Olive oil to remove wood stain from your hands

I heard this tip on American Restorations this past week. Basically they said that if you get wood stain on your hands, put some olive oil on them and it will help remove the stain. something in the olive oil is a natural solvent of r wood stains. I just thought I would pass it on.

Reply to
Robin Ellzey
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I'd be careful about passing that on as a tip.

Olive oil is a vegetable oil just like Tung oil and linseed oil. And, as such, any olive oil that comes off your hands and onto wood is gonna penetrate into that wood just like linseed oil or tung oil, and at that point, it's going to prevent the wood cells soaked with olive oil from absorbing stain.

The only way to get that olive oil out would be either to sand off the wood to the depth the oil penetrated, or to wick it out with paper towels damp with mineral spirits or something.

I'm just concerned that any vegetable oil getting on bare wood is going to penetrate into the wood and cause problems, and that it would probably be better to just use mineral spirits to clean your hands. If you get that mineral spirits on wood, it'll just evaporate from the wood, and no harm done.

Reply to
nestork

Good point, but as a cleaning up process in the kitchen after finishing staining, it works pretty good getting stain off of your hands.

Robin

Reply to
Robin Ellzey

Wood stain. That would be my least worry.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

So does lacquer thinner. That's my universal solvent / hand cleaner.

Reply to
Home Guy

Robin:

Interior wood stain is NOTHING MORE than dye dissolved in mineral spirits or alcohol. Any dried up wood stain on your hands will dissolve readily in mineral spirits or alcohol (depending on what the original stain carrier fluid was).

EXTERIOR wood stains will have some alkyd or acrylic binder in them so that they form a film over the wood. The purpose of having that binder film form over the wood is to encase the UV blockers and mildewcides which are also added to exterior stains to protect the wood from the Sun and mildew growth on it. Also, the binder film prevents the wood from absorbing liquid water at it's end grain, and that's what causes wood outdoors to split at it's end grain.

So, interior wood stain should come off easily with paint thinner and/or isopropyl or denatured alcohol. Exterior wood stain will come off with whatever cuts the alkyd or acrylic binder; and if the binder has only been dry for an hour or less, then water for water based exterior stains or mineral spirits for oil based exterior stains will get the stain off your hands.

While cooking oil might very well work, there are cheaper and more effective alternatives available to you.

Reply to
nestork

I use Naptha as my all-purpose solvent/cleaner.

Reply to
hrhofmann

I will agree that there may be better alternatives. I just shared the tip because I've never thought of using olive oil to remove the stain. I cook with the stuff quite frequently, and sometimes I realize I got stain on me after leaving the shop. It works in a pinch without having to go back to the shop to clean up.

Reply to
Robin Ellzey

I heard this tip on American Restorations this past week. Basically they said that if you get wood stain on your hands, put some olive oil on them and it will help remove the stain. something in the olive oil is a natural solvent of r wood stains. I just thought I would pass it on.

I keep a jug of stuff called "fast orange" in my work shop. It removes any thing I get on my hands. I dislike using gloves when staining or painting. Yet the hands have no harm from it. WW

Reply to
WW

That's what I use, it's a lot cheaper than olive oil. Better yet, wear gloves and prevent the stain from getting on hands.

I'd have to try the olive oil to see if it works. I suppose it does, but for a water based stain, plain dish detergent and water does a pretty good job too. For oil based stain, paint thinner or even gasoline (used with caution), should do the job, followed up with soap and water. Olive oil is costly. I tend to wonder why not just use plain cheap vegetable oil?

Reply to
repairs

Years ago, we thought nothing of it to get all sorts of chemicals and lubricants on our hands. Armed with knowledge, I now keep a box of latex gloves around for potentially messy jobs. Not only healthier, but saves a lot of cleanup time.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

+1 Though I find Nitrile gloves work better. They're cheaper, too. HF occasionally has them on sale for $5 or $6 a box.
Reply to
krw

I read the label on a tube of super glue today and it said if your fingers stick together rub them with olive oil. Damn! Acetone works better. I wonder who's pushing this olive oil thing??

Reply to
Red

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