How do you clean your nails after gardening?

[StripyCarpets]

we always had decent nail brushes when I was growing up, and now everything I try is rubbish.
I think my nail bed maybe sits closer to my fingers than is standard but I know other people who just can’t find a nail scrubber which actually scrubs effectively under their nails.
I threw away my skanky but brilliant nail scrubber about 20 years ago and I can’t tell you how many I’ve bought to replace it, and I’ve never found a decent one.
bristle and natural ones and all plastic ones are too soft,
the essential little row of bristles along the top of the brush are always angled too high to go under and always too soft.

Help please!

Nail brushes can sometimes cause small abrasions which can harbour bacteria. They also need cleaning well after use. I prefer to use an orange stick to sweep under my nails when I’ve been gardening. Otherwise I go for hot water and soap with a good soak if my hands are particularly grubby.
My Dad was a fan of nail brushes and I think they’re not used so widely nowadays. Good luck with your search

I once read in a magazine to scrape soap into your nails before gardening so when you wash your hands the soap has made it so the soil doesnt get trapped.

I find it I wash my hair in the shower after gardening it gets the dirt out! 😧

Yes. Washing my hair is the best way to clean my nails. Or swimming.

Yes, soaking definitely helps, but it takes too long if I’m in a rush.
Washing my hair doesn’t get my grotty nails clean sadly but I’m glad it works for you.
I might try putting something under my nails before gardening out if interest. Thanks for the idea.
I wonder what surgeons use to scrub their nails.

Can't you wear gardening gloves ??

I use a nail brush and wear gloves a lot of the time which is enough usually, but vaseline wiped under and around the nails is good for keeping it out, I do that when I remember.

I use this Hydrea one. The main bit is rather soft but the single line of bristles is decent enough after a day of gardening.

amzn.eu/d/05K1HQ0z

As a professional the only answer is not getting soil in your nails to begin with.

Multipack of builders gloves from screwfix. Wash them in the machine.

If I don’t wear gloves and do get soil under my nails I use the long bit on the lid of a Bic pen to get it out. Much more effective than my nail brush.

And it’s funny you bring up surgeons. When I used to work on the fancy estates we used to wear surgical gloves under our right hand gardening glove so you always have a squeaky clean hand for an impromptu handshake.

If I'm going to be weeding, digging, handling soil then I always use gloves. I have a latex allergy so buy nitrile type and sometimes cover with cotton gardening type to prevent splits in the nitrile ones.

Loads of handcream before you start. Really helps a lot.

Keep some old bits of soap in a dish and let it soften, then stick your fingernails in it before gardening.

Wear gardening gloves or thin cotton gloves under disposable gloves.

Oil is quite good at removing things like paint and dirt. Cheap veg oil is fine. Use soap to wash the oil off.

A long hot bath sorts me out.

I use a Hillbrush Hygiene brush. It's very stiff.

Love the soap-under-nails-before-gardening tip.

@StripyCarpets
I use toothpaste on a toothbrush, the bristles are softer than a nail brush and the whitener in the toothpaste also brightens the underside of my nails

Washing my hair is the only thing that really seems to work 😂

I just use the pull out hook/file thing on my nail clippers ( sorry dont what its called) and scrape it out

That’s what I do. (When I remember!)

This ^

Am a semi pro gardener and rarely have to worry about too much washing. The screwfix ones are perfect.

Surgeons use a plastic flexible nail brush that has a soap filled sponge attached to it. The sterile pack has a scraper in it.

This has reminded me of the Two Fat Ladies cookery programme when they're making bread, and one said that kneading the dough really cleans the fingernails 😁

I wear blue surgical gloves. For me it was a game changer in terms of time taken to clean hands afterwards.

Came here to say the same. I always garden in gloves.

Agricola barrier cream and make sure you apply plenty to your cuticles and under nails