How to quickly remove dirt from under your nails after gardening?

In summer and autumn, gardeners often work on the plot for a long time and one way or another get dirty with earth. And while washing your hands and feet is usually not difficult, removing dirt from under your nails after gardening is not so easy. There are a few tricks you need to know. The nails need to be steamed, and if all else fails, bleach and paint. We present to your attention a selection of effective methods.

How to deal with garden dirt under your nails?

You need to start with the fact that it is better to avoid contamination of marigolds than to later eliminate the consequences of working in the garden. To do this, you need to get used to wearing gloves. Yes, at first it’s unusual to wear them, but soon you understand how many advantages it gives - the skin on your hands does not crack, remains smooth, calluses do not appear, and nails do not break. In warmer months, it is recommended to use cotton gloves. It is important to choose the appropriate size, then it will be comfortable to work in them.

Dirt accumulated under the nails is removed only after washing hands and steaming the nail plates. Otherwise, there is a high risk of skin injury and infection.

If you work in the garden without gloves, wet a piece of soap in the morning and lightly scrub it with your nails. The space will be filled and dirt will not get under your nails.

Cleansers

Few people take a professional manicure set to the site. Most often, you have to make do with a minimum of cleaning products.

List of required materials:

• Soap. Any soap is suitable for removing garden dirt: toilet, laundry, solid, liquid, antibacterial. And if you don’t have it on hand, you can use dishwashing detergent or shampoo. Before cleaning your nails, it is recommended to soap your hands and wait 3-5 minutes. This way all the dirt will get wet and come off easier.
• Orange stick. Made from soft, durable orangewood, these simple manicure tools allow you to gently and effectively clean the area under your nails. This area is especially sensitive to damage, so you should not use various hairpins, sticks, toothpicks or other improvised means.
• Nail brush. A special cosmetic brush helps clean hard-to-reach places from dirt. For greater effectiveness, it is recommended to pre-steam the marigolds.
• Bath with warm water. When steamed, the skin of your hands and nails become pliable and easy to clean. You can dilute soap in water or use folk recipes. A five-minute procedure is enough to clean your nails easily and quickly.
• Moisturizing cream. After working in the garden, the condition of the skin and nails leaves much to be desired. They become rough, tight, and covered with cracks. Therefore, at the final stage of cleaning, it is useful to apply a rich cream (for children, for example) to your hands.

If you don’t have a suitable tool for cleaning your nails at hand, arm yourself with an old toothbrush.

How to remove dirt from under your nails?

It is no secret that the bulk of work in the garden occurs in May and September. Many people don’t even try to get their nails done during these months.And only when there comes a period of relative calm, they become interested in how to clean the dirt from under the nails and put their hands in order. However, by this time the black coating is so eaten away that it is almost impossible to remove it. It is better to carry out cleansing procedures regularly, then difficulties will not arise.

How to clean garden dirt from under your nails?

1. Fill a small basin or bowl with warm water.
2. Dilute soap in it and put your hands there for 5 minutes.
3. Scrub off the dirt with an orange stick and a nail brush.
4. Apply moisturizer to your hands.

If the skin under the nails is stained, covering the defect with colored varnish will help to hide the defect.

Traditional methods

There are a lot of recipes that help you achieve perfectly clean nails after gardening. Most importantly, all products are easily accessible and prepared from simple ingredients.

• Rhubarb and sorrel juice. If you have these plants in your garden, after finishing the work you need to break off the stem and rub the contaminated areas with the juice. Whitens instantly!
• Milk bath. You need to dissolve 1 tbsp in 2 liters of water. spoon of soap, add 100 ml of milk and 1 tbsp. spoon of sugar. We hold our hands for 10 minutes and then clean our nails.
• Sour berries: currants, raspberries and others. The acids they contain also have a whitening effect. You need to crush the berries into a paste and mash it with your nails for 2-3 minutes.
• Starch. To clean stubborn dirt, you need to brew 1 tbsp. a spoonful of starch with a liter of boiling water. When the liquid has cooled slightly, you should hold your hands in it for 5–7 minutes.
• Lemon juice makes nails snow-white. You need to squeeze the juice from a quarter of a lemon and apply it to washed nails. For greater efficiency, it is recommended to wear gloves. After 10 minutes, the juice can be washed off with warm water.
• Hydrogen peroxide helps clear away dirt. You need to mix 1 tbsp. spoon of detergent, 300 ml of water and 100 ml of peroxide and dip your nails in the solution for 7 minutes.
• Herbal bath not only cleanses, but also strengthens nails. Take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of chamomile, nettle, linden, burdock, sage. Pour 1 liter of boiling water. After 20 minutes, strain the broth and use undiluted for the bath. The procedure time is 15 minutes.

Also popular is the rustic method of dealing with garden dirt under the nails - hand washing. After work, wash your socks by hand, preferably using laundry soap. Your hands will be cleansed and brightened - checked!

Each of these recipes and methods is effective for cleaning nails from dirt from the garden. But some of them are contraindicated for wounds and abrasions on the skin. In case of damage, do not use lemon, sorrel, rhubarb, or sour berries.

Now that you know how to quickly wash your hands off the soil, you can safely combine gardening chores with others.