There aren’t many things more satisfying than a day spent in the garden. Sorting, pruning, digging, weeding – anything that makes your space look better gives such a nice feeling of contentment. The only downside is the dirt that’s likely to accumulate on your hands, clothes, face, and even hair!
Luckily there are some great tips out there about how to clean up post-gardening session. We’ve rounded up some of the best info from getting that soil from under your nails to understanding laundry symbols when you need to get rid of nasty grass stains. Below is a whole host of information – read on to ensure you can garden to your heart’s content, free from worry about the clean-up afterwards!
Cleaning Hands
One of the biggest complaints about garden dirt is how much muck gets under your fingernails. Any gardener worth his or her salt is likely to be getting pretty dirty hands from all the contact with soil – planting, chopping and transferring plants. All of these activities are likely to get your nails into a state. To clean, start with a quick wash using water and olive oil. Heat the mixture slightly in a microwave and then let your nails soak. The oil will go into the smallest creases under your nails to really root out all the dirt, while moisturising at the same time.
Once you’ve completed this stage, soak your hands in a fresh bowl of water to remove anything remaining. Get a nailbrush to scrub the undersides clean and use the opportunity to inspect your nails. If they are too long, cut them quite short, as this will prevent them from getting too bad in the future.
Cleaning Clothes
So your hands are clean, what about your clothes? One big gardening bugbear is grass stains. To remove them, dab a small amount of washing liquid onto the area and leave for a few minutes (make sure to do a patch test first though on a small area to prevent damage). Once you’ve left it to sit, wash your garment as normal either by hand or in a washing machine. Check the label for laundry symbols to find out which settings to use first.
Cleaning Hair
When you’re leaning over, busy with the task, it’s easy to absentmindedly wipe the hair out of your eyes… fast forward to a few days later and you’re finding soil in your hair! Try soaking first to get rid of any nasties that got in there during your session or use a high-pressure showerhead to blast it away. Once you’ve de-soiled, use a bit of conditioner and leave in for a few minutes to make you feel more luxurious after all that hard work!
So there you have it, some top tips on getting clean post-garden session. Use the right solution to get under your nails; the right laundry symbols to wash out those grass stains, and the right pressure to remove the soil from your hair. Once you know how to clean up, you’ll want to garden even more!
