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Cleaner you tips Remove wood stain from skin

Submitted by Petua

I tried unsuccesfully to remove wood stain from my skin using hand soap, dish soap, Goop, and nail polish remover. When all of those attempts failed and left my hands sticky I turned to the web and read some suggestions including vinegar, lemon juice, and bleach. Unfortunately I did not have any of those items on hand so I kept searching. Finally, I found a suggestion of using vegetable oil (which I DID have). To my surprise, it worked great! Of course it's a 2-step process because then you need to remove the vegetable oil, but that's done easily with ordinary dish soap.

Note: Supposedly, vegetable oil also removes paint and grease although I haven't tried it yet.

Visitors comments

awesome! Comments By: anon@anon.com on 2005-02-13 googled this question and the tip worked perfectly. just got finished staining a bunch of wood and wasn't able to get the stain off... the vegetable oil worked perfect. good tip!   I can't belive this works... Comments By: Jeff on 2005-08-06 Good work son   Genuis Comments By: anon on 2006-08-08 worked like a charm in seconds. Thanks!   thank you! Comments By: Lilly-PA on 2007-01-15 We didn't have veggie oil - so we used corn oil instead. It also did the trick. I can't believe how quick it came right off. Thanks for your help!   Thanks... Comments By: Anon on 2007-04-22 Canola oil works too!   ? Help ?? Comments By: Kevin on 2007-06-11 After removing polyurethane and varnish with varnish remover, the stain left on my fingers will not go away. I tried the oil and dish soap, did not work. FIngers are still bright red. Any ideas anyone?   Thank you! Comments By: Angela on 2007-07-08 I also didn't have vegetable oil, or corn oil... Olive oil works fantastically!   It worked! Comments By: Holly on 2007-07-13 I tried bleach and soap at first and it was not working. That is when I did some research and found your tip. In seconds it was all off, even around the finger nail. Thanks!   Perfect! Comments By: Sarah on 2007-07-22 Worked just like you said. Just rubbed the skin with vegetable oil and then washed with regular hand soap and I'm as good as new! Thank you so much   WOW! Comments By: Woodstock on 2007-08-17 I can't believe this worked. I tried everything and nothing worked until I tired the vegetable oil. Thanks!!   Removing Polyurethane Comments By: Annetta on 2007-08-19 My daughter & I used a Stain/Polyurethane mix and we got some on our hands; she more then me. An internet tip said to try Avon's Skin-So-Soft but we didn't have any so I tried Vaseline and it worked. Next time we do a project, we're wearing gloves!   You Rock!!! Comments By: Brittnie on 2007-08-24 Worked like a charm! Thanks!!   amazing!! Comments By: Kelly Hogan on 2007-08-28 My husband redecorated our eldest son,s room and he decided to restain the large baseboards. His hands were stained to the extreme, due to acheiving the best results required staining with a cloth. His work is corprate so of course panic set in after he realized soap and scrubbing were not working. I came to the computer straight away and read this first. I can,t believe it took 2 minutes to get all of the stain completely off of his hands!!! Thank you soooo much!!!!   THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Comments By: Beth on 2007-09-03 I googled this problem when my latex gloves broke at the fingers and I had stain on my hands and nails. I had canola oil and it worked perfectly!   Unbelievable Comments By: Anon on 2007-09-08 Worked for polyureathane as well! We previously tried mouthwash, pine sol, nail polish remover and soda water and nothing! Vegetable oil worked like a charm. Thank you TipKing!   THANK YOU! Comments By: Olivia on 2007-09-28 I had tried everything before reading your tip. THANKS! Vegetable Oil worked like a charm.   Who Wood have thought!! Comments By: Jessi on 2007-10-04 I just got done staining my kitchen cabinets. I tried to figure out what to do before I went to work to get the stain off of my hands. The vegetable oil really worked, it's like a miracle!!! I'll have to try that with other home improvements I get on my skin!!! Thanks!   