a little St. Ive’s scrub (in your local department stores Health and Beauty Aids section) should do quite nicely.

Happy gardening!

Answer by mstrywmn
I was going to suggest gloves, but you know that already. If they make your hands too hot, then how about putting petroleum jelly under your nails, this will make them much easier to clean with a nail brush & soap & water when you’re finished gardening.

Answer by dimpelmum
Well my father was a handy man always doing odd shops and also a Gardner, he never wore gloves and his hand looked like he´d been helping the moles with their tunnels. When ever he had to go some where important ,like a wedding or dinner dance & so on, he peeled the potatoe´s , the starch from the potatoes removed every last bit of dirt from under the nails, So start peeling.

Answer by oldtimer
try a cloth glove

Answer by Sally 4th
I’ve heard of scratching a bar of soap first, before you begin your gardening, so the soap gets imbedded under your fingernails. Should make washing up a snap!

Answer by gawillow
Wear gloves. Or, if you don’t like wearing them, dig your fingernails into soap so it wedges under. If you’re also working with water, you’ll have to dig into the soap again. To get the dirt out of your skin, use a knuckle brush & lava soap. Then moisturize your hands afterwards with a bit of olive oil

To clean gloves: Put the gloves on, take a bar of soap outside and wet the gloves under a faucet or hose. Soap up the gloves and scrub them, then rinse, remove and let dry.

I also found this site for more information https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf806260.tip.html on how to clean gardening hands!

Answer by Lizzy B
may i suggest lemon juice and sugar mixed together and rubbed well in to the nails and hands

Answer by Big red
Get some small rubber gloves or food prep latex gloves and snip the ends of the fingers off. Use strapping tape to tape them on if they are still a bit too big.

Answer by [email protected]
go to home depot or lowes and check out their glove collection, i am sure that you will find a glove to live with. i did

Answer by Portabella Princess
Where a leather glove. I use the soft cotton gardening gloves then throw them in warm water wash, and hang to try, they wash up great. Martha Stewart at Kmart sells a cheap pair. Plus I like that they are cleaned after each use, poison ivy may have been pulled.

Answer by cyndi m
Run your finger nails across a bar of hand soap so that the soap fills up the section under the nail at the fingertips. When you’re done gardening and wash your hands you will find that the soap will disappear and will leave nice, clean fingernails as well. Hope this works for you.