Keeping your house clean can be a challenge, what with kids, pets, and the way the Great Outdoors insists on making it indoors, and onto your floors. Even tougher is keeping your house clean while not completely destroying your hands.
The first thing to do to keep your hands safe from chapping, drying and cracking is to use natural products. Chemical products can do real damage to the thin skin on your hands, and cause them to dry out or even develop rashes. There are even some incidents of chemical cleaners, like toilet bowl cleaner, burning hands. Yikes! There are many options for cleaning with non-toxic, natural, effective cleaners that will do less damage to your hands and nails. (Check out past articles on Lemon: The All Purpose Cleaner & 3 Old Fashioned Cleaning Tips .)
Smooth, supple hands are a sign of good health.
Just as important, you should always wear gloves when cleaning if you want to keep your hands looking smooth and young. Even cleaning with natural cleaners, like lemon and vinegar, are acidic enough to dry out your hands. In fact, simply exposing your hands to water will dry them out, and you will definitely need water to clean effectively, regardless of the products that you use. Protecting your hands with gloves will definitely be the best way to avoid damage.
If you aren’t into wearing gloves, you can also try a good barrier cream on your hands, to literally create a barrier between the water, cleanser, and your hands. Essentially, diaper cream is barrier cream, and you can find wonderful natural versions of these creams. You can also make your own barrier cream with a combination of beeswax, oils like olive oil and coconut oil, and some vitamin E. Pay extra attention to your cuticles, rubbing the thick cream into them to protect them from getting ragged.
Washing your hands well after cleaning, and then applying a good hand cream, will also go a long way to keeping your hands from chapping. Applying cream after each time you wash your hands will help even more.
Lastly, a really great way to keep your house clean, and your hands supple, is to hire a cleaning company to do the dirty work for you. Maybe even head out for a hand-beautifying manicure while we scrub your toilets, so you don’t sacrifice beauty or cleanliness!