cheap gloves makes one heck of a mess! Comments By: Lisa on 2007-10-08 So i just finished staining a bookcase with dark walnut.... and the gloves i was wearing in the middle of the project decided to break, latex :( So i grabbed another pair that i use to garden.. it was all i had left... of course i had stain all over... so the first thing i did was a search on the net. I found your tip and it worked great! Thanks so much... now I wont be 2 toned!!   Take a bath Comments By: tonman23 on 2007-11-26 forget the oils soaps etc. Soak in the bath tub for a half hour and you'll come out relaxed and stain free!   yep it works! Comments By: Clean skin on 2007-12-08 Used cheap canola oil. just rub it in for about 5 minutes and it mysteriously disappears!   Staining sucks Comments By: Nick B. on 2008-01-05 My wife and I tried, Orange Cleaner, Dawn dish soap, Tide free 2x concentrated & Melaluca Products such as Solumeal (all natural cleaner) None of these helped with the awful sticky mess. We used Olive Oil and it worked sooooo well. Be very liberal with the Olive Oil, then simply wash the left over oil off with luke warm water and hand soap. Or like my wife just dry your hands with a paper towel. Olive oil is in many skin care products and great for your skin, unlike most solvents.   SUCCESS!!! Comments By: Dez on 2008-02-13 tried this because i got stain on my hands and everything was sticking to my hands...........worked in a second. so great!! thank you very much.   A GOD SEND Comments By: Brandon on 2008-03-14 Thank you!   AWESOME Comments By: KATE on 2008-03-15 THIS WORKED GREAT, I WAS VERY SURPRISED. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!   NIce Comments By: SRT, Portland OR on 2008-03-15 I was staining my sons table right before going to work. I used gloves, but got stains on my other hand. To my suprise it the stains didn't come off when I washed my hands. I used alcohol without success. I looked up your tip. I found massage oil on my bath counter, poured some on a face scrub pad and all the stains where gone in a minute. Now my hands smell so goodand I don't have to explain my stains to everyone at work. Thanks.   So Excited!! Comments By: Jaxon Oklahoma on 2008-04-03 My eight year old son got wood stain on his hands after staining some wood just for fun! He was hysterical after not being able to remove it with soap and water, and then polish remover. We finally got googled it, and found the vegetable oil tip. It worked perfectly!! He was so excited and we were relieved!!   awesome Comments By: jonathan on 2008-04-24 worked like a charm   AMAZING!!! Comments By: anon on 2008-05-07 i tired nail polish remover, bleach, soap, and lemon juice and nothing happened i did one more search and found this and i work so quickly i was thrilled!!! thank you so much!!!   just...wow... Comments By: Jay on 2008-05-20 well...to honest i didnt think that was really true until i ran into a little staining project myself. Got it everywhere feet hands toes you name it, i dont know how but i did. so i then went for the soap, the the bleach...nothin. came on, heard this again. tried it and im set im good as new. thanks a lot. my appreciated.   Yay! Comments By: Lacey on 2008-05-22 One more thank you! : )   magic Comments By: JD on 2008-05-26 If only I could get rid of those troublesome relatives as easy!   LIke attracts like Comments By: Mattie on 2008-05-27 This tip makes a lot of sense, as a lot of stains are oil based. So I think this is a very successful case of like attracts like! It worked like a charm, thanks!   Wood Stain Comments By: Alex on 2008-06-05 I'll be damned...canola oil worked like a charm!   Wood stainer Comments By: Mike on 2008-06-23 I was staining a wooden model and the stain got all over my hands and arms, so I tried (unsucessfully) scrubbing my hands with soap and water for around 20 min till I looked up this tip and the Canola oil worked great even thought my hands were a bit slippery after i washed off the oil. Thanks so much!!! Note: Surprisingly, the oil also helps heal blister and small cuts/scratches.   WORKS GREAT Comments By: Mohit on 2008-06-26 This is a most awesome recommendation. It definitely did the trick for me! I used so much soap before I decided to look online. Thank you!   