Video: how to remove mounting foam from hands

25.03.2021

For cleaning hands from contamination with mounting foam, the area of \u200b\u200bcontact of the foam with the skin is of fundamental importance. The larger the stain, the more difficult it is to clean. Even more important is the degree of polymerization (hardening) of the material. If possible, the foam must be removed immediately. After 10-15 minutes, it is much more difficult to do this. Older residues on the skin of the hands are not easy to remove.

Special liquids and aerosols

Foam manufacturers also produce special washes. Most of them are designed for cleaning guns and smooth work surfaces (window sills, door and window frames, doors). Liquids for cleaning hands are not produced, since the cured polyurethane is irreversible. It can be softened only with sufficiently aggressive solvents, contact of which with human skin is undesirable.

But, if skin contamination has already occurred, many builders resort to standard liquids and aerosols, hoping to clean their hands without compromising health.

The released substances are designed only for cleaning from fresh foam:

IOFARM R621. Aerosol for cleaning tools, contaminated surfaces, hands. The main active ingredient is acetone. Applicable only for the removal of fresh contaminants.
PENOSIL Foam Cleaner. Aerosol for cleaning with fresh, uncured foam. Can be used to remove stains from plastics (leaves no residue).
OPPA. Aerosol removal of unhardened fragments. It is also used for cleaning and degreasing plastic and glass surfaces.
PENOSIL Premium Cured PU-Foam Remover. Remover for hardened foam. Spray can. Not effective on adhesive (highly absorbent, porous) surfaces.
Cosmofen S5. Plastic polishing agent. Cleans fresh lather. The main purpose is to remove defects and scratches from opaque vinyl (PVC) surfaces.

Very few special solvents are needed to clean hands. Therefore, when choosing a liquid or aerosol, their additional capabilities are important so that the purchased can is in demand in full.

If at the time of contamination there were no special liquids, common, standard solvents are used:

Acetone and acetone-containing liquids (composite thinner 646, nail polish removers). Small amounts are not as toxic because acetone is a product of natural metabolism present in the body.
White Spirit. Not very efficient. However, it is better than using soap and water.
Solvent 647. Multicomponent liquid based on acetates and toluene. Toxic.

In order to avoid complications from skin contact with aggressive liquids (for chronic allergies), it is possible to use heated vegetable oil. This substance is not so effective. But not without side effects, environmentally friendly.

How to clean your hands from fresh foam

The foam that has not had time to harden (polymerize) is washed off quite easily. The main thing is to follow simple rules:

Localize the spot. Contamination is wiped with napkins, toilet paper or soft rags. Movement must be directed to the center of the spot so that it decreases rather than increases.
Solvents. Aerosol washes are sprayed from a distance of 10-15 cm onto the soiled areas. If the stain is small, you can spray the substance not on pollution, but on a rag, which can be cleaned from a distance of 1-2 cm.
Removal of solvents. After cleaning the hands, they are washed with soap and hot running water.

Fresh foam washes off quite easily. However, it is not always possible to interrupt work for hand care. In this case, you have to face the problem of cleaning from old stains.

What to do if the foam has hardened on your hands

Well-dried foam cannot be removed with ordinary solvents and washes. There are special compositions of substances. But practice shows that they are not effective:

Pollution practically does not change its properties.
Solvents are toxic, have a bad effect on the skin of the hands and, being absorbed into the pores, on the liver and cardiovascular system of the body.

For example, PU REMOVER is a paste-cleaner for hardened foam. The substance is indeed capable of softening dried polyurethane foam, but, according to the manufacturer's instructions, it is applicable only on smooth, non-porous surfaces. Excellent proved itself on metals, glass, but not productively on the hands.

Sequence of actions when removing dried foam

The easiest way to clean old contaminants from polyurethane foam is to naturally change the epithelium: the upper layers of the skin periodically change, flake off. Along with them, persistent pollution also “departs”. The process lasts from several days to 7-10 days, but it can be accelerated:

Thinning. The foam layer must be made as thin as possible. This is done mechanically: the foam is carefully, so as not to damage the skin, erased with fine sandpaper, pumice stone. Sometimes a razor blade is also used, but this method is not recommended because cuts and wounds are inevitable. It is worth remembering that under the skin of the hands, the veins are located very close.
Steaming. Hands can be steamed in hot water (at a temperature of 60-65 degrees). Steaming time depends on the quality of the foam, the degree of its penetration into the pores and the initial condition of the skin.

After 10-15 minutes, hands are wiped and dried. The spot is localized, the thinnest parts of the spots will disappear. Thick ones need to be thinned and steamed again.

If it was not possible to completely wash off the remnants of the foam, a children's moisturizer should be smeared on the contaminated places at night. This method is not as effective as steaming. But it "works" all night and, as a rule, brings certain results.

How bad is polyurethane?

The active substance of the mounting foam is polyurethane foam (PPU). Fresh and in the process of solidification, it releases toxic substances. Therefore, PPU contact with the skin is undesirable and causes irritation, allergic reactions. Frozen, it is no more dangerous than foam rubber.

How to keep your hands safe

It is enough to use rubberized gloves. Ordinary cotton ones are also suitable, but they are not able to fully protect the hands, because they get wet, they are permeable to foam. However, the area of contamination will be reduced, especially if you change them more often.

It should be remembered that it is easier to foresee possible contamination than to remove dried polyurethane stains later. After all, it is so difficult.