Tree saps can be pretty stubborn. If you get a drop of tree sap on your hands, it will be hours of rubbing your hand with soap, and it won’t even budge. But if you know the proper techniques, then removing tree sap from your hands isn’t a difficult job. Here are some of the ways through which you will be able to get rid of tree sap quickly.
Use Hand Sanitizer to Get Tree Sap Off Your Hands
- Take an alcohol-based sanitizer as this is the only healthy option to take out the sap. Make sure you check the ingredients before using them. There should be 60% concentrated ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. Only these alcohols are effective. Keep in mind that sanitizers that don’t have any alcohol would not work as they won’t be able to dissolve the sap.
- Once you’ve got the sanitizer with the correct percentage of alcohol, rub it on your hand. Take a small amount on your hands and rub it thoroughly. If you have sap anywhere else, make sure to rub the sanitizer there as well. For example, if there’s sap on your feet or your arms, you can take some sanitizer on your hands and rub it there. But never use a sanitizer on a cut or wound. Avoid sensitive areas like eyes or other areas as they will burn.
Keep in mind that as the sanitizer has alcohol, it will dry out your skin. You might get flaky skin afterward. So, make sure you use some moisturizer or lotion to keep the area moisturized.
- Also, use sanitizer to clean your tools like pruners or devices that are used for pruning the trees in spring. Usually, pole saw, reciprocating saw, chainsaw, folding saw, bow saw, crosscut saw, etc., are used for pruning trees. You can undoubtedly use sanitizer to clean these tools. Take a cloth or a paper towel and put some sanitizer on it. Use that cloth or towel to wipe the blades properly. Once they are clean, store them in a safe place.
Try not to keep your blades in a sticky state as it will ruin the condition of your equipment. You won’t be able to use them afterward.
Home Remedies in Rescue for Removing Tree Sap Off Your Hands
- If you don’t have any sanitizer near you, then you can certainly use some items that can be easily found in every kitchen. Take any cooking oil you have at home. You can use vegetable oil, olive oil, canola oil, or even margarine. Please take a little bit of oil on your hand and rub it nicely. It will take a minute to dissolve the sap before it comes off. Once you see the sap dissolving, use some soap and lukewarm water to remove the oil and sap.
- If the sap isn’t coming off that quickly, then you can use some baking soda. Take a bit of baking soda, make sure that the soda is completely dry. Pour it over the area that has sap. Rub it gently with the help of some oil. It should break down the sap. Then clean the area with some soap and water.
- This solution is quite different from the other options. Take a spoon of peanut butter and place it over the area where you have sap. Peanut butter contains a significant amount of oil, which helps break down the fluid. Once you’ve placed the peanut butter, rub it lightly. After a while, the sap should be coming off. Just like the previous methods, use a bit of soap and water to clean the area. You can also use mayonnaise instead of peanut butter.
- Have you ever thought that toothpaste can be a savior? It can clean other stuff also, besides cleaning your teeth? Nicely coat the place that has sap with some toothpaste. It will take a minute or two to remove the sap altogether. In the end, clean the area with some soap and water.
- Sometimes the sap gets too stubborn and doesn’t want to come that easily. In that case, you can use rubbing alcohol to remove the sap. But keep in my that rubbing alcohol is extremely drying. Take a cotton ball or a sponge, pour some rubbing alcohol on it and lightly rub that over the area. You can also use nail polish remover instead of rubbing alcohol. The process will remain the same.
If you don’t want to rub so many things in your hands, then you can simply soak your hands in warm water. But only warm water won’t take out the sap. You will have to add two tablespoons of salt into a large bowl of warm water. Take a little bit of honey and mix it nicely. Put your hand inside this mix and keep it there for 5 minutes. You can scrub it if you want. Then let your hands air dry. After that, wash your hands with some soap and regular water. This will take out all the sap.
What to do when nothing is available?
It can be possible that you’ve got some sap while working in a jungle. In that case, you can do the following:
Take some dirt and rub it over the area with sap. But the sap has to be wet to make this method work. So, if you’ve got some sap, immediately put some dirt. Let it dry. This will prevent the sap from sticking to your hand, and later on, you’ll be able to take out the sap with some soap.
What to do when you have sap on the surface?
Taking tree sap from the surface is equally tricky. But you can’t use sanitizer or oil to remove sap from surfaces. On the other hand, you can do two things.
- If you have sap on your cloth, take a little bit of WD40 and pour it over your fabric. Rub it thoroughly. Now do not pour too much solution in the beginning. Test the solution by running a bit at first and rubbing it. Wait for half an hour and then see whether it discolors the fabric or not.
- Instead of sanitizer, you can use some isopropyl alcohol for your fabrics. Take a sponge or a cotton ball. Soak it in rubbing alcohol that has 90% concentration. Use a circular motion while scrubbing the material. This technique should be perfect for clothes, rugs, curtains, etc. After that, wash the fabric nicely to get rid of the remaining sap.
These are the standard methods of removing tree sap. Whatever way you choose, make sure that you look after your skin afterward, as all the above techniques can be pretty harsh on the skin.