Best methods to keep your fingernails safe while gardening
If you like gardening but don’t like having dirt and discoloration under your nails and cuticles, there are ways to prevent it. Even wearing gloves will not always prevent dirt from embedding, particularly if you are working with wet soil. Know how to clean under fingernails because gardening will ruin your nails and make you look like a garden mechanic if you do a lot of it.
- Purchase a simple bar of soap and keep it dry. Purchase a small jar of petroleum jelly and a scrub brush for your fingernails. Scrape the clean, dry bar of soap with your fingernail to produce a layer of dry soap under your fingernail. For each nail, repeat the process. When you’re working in the greenhouse, leave it there.
- Apply vaseline to your nails and around your cuticles. Leave a thin coating on the cuticles and nails to cover them. The soil will adhere to it, but it will quickly peel off and provide a protective layer when you work in the garden. It’s really easy to clean up.
If you don’t like dealing with them, wear cotton gardening gloves. Rubber gloves work, but they’re not comfortable to wear and they like to make your hands sweat, making it harder to feel when you are doing some task. When wearing cloth gloves in wet or damp soil, you can always get embedded dirt and dried-out fingernails.
To clean your hands, go to the sink and wash them with warm water and a soft scrub brush. It’s easy to wipe, and you won’t end up with dry palms, embedded dirt, or discoloration. A protective coating of soap under your nails and petroleum jelly on your cuticles helps prevent dirt from damaging the appearance of nice hands.
You can enjoy your gardening while still having attractive hands by carefully following these two preventative steps.