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Old 04-07-2021, 02:55 PM
Cecil6243 Cecil6243 is offline
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Default Getting picking finger nails cleaner?

I recently grew out my nails on my picking fingers but when I'm not playing I'm managing my ponds with mucky bottoms, yard work, mechanical work etc. Not getting all the dirt out with nail file on a nail clipper. Basically there is a fine line of dirt where the nail meets the cuticle. Used a brush with a lot of soap with also mediocre success.

Can I soak my hands in something? I have a chlorinated swim spa I can sit in for a while. Will that help me get the dirt out?

That said, think I will be wearing rubber gloves from now on to keep the dirt out.
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Old 04-08-2021, 07:55 AM
DungBeatle DungBeatle is offline
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Have you tried mechanics hand cleaner with lanolin? Small list here:
https://cleaningproductslab.com/best...for-mechanics/

~Bob
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Old 04-08-2021, 09:55 AM
JERZEY JERZEY is offline
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I avoid "cleaners" like gojo ect as they destroy your skin and dry out your nails. All of that loose, dead stuff gets ground into your strings..

-Every so often make sure you oil your nails. There are tons of products out there. A dry nail is harder to clean and will wear faster.

-I use Pine Tar Soap made by Oliver Rocket. Its by far the best all natural soap I have ever used. I have yet to see anything that it would not clean off my hands and I get VERY dirty every day. There are more expensive soaps but I get a solid week out of a bar and its the only thing I use period. It does not dry out my hands, nails or anything. Not the kind of stuff your grandfather would have used. Its much more pleasant.
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Old 04-08-2021, 09:56 AM
Denny B Denny B is offline
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The best way I've found to clean my nails is to not to get them gritty and greasy...

If I'm doing yard work, I'm gloved up with whatever gloves suit the work at hand...also helps minimize cuts and bruises...

And if I'm working on the lawn equipment or one of the motorcycles, I keep a box of medical nitrile gloves in the garage and use them as needed...

Prevention is the key...
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Old 04-08-2021, 10:04 AM
Chipotle Chipotle is offline
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Get yourself a nail brush:


The bristles are still and plenty long enough to get all the way under your nails.
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Old 04-08-2021, 11:34 AM
Cecil6243 Cecil6243 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chipotle View Post
Get yourself a nail brush:


The bristles are still and plenty long enough to get all the way under your nails.
The wife has one and I have used it. Still doesn't get everything under the nail for me as in a very fine line of dirt right up next to the cuticle.

To be clear addressing the other posts: It's under the nail far back next to the cuticle I can't get completely clean. The rest is not a problem.

Last edited by Cecil6243; 04-10-2021 at 01:53 PM.
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Old 04-08-2021, 11:40 AM
NormanKliman NormanKliman is offline
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Nails don’t need to be long. I’ve met just a few guitarists who prefer them longer, and shorter is better for the rest of us. If you form a circle with your thumb and another finger and then run that finger down the length of your thumb, there should be just enough nail to feel it scraping against the skin. The live (non-white) part of my nails is unusually short, or, to put it another way, I have fleshy pads on my fingertips. So, in theory, I should need longer nails than other players, but anything more than 1 to 1.5 millimeters gets in the way and sounds bad. Definitely less than 2 millimeters. Although it’s all very personal, many guitarists, I think most of us, start off with the idea that we need long or longish nails to play fingerstyle and end up keeping them shorter. If you saw me on the street or something, you probably couldn’t tell I play guitar just by looking at my nails.

Yes to gloves and nail brushes. Gloves for dirty work like auto repair didn’t used to be common but seem to be more popular now. I hand wash my dishes and have always used gloves because the detergent dries out my nails and especially my cuticles, which leads to peeling and other problems. A nail brush like the one in Chipotle’s post is indispensable. Mine look like the one in the image, but I think they’re smaller. They’re sold in blister packs of two or three for a dollar and the plastic base that holds the bristles is smaller than my little finger. I keep one in the bathroom for nails and for cleaning beard stubble out of my razor. And that reminds me of another use: nothing works better for scratching an itchy Covid beard.

Cecil, just saw your last post. You can try using soap and scraping with a toothpick or something, but I think you’re pretty much screwed for now. If you scrape it all out, it’s going to hurt and your fingertips will be sore or even bloody. For now, you can scrub your scalp with your fingertips when you wash your hair. That works pretty well and results in no injury or discomfort. And use gloves in the future.

EDIT:
Quote:
It's under the nail far back next to the cuticle...
I think that's not the right term. You're talking about under the nail, and the cuticle is on the outside, as far as I know. It doesn't really matter, although it might when shopping for nail-care products.
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Last edited by NormanKliman; 04-08-2021 at 11:50 AM.
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