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Guide · Jobsite supplies · Pumice, citrus and waterless hand cleaners and wipes

What do mechanics and roofers use to clean their hands? Pumice and citrus hand cleaners, waterless gallon cleaners, hand cleaning wipes, what GOJO lists for its heavy-duty cleaners, getting tar and asphalt off skin, and the gallon pump on a truck

Mechanics, roofers and painters clean their hands with a heavy-duty hand cleaner: a lotion or gel built on a citrus solvent (d-limonene) or a petroleum distillate that dissolves grease, tar, asphalt, adhesive and paint, with or without pumice (fine volcanic grit) to scrub it out of the skin texture, used with or without water. Waterless means it is rubbed in dry and wiped off with a rag or paper towel, which is how it is used in a truck with no sink; the same cleaner rinses with water at a shop sink. GOJO’s Natural Orange with pumice (14 oz and gallon) is the roofing-truck standard, the lotion version is the no-grit choice for all-day use, and the hand cleaning wipes in a bucket are the one-handed version for the roof. Roofing tar and asphalt come off with the citrus cleaner worked in dry before any water touches the hands; water first sets the tar.

Bayshore Safety. Industrial safety, roofing tools and jobsite supplies since 2017. · Current as of November 2026 · the GOJO and C&R product data on this site (GOJO Natural Orange pumice hand cleaner in 14 oz and 1 gallon; GOJO Natural Orange lotion with pump; GOJO Cherry Gel gallon; GOJO hand cleaning wipes in 130 and 225 count buckets and 72 count scrubbing wipes; Maxkleen natural citrus cleaner by the gallon; Maxkleen 321 tar, asphalt and adhesive remover); GOJO Industries product names as the data lists them (gojo.com); the OSHA sanitation rule 29 CFR 1926.51(f) that requires washing facilities for employees working with harmful contaminants
Hand cleaners and wipes we stockAll roofing tools
GOJO 2354-08 Hand Cleaner, Natural Orange with Pumice, 1 gallonGOJO 2354-08 Hand Cleaner, Natural Orange with Pumice, 1 gallonThe product data lists the GOJO 2354-08 as Natural Orange with Pumice in a 1 gallon pump bottle, sold by the case of 2
$7.59See the product

Why ordinary soap does not work. Soap lifts water-soluble dirt; grease, tar, asphalt, polyurethane sealant and roofing adhesive are not water-soluble, so soap slides over them. A heavy-duty hand cleaner carries a solvent that dissolves the oil-based film and a surfactant that lets water rinse it away, and pumice gives the mechanical scrub that soap cannot. The questions below are the ones crews ask: what the trade uses, whether a given cleaner is good, what waterless means, what GOJO is and whether it can be used in the shower, how to get tar and asphalt off, what wipes are for, and the sanitation rule that requires a way to wash up on a site where the work gets skin dirty.

Hand cleaners, question by question

Product sizes and names are from the GOJO and C&R product data on this site; the rest is how the cleaners are used in the trade.

