Have you put on your cloth gloves, dug out some beets, carrots, potatoes or other root vegetables, only to sometimes find vegetable or dirt stains on your skin, even after washing with soap? Sometimes these stains can happen, even from harvesting above-ground veggies, or just trimming and scrubbing your food!
The Struggle is Real
My mom has struggled with this problem, even from picking green beans, with gloves on. She was understandably upset about it, because the stains sometimes would stay for days! She cooks a LOT and grows a lot of food, and this was a real bummer.
We suspect it’s from very mineral rich, rural water. It’s in the veggies, and in the dirt. A few items in the garden also have mineral stains from the hoses.
the 5% Solution
Recently, she discovered something that works really well, on skin and nails, and I had to share it with you. We gardeners are always scrubbing dirt off of our hands when we come in, but sometimes, even using a nail brush doesn’t make your hands look like how they started. I know there are many people out there that would love to fix this.
Vinegar! It’s so simple, let me break it down for you.
- She suggests using soap as usual first. get rid of any visible dirt.
- Next, apply vinegar to your hands (it can help your feet too, fellow garden sandal wearers).
- Let it sit for about a minute (it’s pickling time?).
- Wash again with some soap.
- Rinse
- VOILA!***
Just the plain stuff, please
My mom said she used the same distilled 5% white vinegar that she uses to pickle with. DO NOT EXPERIMENT with cleaning vinegar, or industrial vinegar. Cleaning vinegar is not just vinegar and is not for your body, and industrial vinegar is too strong. Regular store brand or name brand 5% vinegar is all the strength you need. It works great on nails and skin, removing those dirt or vegetable stains on your skin and nails really well.
if you are interested in why white distilled vinegar (which is NOT the same as white wine vinegar) is so popular, read more here
I put a bottle of vinegar spray on the windowsill above the sink, and my mom has a little sprinkle style one. I like having it readily out to clean up surfaces with, and now I’ll have it ready for harvest time too!
***disclaimer:
This is not health advice. I am not a health expert. It worked in this case, but some people are VERY sensitive or allergic to products, so use caution before trying something new. If you know you are sensitive to vinegar or the ingredients that make vinegar, please consult your allergist or your doctor before trying this. Discontinue use if you get a bad reaction to this. use caution. Have an awesome day!