SUH-weet Comments By: Stef on 2008-07-17 Worked fabulous! I used canola oil but worked the same!!! Thanks a ton!   YOU ROCK!!! Comments By: Anon on 2008-07-22 Stain/Poly + Rag application + no gloves = Major stain on the hands!! I felt the panic starting to well up in my chest when the nail polish remover, alcohol, dish soap, hand soap, and steel wool weren't working and the next thought was maybe using gasoline (gag - not to mention that stuff is gold, why waste it?!). Google brought me this wonderful site and suggestion and I was singing the praises of veggie oil while it took the stain right off in a minute or two! You so totally rock and I thank you over and over again!!!   Worked Wonders Comments By: Doug on 2008-07-28 After being a dope and staining some steps and furniture without gloves repairs my hands looked terrible. Your tip and a little elbow grease worked great. Now I don't have to explain how stupid I was. Thanks!!!   veegie oil Comments By: hank on 2008-07-29 didnt have vegetable oil so i tried margerine. worked!   THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Comments By: Rebecca on 2008-08-05 My husband tried just about everything in the house -- toxic and non-toxic -- and then I googled the question and this is what came up -- worked like a charm!   GENUS!!! Comments By: Mari on 2008-08-09 lol...who woulda thought? altho i still have (much lighter)stains under my nails, this worked VERY well...glad i tried this b4 trying gasoline (too expensive, rofl) TYTYTY :)   AMAZING Comments By: Sri on 2008-08-11 I tried differnt methods for 2 hours and still unable to get rid wax out of my hands and I used vegitale oil it went off in 2 minutes   hair too Comments By: sarnhold on 2008-08-24 Olive oil takes lacquer out of hair too. I just read this site and tried it. I had a bunch of it in my hair and it came out. Now I just need to get that out...Lots of shamoo will do it. Thanks   Thank God for the Internet and this Tip!!! Comments By: mickry on 2008-09-02 Thanks so much for putting your tips online...it saved me a trip to home depot for turpintine...varnish remover!   Oh my gosh!! Comments By: Karen Jacobs on 2008-09-11 I used the gasoline first, checked the internet, found this site and low and behold the Avon skin so soft really does work. Thanks so much   I cannot beleive it!!!! Comments By: Rahul on 2008-09-13 I was so frustrated after I was done with wood polishing with the stains not going at all. Tried every thing but was out of luck. I realized of upcoming important next day and panic was at least quadrupled. Then this tip came as divine help. Thanks so much.   Unbelievable !!! Comments By: Chuck on 2008-09-17 Thank You !! Worked great...I tried everything then did vegetable oil and it took the stain off in seconds...every man should have some vege oil in their toolbox :)   Thank you so much Comments By: Dave on 2008-09-23 Found Corn oil and it was off - worked just as well on the keyboard keys that got gummed up trying to find the solution   Thank gosh!!!!!!!!! Comments By: Lisa on 2008-09-27 First try it came off all of it! Thank goodness, the sticky feeling made me crazy!   Thanks, from NY Comments By: JR on 2008-09-28 I was close to hitting the store for mineral spirits, when I decided to check the web. Thank you for saving my Sunday! Olive Oil worked like a charm! Best regards, JR from Rochester, NY USA.   works on little ones too Comments By: michelle on 2008-10-09 this worked like a charm on my two year old son who decided to get into my 15 year old daughters room and play with her nail polish and paint all over his body including his mr winkie. I was so worried about how i was going to clean the area without hurting him. it came to my mind to use olive oil, but before using it i decided to look on the internet and found this site. thanks for the magnificent tip.   perhaps a little clostiphobic..... Comments By: piercee2k on 2008-10-18 This was not funny... I was truly scared for the fact that my fingers would/could not open. Thank you for the vegetable oil suggestion ...it cleared my hands of all poly/stain and stick. Seriously, Thank you.   