Open Forum

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?

I would also think you should avoid soaps with moisturizers in them.

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?

The museum staff I worked with for over a decade was burdened with serious allergy issues from dust to chemical sensitivities. We used basic old fashioned borax hand powder and rinsed well. However that can be really drying and when combined with our low humidity desert climate my hands took a beating. I developed and made my own hand cream with no harsh chemicals, perfumes or essential oils. It consists of glycerin, aloe, distilled water and an emulsifying wax whipped together to make a nice moisturizing lotion that did not leave a residue on your skin or artifacts. A little bit of lotion goes a long way. It is great to use with cotton gloves also.

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?

Hi Jakob, 

I think as long as you use hand soap without built-in moisturizers you should be fine. Also of course, avoid hand lotion during the day, which I know can be tough during the winter. Last year I was so fed up with my dry, chapped winter hands that I devised a solution for myself. I cut the finger tips off a pair of white cotton gloves, then put them on after I applied hand lotion, then put a pair of nitrile gloves on top of the cotton gloves. This way I could still handle the objects properly and safely all while keeping my skin safe. By cutting the tips off the cotton gloves, I was able to type and write normally when I removed the nitrile gloves. 

Was having a discussion with a colleague the other day and we made an interesting point. When handling artifacts with bare hands, we are always told to make sure hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Is there a specific hand soap out there designed for archival and museum collections work? Just doing an informal google search (and on Gaylord), I didn't find anything. If there is no such soap, are there certain hand soap products you should avoid?