Steel soap: scouring skin sans suds, stinks
This teardrop-shaped lump of steel arrived from Orka in the mail last week, with a press release promising that washing up with it would cause an "oxido-reduction" reaction, "getting rid of persistent odors which penetrate the skin."
I thought it was, well, hogwash, and said so at the time. I then proceeded to get my hands as filthy as possible.
I should issue a gross-out warning now, before the jump.
I applied the following odors, finger by finger:
- Index: WD-40
- Birdie: Bondo
- Ringman: Weedwhacker fuel
- Pinkie: Earwax
I then took the dog for a walk, and policed up after him in accordance with New York City law.
At the sink, I "lathered" the steel soap under cold water in each hand. I even used the little cuticle-cleaner to scrape some Bondo crust from beneath my nail. I then wafted my hands near my face, expecting my foul experimentation to come through in an olfactory assault.
The climax: nothing. My hands were odorless. Not masked with soapy perfume, not vaguely metallic, just not smelling like much of anything at all.
Which, from Orka's perspective, is probably the sweet smell of success.
More dirty hands:
Monday morning dress code at the TOH office.
And 5 of the best non-toxic cleaners you aren't using.
(6) Comments
Did you also apply the same four odors and wash with just soap? Or just water?
Oh! Believe it or not I've tried this thing. I got one (not the same brand) for free at work. I didn't go to the lengths you did to test it, but it does work. It is eco-friendly too because you can save on soap.
Harry-
You didn't really doo-doo it, did ya'? I hope they're paying you HANDSOMELY for the extra muck work.
-Joe
you can save the hassle/expense/wastefulness of buying this thing and instead use the blade of a stainless steel knife you already have by your kitchen sink. also works for garlic and onions.
Well, CTP, if you're in to handling knife blades with wet hands, more power to you. Just count your fingers when you're done.
Hope your knives are actually stainless steel. Mine are, but many aren't. Still not going to wash my hands with them.
I hear you can get the same effect from rubbing your hands on a stainless faucet or sink. (old trick for getting rid of garlic or onion smell from your hands)