Great advice Comments By: Clarke16c on 2008-10-31 You rock, it came right out and it is still cheaper than buying and throwing away plastic gloves!!   Comet! Comments By: Jan on 2008-10-29 After using a dark brown stain, my husband grabbed the Comet Cleanser and scrubbed his hands for about 2 minutes...they came clean!   Right on-time! Comments By: Ebony on 2008-11-20 Just finished some amateur staining and didn't realize the oil in the stain was so resistant. Googled and got this tip...thanks! It worked more quickly than expected!   INCREDIBLE!!! Comments By: jamy on 2008-11-26 My hands felt so sticky and gross and I was so mad at myself for not wearing gloves. It came off in seconds with the vegetable oil. Thank you!   AMAZING! Comments By: Candee on 2008-12-21 That was a life saver I was really getting stressed out over not getting it to remove. Finally I logged on read this and it worked I just can't believe it. Thank YOU!   Wow! Comments By: AM on 2008-12-20 I was all set to stay sticky for 3-4 days when my girlfriend insisted I'd do something about it. She suggested vegetable oil but I was skeptical so we googled and found your advice. Unbeliveable! It worked so well. I can type now. Thanks!   Fantastic Comments By: roufamatic on 2009-01-18 This is what the Internet was invented for. Thank you!   WORKS! Comments By: Tammy on 2009-02-25 I did not have vegitable oil however, I did have Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO). I'm a professional and my hands were covered in dark cherry wood stain....so I googled (love google) how to remove stain from skin and BAM....used EVO and hands are super clean and also very soft!   Thank You! Comments By: Anon on 2009-03-07 It worked like a charm, thank you so much!   oh shoot! Comments By: Pam on 2009-03-08 I stain cabinets and other wooden items for a living. My nails are terrible and the oil did not work for me. I guess the stains were too old and set in. Gloves break and paint thinner, alcohol, GoJO, dishwashing det., etc has not worked for me. Maybe I'm in the wrong business.   Thankyou! Comments By: anon on 2009-03-18 I'd just finished a project and found exactly what I needed.   ADD THIS!!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: a_HumaN on 2009-03-25 mix oil with raw cane sugar(the crystal looking kind) and scrub it off in the shower!! your skin will look even better than when you started!!!   Worked Perfectly! Comments By: Evin F. on 2009-03-27 Just got finished staining a cabinet and it all over my legs and everything. The Vegetable Oil worked like a charm and came off nicely with some dawn and a sponge. Left my skin feeling nice too. Thanks for the tip, you saved my evening out :)   AMAZING!!! Comments By: Cristina on 2009-04-03 the vegetable oil worked like a charm.   GENIUS! Comments By: Larry on 2009-04-16 YOU ROCK!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!   I NEVER would have thought this would have worked... Comments By: Anon.-ette on 2009-04-25 But it did and FAST! Thanks so much! I used corn oil. I just smeared it on, rubbed it in a little, and took a paper towel. Sure enough, off it went.   WORKS GREAT ON STAIN BUT NOT LACQUER Comments By: BECKER FURNITURE RESTORATIONS on 2009-06-05 ive been a finisher for years and this is the first time i tried this and its works excellent, my only problem is that i also have black lacquer stains on my hands and it did not romove those..... any ideas? dont really feel like or reccomend cleaning with thinner   Thanks so much! Comments By: Melissa on 2009-06-29 Didn't have vegetable oil, but used peanut oil which worked perfectly! Now my fingers can stop sticking to everything.   OMG Comments By: Lael on 2009-06-29 this absolutly works. i was freaking out cuz i had stain all over my legs (don't ask) looked this up and witin seconds the stain was gone!! i will be telling everyone this secret!!   Awesome Comments By: James on 2009-07-04 Thanks So Much, Your a life saver   Thank you! Comments By: Anon on 2009-07-04 My sticky fingers typed frantically looking for an answer and there it was!! Thank you!   Thank You Comments By: Billy Jo Jin on 2009-07-05 Worked like a charm!   WOW! Comments By: Andy on 2009-07-07 Wow! That worked awesome! Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!   baby oil works great Comments By: Julian on 2009-07-07 did have any type of oil except baby oil so I gave that a try and it worked great ... just rubbed on some baby oil on my hands and then washed it off with warm water & hand soap. Worked perfectly.   Thanks so much! Comments By: Evan Schoenberg on 2009-07-08 Nothing else worked; vegetable oil did the trick. Thank you!   Awesome!!! Comments By: Sam Finke on 2009-07-28 I made a little wood plate for myself and stained it. nothing worked until this!! yay!   yay it works! Comments By: LA on 2009-07-29 Thank you for helping us out of a frustrating situation. lucky we have the web to share helpful hints.   Amazing! Comments By: Erika on 2009-07-31 My mom was staining our counters and in the end she had wood stain on her hands. Her hands were also very sticky. I looked this up and found that washing you hands in vegetable oil really works! Following with hand soap! In the end her hands were stain and sticky free! This works miracles! Thank you! ~Christine and Erika   Wonderful tip! Comments By: Michelle on 2009-07-31 Works like a charm :) I thought I was going to be stained for days!   So psyched.... Comments By: jmg_boston on 2009-08-09 I was skeptical, but just finished pouring canola oil all over my hands and I even added a little salt for good measure (like a salt scrub). NOt only did it remove the stain, but my hands are nice and soft now too.   Works like a charm! Comments By: Kevin V. on 2009-08-13 Excellent find. Had some polyurethane coating all over my hands. Tried Alcohol, Baby wipes, and soap. None worked. Used the Vegetable oil, lathered up, rinsed, soaped, and POOF! It was gone! Thanks a million!   Freak out Comments By: Samantha (silly girl) on 2009-08-16 Had poly and stain all over my hands from attempting to clean out some paint brushes. My fingers were starting to stick together and my hands were turning a dark walnut. I tried toilet bowl cleaner because it included bleach after dish soap and hand soap had not effect. Toilet bowl cleaner did unstick my hands for the most part so I was able to google ... YOU ARE A SAVER! I would have made a very embarassing trip to Home Depot if it weren't for this tip.   Stain a riffic Comments By: shaun on 2009-08-25 WOW. Thanks. I just stained some woodburnings and was stuck.. and thanks to you the V oil was a charm.   FANTASTIC Comments By: Tod on 2009-09-06 I was scrubbing forever and thought I would scrub my skin right off. I didn't have any vegetable oil so I used olive oil and it worked just as well. Thanks for the tip!   Worked a Little, but not good enough! Comments By: Anon on 2009-09-11 Stain gone in seconds, minutes, ??? I don't think so. My boyfriend has been at the sink for at least 10 minutes with the vegetable oil and its hardly working at all. He used reddish wood stain and got it on his fingertips. The vegetable oil is not working at all. Now he is scrubbing it with comet and a scrubber cloth. Its still not coming off.   Amazing Comments By: Sarah on 2009-09-14 My 17 month old son decided to grab the can of stain I was using and poured it on him from head to toe. I was using everything but nothing worked. then I checked the internet and seen this. Thank God it worked   Good - WD-40 also - Tip for the future Comments By: Shane on 2009-09-20 I've been repairing mechanical printing devices for years. Ink and wood stain have always been an issue. A tip on how to prevent such substances from sticking to your skin while you work (so you're not messing with cumbersome gloves) is to spray WD-40 on your hands liberally before you start your work. Most staining substances will bind to the surface oil, and those which don't will not stick to an oiled hand. This lets you work freely, and when your finished need only to wash your hands with soap.   This worked awesome! Comments By: Rachel on 2009-10-05 Thanks so much, I was freaking out cause I spilled some stain all over my arm and no matter how hard I scrubbed it wouldn't come off. The oil worked like a charm though!   