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Ian Robertson realises how much of a messy business boat maintenance can be but always seems to forget to put on protective gloves until his hands are already covered in paint, grease or old engine oil. He was therefore keen to find a product that would clean his hands up with minimum scrubbing and that felt kind to his skin.
"This winter I lifted the lid of an old tin of antifouling to check the contents and somehow managed to cover my hands with the stuff. Even though I went straight to the toilet block and washed thoroughly with soap and copious amounts of water it wouldn't come off and I spent the day with blue hands. That evening I decided to try the Ecover hand cleaner.
Using the cleaner after servicing an outboard engine was equally impressive, on a par with Swarfega in removing oily grime, grease and dirt. I'd like to have a "soap bar" made of the same stuff as squeezing it from the tube isn't really an economic proposition for day to day use. It needs quite a lot of water to thoroughly rinse off and while this isn't a problem when connected to mains water it might be a consideration afloat.
This is a highly effective product and I wholeheartedly recommend it in it's own right as a really good hand cleaner. That it is environmentally sound is an added bonus."
Rating: 9/10
Name: Ian Robertson
Occupation: Journalist
Reason for test: Fed up of filthy hands after working on boats
Desired result: To clean off anti-foul without scrubbing skin red raw!
Product: Heavy Duty Hand Cleaner
Description: Natural vegetable and mineral ingredients which claim to shift the toughest grime
How to use: Rub a portion of cleaner into hands, wet in warm water, and carry on rubbing to loosen ingrained dirt. Rinse off
Manufacturer: Ecover
Where to buy: www.ecover.com
"First impressions aren't that great, simply because the goo that comes out the tube looks pretty revolting. Don't be put off though as it has a pleasant lemony scent and a nice non-greasy feel. As I worked the cleanser onto my hands I became aware that it felt very gritty. This is really a stroke of pure genius as the makers have incorporated a gentle abrasive into the mix and it's like using a pumice stone at the same time as the hand cleaner. In short order my hands were paint free and spotlessly clean. Removing the same paint last year took over half an hour and left my skin red raw from repeated scrubbing!"
