When I work in my yard I often get tree sap on my hands and clothing. For years I have used a product called De-solv-it, but it has been harder and harder to find in recent years, and now I don't see it at all at my local grocery chains. What other common household cleaners have you found effective in removing tree sap from your hands?
Thanks.
Mineral spirits or turpentine work very well.
Thought about wearing gloves?
kerosine
Yes, I wear them whenever I work in the yard. Most sap accumulation is on lower arms and elbows, sometimes on face/neck from using sap-stained gloves to scratch or wave away insects.
*I think Goop would work on that.
Baby oil. Makes me smell nice, too.
Jim
Sure, but the nice smell is far outweighed by the thought of the extraction process...
Greater Los Angeles.
Cedars, cypress, pines, birches are the ones from which I get the troubling sap.
I didn't know that. Do you use a different product for deciduous, evergreen, cactus, bananas, etc?
Your university agriculture extension service should have experts familiar with the common tree types of the south west. Since most tree saps are aqueous solutions or suspensions of the resinous matter, using a solvent/dispersant similar to the natural ingredient probably works. You could experiment with ammonia, for example, or common solvents for pine resins like turpentine, but other materials may not be available in California because of pollution regulations. Whatever, good luck.
Joe
you might try some WD40 - the sovlents and oils in the product work well to remove a lot of things similar to sap.
There must be industrial-type gauntlet/gloves that cover up to & over the elbow. Worth checking on-line?
A low-tech solution might be to engulf your arms in tough plastic bags, secured at the top by rubber bands or duct tape, but at the bottom open so you can pull on gauntlet gloves (available in good plant nurseries and maybe in homeowners' stores. Might need help getting "suited up".
Keep a bamboo back scratcher handy, plus a sturdy, inexpensive fan, for the two problems you outlined above.
The one time I had a circular saw blade loaded with sap, a friend suggested gasoline and paper towel. Worked fine. Usual safety precautions apply.
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