Finger nails and gardening

I’m a gardener who keeps nails short. Even so could not bring myself to scrape them on a bar of soap even if it was quite soft

Oh the thought of walking around with soap scrapings under my nails is cringy I just give them a good scrub with a nail brush after I get home

This sounds like a great idea. I will be trying it next time.

My MiL always did this - I don't have bar soap any more but I do have "garden nails".

I tried this some years ago. I didn't like the feeling of "stuff under my nails". I find a good hand wash, nails scrubbed with a brush, and a nail file applied as a "spade" works fine.

Short nails help too: less dirt goes in, less to excavate 🙂

Just to enlarge…..my nails are short, the soap is best used when hard and dry and you only need a little soap, not great lumps of soap scrapings…..believe me the tiniest bit works! Yes, I still use a nail brush when handwashing but the dirt just lifts away.

I am going to try this. I keep my nails short anyway, but it will help keep them clean. I do like bar soap and am getting short. I buy soap from the French Soap company on line once a year and I think I need to have a browse on their web site and stock up. One of my life's pleasures.

My late mum used to do this.

After washing with mild soap .
Apply a mixture of raw porridge oats ,lemon juice and olive oil onto to hands and massage in .
Wash off with plain water .
Your hands and nails will immediately look better .

Isn't that a bit like cleaning your teeth with soot.?
They look very clean afterwards...

If my nails look grubby I use my nail brush and toothpaste it works they ĺook great afterwards.

Like astitchintime, I keep a bar of soap in a box in our shed. I drag my nails along the bar of soap making it much easier to clean my nails later. I should add that I quite often forget to apply the soap…..

My parents used to use something called Rozalex, which worked wonders!

I prefer to use gardening gloves. No amount of soap on a nailbrush removes all the dirt under my short nails if I don't wear gloves.

I do garden and also have quite long, self manicured finger nails and those that know me will confirm I am paranoid to the point of ocd when it comes to clean nails!! I have just shared a room on holiday with a Friend who is a much more active gardener than me and she has spent the week picking at her very grubby nails, nearly drove me mad, especially as she admitted it has never occurred to her to use a nail brush!!!!! I find gardening gloves and a good nail brush work very well for me!

I think that's a really smart thing to do. I'm going to pass that on to my friends.🥰

I put thin latex gloves under my ordinary garden gloves but at some point, take them off to do fiddly seed sowing etc.

My nail technicians comments are unprintable!!

Soak your fingernails in warm water with a denture tablet dissolved in it. Rinse well and dry. Works really well.

I don't get on with gardening gloves, so I shall try the soap trick. It sounds like a good idea.
Thank you.

My nails are beautiful after washing some whites in Napisan this morning. Followed by liberal application off hand cream

Soap under the nails is a good idea. I speak as a retired manicurist. And always wear gloves even if they are washing up gloves.

If that doesn't appeal and you like to get down to your gardening bare handed, make sure you soak your hands after each gardening session and keep a good quality hand cream nearby.

I went to buy a new nail brush but the assistant had never heard of them.

AuntieE

I prefer to use gardening gloves. No amount of soap on a nailbrush removes all the dirt under my short nails if I don't wear gloves.

I wear surgical gloves under my gardening gloves.
No dirty nails 🥰

Astitchintime

I cannot remember if I’ve posted this before so here goes…….my finger nails always get really grubby when I’m gardening, even wearing gloves! Now, I keep a bar of soap in the shed/greenhouse and just before I start the gardening I scratch the soap to get deposits down my nails. When I come to wash my hands afterward I have really clean finger nails!

Thank you for this tip.

I will definitely try it, as I can never get my nails clean with a nail brush after gardening.
🤞