Last summer, while taking a lunch break from staining shingles, I noticed that the oil from my potato chips was dissolving the stain still on my hands after I had washed them with paint thinner and scrubbed them with detergent. Reflecting on how many solvents warn against prolonged skin contact, I decided to pack some olive oil in a squeeze bottle. Using the oil to dilute the stain, followed by a scrub with a handful of sandy loam and some water, left my hands as clean as my partner’s paintthinner-cleaned hands.
Duff Bogen, Providence, RI