thank you! Comments By: anon on 2009-10-09 I used coconut oil and it worked, just have to use a LOT. thanks for the tip!!!   thanks for the info Comments By: chris chambers on 2009-12-09 i didnt have vegi oil so i just used some peanut oil and dish detergent and it came right off thanks cause it got very iritating very soon so thank you   Amazing!!! Comments By: mominparadise on 2009-12-30 It came right off instantly.   YEA!!! Comments By: kel on 2010-01-03 I did not realize what polyeurathane would do to your hands..after testing in on my floor I rinsed my sponge out only to find my hands covered in this stuff. After trying everything else..this tip worked like a charm! THANK YOU!   Removing wood stain Comments By: Jody Webb on 2010-01-12 The canola oil worked like a charm!! Thanks!!   ITS GONEE!!! Comments By: brandon on 2010-01-15 WOW TY you guys so much! I used Mazola vegetable oil and it worked! i finally got it off. With my one good finger i typed my query into google! lol. TY!! Now for the second coat ;)   ITS GONEE!!! Comments By: brandon on 2010-01-16 WOW TY you guys so much! I used Mazola vegetable oil and it worked! i finally got it off. With my one good finger i typed my query into google! lol. TY!! Now for the second coat ;)   THANK YOU! Comments By: Anon on 2010-02-05 This was a life-saver! I didn't have vegetable oil, but olive oil worked in less than one minute!   BEST tip ever! Comments By: anon on 2010-02-06 came off in a snap! thank you so much!   Unbelieveable Comments By: Brittney on 2010-02-13 Thank God for this site huh! I'm just wondering now if this oil can remove grease as in oils in grease.. I mean can I wash my face with it?? lol Anywho, Thanks a bunch!   you really helped Comments By: Katherine on 2010-02-16 I only had olive oil and it did the trick as well, thankyou so much.   Worked Wonders Comments By: James on 2010-02-20 This did the trick for me. Now I am worried about what is in my cooking oil that makes it remove wood stain that soap will not even get off. Guess its grilling from here on out.   Fantastic! Comments By: anon on 2010-03-05 Thank you so much! I just got done staining a dresser and didn't realize you can wash it off with soap! Thanks for this tip work in a couple minutes!   freaking out Comments By: Abigail on 2010-03-15 Was literally freaking out, because my hands were now a spotted leopard print of brown stain! Had tried soaking, scrubbing,etc. nothing was working. Came across your tip, rubbed my hands and armds liberally with veggie oil and voila! Worked like a charm. Thanks!   Unbelieveable Comments By: Adam on 2010-03-17 Thanks so much... You are a live saver. Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't try it myself   it worked! Comments By: Dotspot on 2010-03-23 Is this magic? Right in my pantry? Thank you fairy godmother...   Didnt Work Comments By: Clara on 2010-04-07 None of these worked for me :/   Worked for Me Comments By: Sarah on 2010-04-08 Worked great for me! Thanks for this tip! :)   Thank God!! Comments By: Anon on 2010-04-10 Thank god for this tip. Im hosting a conference in a couple days and thought I was going to have to go in front of everyone with Red Oak colored hands. The oil worked like a charm!   Amazing! Comments By: Whitney on 2010-04-15 I put veggie oil on my hands and literally within seconds the wood stain came right off!! Such A Relief!   Works like a charm! Comments By: Kevin on 2010-05-10 I just finished using a black stain/polyurethane combo for a guitar...hands were covered, and I was sort of freaking out a bit. I hit the google search and this tip worked like a charm! I used olive oil and canola oil though! FANTASTIC!!!   Thank you! Comments By: Emma on 2010-05-10 Everyone was right. It works great!   great tip Comments By: Anon on 2010-05-17 I just tried it and it worked, but this one brand of dish soap works too: the Blue-colored DAWN dish soap.   Perfect! Comments By: Jessica on 2010-05-23 Normally I wouldn't comment on something like this, but it was such a great tip that I just had to. Vinegar didn't work but the vegetable oil worked perfectly. Thanks! Glad this showed up on Google!   who would have thought !! Comments By: kay on 2010-05-25 that worked wonderfully, thanks so much !!   Great tip! Comments By: John on 2010-06-02 Works like a charm!   