One time I was looking for a way to clean roofing tar off my hands. I poured a little vegetable oil on them, and it cleaned up the tar pretty well when wiped with paper towels. I’ve also found that vegetable oil works to remove other oily things. It’s an excellent substitute for paint thinner when cleaning brushes used with oil-based paints and polyurethanes. It also works as well as any commercial cleaner on grease and grime that builds up on objects like range hoods or doorknobs. Just put a little oil on a rag and use some elbow grease. It’s non-toxic and leaves your hands feeling soft and supple.
— Bill Shaw, Bar Harbor, Maine
Edited by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #268
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It seems like this would be common knowledge, but it's not. Thanks for pointing it out -it works great.