Udder Balm Hand Cleaner

Because I seem to spend a considerable portion of my life at the farm and ranch store I have long been acquainted with udder balm.  It is widely regarded in these parts as a great hand cream and can prevent a lot of winter misery.  It is advertised as “moisturizing cream.”  

I started using it as a moisturizing cream in the winter months to prevent or heal skin cracks on my hands.  As time went by I made it part of the winter routine to try and apply the cream a couple of times a day as I worked.  It didn’t take long to notice how effective it was is bonding to the black, whatever it is, that covers my hands and removing it when I wipe the excess cream off with a paper shop towel.  As far as I know, they don’t promote it as a hand cleaner, but it sure works well for me.

That reminded me of a fishing tip I got from a fellow who used to be a guide and hunted or fished or both almost every day of his life.  I was doing some cool weather river fishing for catfish and complaining to him about how nasty it was to use shad sides because of the odor lingering on my hands.  He said he always slathered his hands with hand cream before going to the river.  The cream coating prevented the odor of the shad sides from bonding to his skin.  After a good hand washing there was no hint of the odor.

I learned that trick form him twenty years ago.  So why did it take me so long to think it might work with nasty shop grime?

Here is Horseshoe Man saying, “Ain’t it a wonder!”