What do car mechanics and roofers use to clean their hands?A heavy-duty pumice or citrus hand cleaner from a gallon pump at the shop sink or on the tailgate, and a bucket of hand cleaning wipes on the roof or in the cab. The cleaners are lotions or gels with a solvent (citrus d-limonene in the orange cleaners, a petroleum distillate in the older formulas) and a surfactant; the pumice versions add fine grit. GOJO Industries makes the Natural Orange line we stock; its product names in our data are Natural Orange Pumice (14 oz and gallon), Natural Orange Lotion with pump, and Cherry Gel, with hand cleaning wipes in 130 and 225 count buckets and a 72 count scrubbing wipe.
Is GOJO hand cleaner good, and what is the difference between the pumice, lotion and gel?We do not rank hand cleaners; what the data on this site states is the type and size of each. Pumice cleaners carry fine grit for grease, tar and paint ground into the skin; they clean the most and dry the skin the most with daily use. Lotion cleaners (the no-pumice Natural Orange) do the same chemistry without grit for all-day repeated use. Gel cleaners (Cherry Gel) are a thicker formula with a scrubbing agent other than pumice. All three are made to be used with or without water. A mechanic who washes twenty times a day uses the lotion and keeps the pumice for the end of the day.
What is a waterless hand cleaner, and how is it used?A cleaner formulated to be rubbed into dry hands, worked over the dirt for thirty seconds, and wiped off with a rag or paper towel, with no sink; the solvent and surfactant carry the dirt into the wipe. The same cleaners rinse with water where there is a sink. On a roofing truck the gallon pump rides in the cab and the rags in the bed; the wipes do the same job one-handed. Where water is available, the OSHA sanitation rules (29 CFR 1926.51(f)) require washing facilities for employees working with harmful contaminants, and a waterless cleaner supplements them rather than replacing them.
How do you get tar, asphalt and roofing adhesive off your hands?Dry first: squeeze the citrus pumice cleaner onto dry hands and work it into the tar for a minute until the tar softens and lifts; wipe with a rag; repeat; then rinse. Water first sets asphalt and makes it worse. For heavy roof cement, a citrus cleaner or the tar and adhesive remover on a rag takes the bulk off, followed by the hand cleaner; mineral spirits and diesel work and are hard on skin. Polyurethane sealant that has cured will not come off by solvent; it wears off in days, which is why the sealant goes on with gloves. A hand cleaning wipe handles a smear on the roof; the gallon does the end of the day.
Can I shower with GOJO, and is it safe on skin?GOJO’s heavy-duty cleaners are hand cleaners; the product label says where they are for, and a pumice cleaner used as a body wash scrubs skin that does not need scrubbing and strips its oil. For the rest of the body after a tar day, the lotion version or an ordinary soap. The cleaners we stock are sold as skin-safe for hands with the usual caution about eyes and broken skin; the label and the safety data sheet carry the specifics, and someone with a skin condition asks a doctor, not a hardware guide.
What are hand cleaning wipes for, and how do they differ from the gallon?A wipe is a towel pre-loaded with the cleaner, in a bucket with a pop-up lid: pull one, scrub, throw it away. They are for the roof, the lift, the cab and anywhere a pump and a rag are not: a roofer’s hands between bundles, a sealant smear, a quick wipe before lunch. The scrubbing wipes have a textured face for grease. The gallon is cheaper per wash and is the shop and tailgate cleaner; the wipes cost more per use and are the ones that get used on the roof.
Is a goop-type or orange hand cleaner still available, and which is the heavy-duty one?Several brands make the pumice-and-citrus hand cleaner and the petroleum-based creams the trade has used for decades; we stock the GOJO line and the data above lists what each one is. The heavy-duty one for a roofing crew is the orange pumice gallon; the one that gets refilled most is the wipes bucket.
What hand cleaner for painters, and how do you get oil-based paint off skin?The same citrus pumice cleaner, worked in dry; latex paint comes off with soap and water while wet and with the citrus cleaner after it dries; oil-based paint and stain lift with the citrus cleaner or a little mineral spirits followed by the hand cleaner. Spray paint and primer overspray on hands comes off with the wipes. Gloves under the paint are easier than any of it; the glove guides linked below cover nitrile and chemical gloves.
How much hand cleaner does a crew use, and how is it bought?A gallon pump gives about 250 to 400 washes; a crew of four at a shop sink goes through a gallon a month, more in tar season; a wipes bucket of 130 lasts a crew a week on the roof. We sell the gallons by the case of 2, the 14 oz by the case, and the wipes by the bucket and case, nationwide. The citrus cleaner by the gallon does the tools and the truck bed; the aerosol tar remover does the tools, not the hands.

Hand cleaners in plain words

  • Heavy-duty hand cleaners carry a solvent (citrus d-limonene or petroleum) that dissolves grease and tar; soap cannot.
  • Pumice scrubs ground-in dirt and dries skin; lotion for all-day use; gel is a thicker no-pumice formula.
  • Waterless means rub in dry and wipe off; the same cleaner rinses at a sink.
  • Tar and asphalt: cleaner on dry hands first, wipe, repeat, then water. Water first sets tar.
  • Wipes for the roof and cab; the gallon pump for the sink and tailgate.
  • Cured polyurethane does not come off; wear gloves for sealant.
  • The sanitation rule (1926.51(f)) requires washing facilities for contaminant work; waterless cleaner supplements them.
  • The tar and adhesive remover is for tools; the hand cleaner is for hands.

Questions people ask

Is GOJO hand cleaner good?

We do not rank cleaners; GOJO’s Natural Orange pumice, lotion and gel are the heavy-duty hand cleaners we stock, each listed by size in the band above.

What is a waterless hand cleaner?

A cleaner rubbed into dry hands and wiped off with a rag, no sink needed; it also rinses with water.

What do car mechanics use to clean their hands?

A citrus or petroleum solvent hand cleaner with or without pumice, from a gallon pump, and hand cleaning wipes between jobs.

Can I shower with GOJO soap?

The heavy-duty cleaners are made for hands; use a lotion cleaner or ordinary soap on the rest of you.

Is a goop-type hand cleaner still available?

Petroleum and citrus cream hand cleaners are made by several brands; we stock the GOJO line.

How do you get tar off your hands?

Work a citrus pumice cleaner into dry hands until the tar lifts, wipe, repeat, then rinse; never water first.

What are GOJO wipes?

Pre-moistened hand cleaning towels in a pop-up bucket, 130 or 225 count, plus a textured scrubbing wipe, for cleaning hands on the roof or in the cab.

What is the difference between pumice and lotion hand cleaner?

Pumice has fine grit for ground-in dirt and dries skin faster; lotion has the same solvent without grit for repeated use.

Does OSHA require hand washing on a construction site?

29 CFR 1926.51(f) requires washing facilities for employees working with harmful contaminants; a waterless cleaner supplements them.

How do you get roofing adhesive or sealant off skin?

Citrus cleaner worked in dry for uncured adhesive and tar; cured polyurethane does not dissolve and wears off, so sealant goes on with gloves.

Related guides

Roof cement, sealant and primerASTM D4586 and D41, and removing tarMicrofiber cloths and shop ragsWhat not to clean with microfiber, and washingWhere roofers and contractors buy tools and suppliesSupply houses, distributors and buying by the caseWhich gloves protect against chemicals?How to read a chemical resistance chartHow to clean leather work glovesWithout ruining them

The ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.

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