Tips for getting rid of any fuel oil smell on your hands

Fuel oils such as kerosine, heating oil or diesel are very thin mineral oils and they leave an unpleasant smell on your hands even after washing them thoroughly with soap.

I try to wear gloves to minimize the exposure. I recommend to throw the gloves away after the job as fuel oils will penetrate the gloves over time. Doctor's gloves are good but rip easily. However even with gloves on you might get some oil onto your hands.

Here is how to get rid of that oil smell even if you did not wear gloves at all:

After the job wash your hands with handwash soap as clean as possible.
Go to the fridge and get a small piece of butter and use it like a hand cream. Cover your hands, finger nails and arms in butter. Wait for about 2-3 minutes and after that wash everything off with normal soap.
Check if your hands: Do they still smell? In many cases that butter treatment might be enough. If not go to the next step.
Use citrus solvents (d-Limonene or 1-methyl-4-isopropenyl-1-cyclohexene):

The peels of oranges and lemons contain a powerful natural solvent. Peel an orange or a lemon and cut the peels into small pieces, give them into a small bowl and add a bit of cooking oil. Try to squeeze the peels a bit with a fork and let the whole mixture sit for 15min. I prefer organic oranges or lemons that have not been treated with pesticides but they might be hard to find.
Rub your hands in the oil and citrus solvent mixture and leave the mixture on for 2-3 minutes, after that wash everything off with normal soap.

Check your hands. They are not smelling anymore!

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