Best hand-cleaning wipes
What are your best alternatives when an old rag just won’t do?
An oily rag has been a traditional feature of any garage since the car was invented. But time has moved on and these days most mechanics will prefer to use a disposable wipe to clean up tools and even their hands.
While they are not the most eco-conscious choice and we would always recommend wearing gloves before handling nasty substances, single-use wipes will work where there is limited access to a tap and will help keep some unpleasant chemicals in the bin rather than in the water system.
Wipes are also great for emergency clean ups after a small spill. Plus we’d recommend keeping a few in a sealed plastic bag in your glovebox or with your spare wheel to help tidy up if you need to change a wheel or carry out some other messy repair while on a journey. Which of our eight contenders will wipe away the opposition?
How we tested
We are looking for wipes which will be versatile in the workshop, so should be able to clean hands, tools, car parts and even help out if you accidentally mark a bit of seat trim with a grubby hand.
To test them, we checked if they were able to clean grease, diesel soot and bitumen-based underseal from a solid surface and a piece of fabric. We then tried the wipes on our hands, testing to see if they had a residue or left our skin feeling dried out. In addition to its cleaning power, we also rated each contender on value for money, based on the size and number of wipes in a pack.
Hygimax Heavy Duty Cleaning Wipes
- Price: around £8
- Rating: 5.0 stars
- Cost per wipe: 9p
- Contact: thewipeshop.co.uk
Used - available now
2020 BMW
5 Series Touring
26,513 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L
Cash £35,000
2015 Fiat
500
77,060 milesManualPetrol1.2L
Cash £3,950
2018 MINI
Countryman
35,000 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L
Cash £14,999
2009 Alfa Romeo
Mito
120,000 milesManualPetrol1.4L
Cash £1,795Hygimax’s big tub contains 100 blue, textured wipes that are a huge 28cm square, making them the biggest here. This means they can pick up more dirt than rivals, doing a great job of cleaning dirty hands. They have just the right degree of moisture, with a limited amount of sticky residue, a pleasant orange aroma, and a gentle abrasive action. They were the only product tested that made a real impact on the tar spots and cleaned the fabric boot carpet well. Add in the price and they are a clear winner.
No Nonsense Multi Task Wipes
- Price: around £12
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Cost per wipe: 3p
- Contact: screwfix.com
We initially didn’t consider the No Nonsense wipe because there is no mention of hand cleaning in the description. But we are pleased we did, because they did a good job and are unbeatable value. Although the tub is the same size as rivals’, it is crammed with 300 wipes, which measure 25.5cm x 20cm.
The wipes’ translucent white material is similar to several others in the test, but the detergent liquid is more effective than most, cleaning the soot easily and making some impact on the tar.
Sika Wonder Wipes
- Price: around £8
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Cost per wipe: 8p
- Contact: toolstation.com
If there was a prize for the best container, the Wonder Wipes would win. The big red pot resembles a small post box and has a rotating lid, which is easier to use than all of its rivals’ caps – and is better at keeping the wipes moist.
The 23cm x 21cm rectangles of soft, white, translucent material are thicker than the No Nonsenses and cleaned our hands well, despite having no abrasive action. An initial sticky residue soon disappeared as the detergent dried.
Zep Multi Task Wipes
- Price: around £14
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Cost per wipe: 15p
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
These appear very similar to the No Nonsense wipes, but miss out on a higher placing because they look poor value in comparison, especially because they are smaller, at 22cm x 19cm.
The detergent used is different though, with a slightly almondy aroma, and it left some stickiness on our hands. Zep’s wipes worked very well on the carpet material, but were unable to overcome the spots of tar.
Gorilla Wipes
- Price: around £8
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Cost per wipe: 8.5p
- Contact: toolstation.com
The Gorillas feel slightly thicker and more abrasive than most rivals. The initially sticky and slimy feel disappears, but leaves a harsh chemically smell. They cleaned the soot reasonably well, but needed a bit more scrubbing on our hands and fabric, because there is less liquid infused in the wipe than in others. On the positive side the Gorilla Wipes are big, at 20 x 30cm.
ProDec 100 Multi-Purpose Wipes
- Price: around £8
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Cost per wipe: 8p
- Contact: therange.co.uk
After studying the ProDecs carefully and sniffing them, we are convinced they are the same as the Gorilla wipes, although in less interesting packaging. Unsurprisingly, this meant the cleaning performance was identical too.
The big difference is the size of the wipe though. The Gorillas are 50 per cent bigger, which makes the ProDecs seem poorer value, because we needed two wipes to clean our grubby hands properly.
Rozelex XWipes
- Price: £16.99
- Rating: 3.0 stars
- Cost per wipe: 21p
- Contact: rozelex.co.uk
We had high hopes for the Rozelex, because the company makes the hand-cleaning liquid that has won all our tests for the past six years. And sure enough, the big orange wipes work well, with an abrasive side that gets stuck into grime, and a softer surface on the reverse. They were especially good on the fabric, but their performance in the tar test was disappointing. These wipes would also have finished much higher overall if they weren’t so expensive to buy.
Big Wipes
- Price: £13.49
- Rating: 3.0 stars
- Cost per wipe: 17p
- Contact: screwfix.com
These look very similar to the Hygimax wipes, but are smaller, at 25cm x 20cm. They claim to have added vitamin E and aloe vera, and made our hands feel good after the initial stickiness subsided. Yet they struggled on the fabric clean, and made no dent on the tar. At £13.49 for 80, our winner is better value.
Verdict
It’s an easy win for Hygimax’s wipes. They offer great value and the best cleaning performance. Screwfix’s No Nonsense wipes take second place. They’re not quite as good at cleaning, but there are three times as many wipes in each pot compared with rivals. Sika’s Wonder Wipes are third.
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