I heard about the idea somewhere so I tried it. My can of hand cleanser was old and had separated into unusual gunk.
After working on my car and getting grungy hands, I used Ivory hand dish washing liquid to clean my hands. Worked great, better than the special cleaners. My hands weren’t as stripped of natural oils and thus dry as the special cleaners either. So no need to buy and keep the special cleaners.
Most brands will probably work. Just thought I’d pass this hint along.
I use dish detergent for most dirt and grime, but for real thick, nasty, sludgey black-stain crud, like when pulling a transmission, Fast Orange hand cleaner with pumice is all that really works. Dawn and Ivory dish soap simply cries for mommy, and does a weak job of it.
Works best if you use a sink other than the one in the kitchen, I wonder why?
It cuts down on the wife screaming 
A hand cleaner, like GoJo, cleans the pores, and leaves a skin protectorant behind. The dish soaps aren’t as good for cleaning and skin care.
Since we are experimenting try using ordinary engine oil,suprising how well it cleans.
One doesn’t want to have contact with oils any more than what one can’t avoid. It may be macho to not take precautions; but, skin problems, from contact with oils, isn’t macho. Use of surgical gloves (and other types) is a smart thing…not a girly thing.
Try the new Dawn Plus Hand Renewal dishwashing liquid. After changing over to my winter tires, my hands were really grimy from having handled 8 tires, plus having gotten some grease from my jack on my hands, and this new Dawn formula cleaned my hands really well without stripping the oils from my hands.
In the winter, I tend to have problems with the skin on my hands cracking and bleeding around the knuckles, but after using this new Dawn to wash my hands for the last few weeks, I have found much less of a problem with the skin on my hands.
Oil and grease are about the same thing, chemistry wise. Reminds me of the oil commercial YEARS ago that boasted that their oil would clean greasy hands…of course it did! But I agree, too many chemical in oil to want to use for cleaning. Anyone remember which oil that was?
dynamyte, you have provided a good tip for amateur mechanics who do their own maintenance and minor repairs, but the pros who reside here deal with grime you and I don’t have to deal with on a regular basis. For real everyday exposure, dish soap doesn’t do as good of a job as those cleaners, like Fast Orange and GoJo, that are made for professional use. What type of hand cleanser were you using before it separated?
My glove bill is about $30.00 a month,the Dealer won’t pay.I change gloves in a heartbeat.
I use FastOrange Smooth for “routine” hand washing when wrenching. I bought a gallon pump jug online. I have a gallon jug of Fast Orange with Pumice for the end of the day clean-up. The “Smooth” is easier on my skin. I got “healthcare workers dry hands”.
A leading consumer magazine tested bar soaps and, IIRC, found that Dove was the best at cleaning greasy hands.
I was using GoJo.
Since I get my hands dirty this way only 2 or 3 times a year and I use Ivory for my incidental dish washing, Ivory fills the bill for me.
I also have a pair of protective gloves I use when removing the drain plug or exposing my hands to the oil.
The underside of my arms sometimes gets a rash from the grease. I’ve found baby oil cleans (and protects) and I use it in between the orange grit applications. It also helps to put a thin layer on first. My wife read that scratching a big bar of soap will fill under the nails ( I usually forget to do it tho)…Mike PS I read that a father didn’t notice his baby spill paint all over herself…oooow(did you hear of the baby in the baby seat on top of the car …driving ! ) any way the dad found out from the neighbor that baby oil would do the trick …and it saved his butt. Mike