gasoline and handwashing

Post Reply New Topic

I saw this warning somewhere:

Apparently some people have tried washing their hands with gasoline.

I had a high school teacher who implied this was an acceptable thing to do. He said this in reference to people working in auto repair and getting grease on there hands. What an idiot! Lot's of reasons it's a bad idea:

Environmental contamination
Unknown health effects
Mechanic's hand cleaners work better
It's EXPLOSIVE.

Iv'e only heard of gasoline used as a very very heavy duty solvent for like maybe paint brushes in thick oil based outdoor house paints.It would never ever be used just to wash your hands,gasoline would only ever be used a a heavy industrial cleaner.

My dad and his dad who were mechanical engineers did that all the time.

They also licked their finger to touch and test electrical currents.

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-mechnics-w ... -not-water

This is an old-fashioned trick from back when gasoline was considered a cleaner. In some silent films it is even referenced that gasoline is a good scrubbing liquid and spot remover; automobiles before about 1905 were often fueled at the drugstore because it was sold as a cleaning solvent.

I still use kerosene and mineral distillate for cleaners, but I do wear heavy vinyl gloves when working with it, and use it outdoors only, and only for fixing machinery. Gasoline is a good cleaner but far too volatile to work with the fumes.

Gasoline should never be used to start fires. Something campers have done. It is very dangerous.

Actually using your finger as a final test for power being off is something I do. You don't need a wet finger for 120 volts, a dry one is fine. The real danger at 120 volts is if you touch it and another part of your body is grounded. So it's safer to touch it first before you start working on it.