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How do you clean your hands in a workshop setting? What about your tools? I started using these Wypall hand wipes a couple of months ago, and so far they’ve been working out well.
A couple of years ago, a package of baby wipes made it into the garage, and it was convenient for a quick hand-cleaning or for wiping down tools and equipment. After that, I started keeping a pack around for shop use. For anything other than very light cleaning, I’d grab a shop towel and some cleaning spray.
If I need something stronger for my hands, I’d get to a sink, sometimes using a hand scrub first, such as Fast Orange, GoJo Cherry, or something with walnut shells.
Baby wipes are far from ideal for workshop use, as they can leave physical and chemical residue, but I was using them anyway. They’re inexpensive, at $2 or so per small pack of 56 wipes.
You can buy an 8 count box of 72 Pampers Sensitive wipes for $18 and change at Amazon. That comes out to around 3.2 cents per wipe.
But, there’s the residue issue, the lint and tearing issue, the fact that baby wipes are very gentle cleansers, and the small size usually means one isn’t enough.
I hesitated about these Wypalls. At the current price of $75 per 75-count 6-pack, that comes down to 16.7 cents per wipe.
The Wypalls are industrial cleaning wipes that are pre-moistened with a waterless alcohol-free “citrus cleaning agent” that they say is tough on grease but gentle enough to use on your hand.
I thought these were hand wipes at first, but as it turns out, they’re hand and tool wipes.
When you unfold the wipes, something I don’t always do completely, one side is smoother for wiping, and the other is textured for scrubbing.
There’s a light cleanser smell to them. I taped the pop-up cover plugs closed, to prevent drying out.
The price seemed a bit high at first, at more than 5X the price of baby wipes, but I’ve really enjoyed using these wipes. I use them in place of baby wipes now, and also in place of liquid cleaners in some instances.
I at first wondered if I should have purchased a smaller quantity, but I’m glad I have these on-hand, and they will be used.
Zoro sells them individually at $15.10 per tub and with $5 shipping. Shipping is or free on orders over $75 or $50 for registered customers.
There are also more portable 50-sheet containers, and I might buy that size next time. Wypall also sells these in 220-count buckets.
You can get lost in the different packaging options industrial suppliers offer for things like this. The 75-count tubs are much larger than the typical household cleaning wipes container, but easy to use and move around, and so far the cleanser doesn’t seem to dry out easily.
Hand and tool cleaning wipes aren’t the most glamorous things to talk about, but it’s worth keeping these in mind, especially since I know I’m not the only one who uses – or used – baby wipes in the workshop.
Price: $75 per case
Buy Now via Amazon – sold by the case
Buy Now via Zoro – sold by the tub
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