Sweet! Comments By: Nick on 2010-06-03 I was about to do the walk of shame back to Home Depot with sticky hands but the veggie oil was amazing.   Legend!!! Comments By: Lily on 2010-06-04 I had my hands covered in wood paint- turned to google and found this suggestion- came off in seconds!! (I only had ground nut oil in the cupboard, so am guessing any cooking type oil will do!)... Brilliant! Thanks for the post :)   Like Magic Comments By: Tara Patruno on 2010-06-14 My husband had oil based poly on his hands and couldn't get it off. I thought nail polish remover but that didn't work. So I googled and I got this response! Works like magic he yelled from the kitchen! Thanks   peanut butter Comments By: Jmalark on 2010-06-30 works like magic   PHENOMENAL!! Comments By: Kristine on 2010-07-06 I chose not to use gloves when I started my staining project, knowing I'd make a mess no matter what, and I was surprised to discover how sticky the wood stain was after I washed my hands with soap. I was going to just leave it and wait for it to wear off but got rather annoyed with the stickiness. That's when I Yahoo! searched and found your tip. I tried it and, like everyone else who's posted thus far, the results were PHENOMENAL!!! THANKS A MILLION!! :)   Worked instantly! Comments By: Lyn on 2010-07-08 Wow! My husbands hands were covered, and we had tried using dish soap, which did nothing. The vegetable oil worked instantly! Thanks so much!   THANK YOU!!! Comments By: Kristin on 2010-07-20 Thank you sooooooo much! I was going crazy trying to remove the stain from my hands. I searched online and this was the first tip I came across. I didn't have any oil in the house but I had canola cooking spray. I worked perfect. Then just cleaned up with hot water and Dawn. It was quick too. No Scrubbing needed. Thank you again!   fantastic! Comments By: Anon on 2010-07-23 REALLY AMAZING!   WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: joe on 2010-07-26 IT WORKS GREAT!!   amazing! thanks sooo much! Comments By: Christy on 2010-07-27 I am so glad I found this tip! Thanks a million!   SCIENCE Comments By: Anon on 2010-07-30 My roommates and I felt so silly after reading this post for not figuring this out ourselves!!! we tried soap, water, and vinegar but none of those worked because they are polar substances and the stain is a non-polar substance. any oil works. like dissolves like. science wins again!   Thank Goodness it worked!! Comments By: Nieci on 2010-08-10 My nephew helped my hubby stain a deck. he wore more than he stained(haha) luckily i read these comments and it came off easily!!! thanks a bunch!   Awesome! Comments By: Diana on 2010-08-10 My son and I just finished staining a used bunk bed I purchased for my younger son. We got quiet a bit of stain on our hands in the process. The vegetable oil worked so well. Thanks for sharing the information.   did not work Comments By: brent on 2010-08-17 None of these tips above worked for me at all   REMOVING STAIN FROM YOUR HANDS Comments By: SHAUN on 2010-08-18 OH MY GOD UR AWESOME THAT WORKED IN SECONDS!!!   Works Like A Charm! Comments By: Jerold on 2010-08-24 Thanks so much for the great tip. I tried for about 20 mins. w/ regular soap and water with no success. So I googled my inquiry clicked on your post and wallah worked like magic. Thanks a bunch!!!   Oil really does work! Comments By: Kate on 2010-08-28 It's blown my mind! We tried everything to washing our hands with soap to remove the MAHOGANY WOOD STAIN, to scrubbing them with Ajax, and nothing worked. We used olive oil, and it came off instantaneoulsy! THANK YOU for saving our weekend! My husband would like to shake your hand, now that his hands are clean ;)   HELP Comments By: Anon on 2010-08-31 DOES OLIVE OIL OR ANY OTHER OIL WORK?   This solution saved me from a lot of explaining!!! Comments By: Brooke on 2010-08-29 I was staining some wood in the backyard when one of my 3 boys got a hold of the paint brush and 3 seconds later, my 3 (3,5,7) boys look like dalmatians with brown spots (they didn't have on their shirts). I panicked had them all run in the shower and thought i had to make a run to home depot for help. Thank god i took the few seconds to google and this was the first thing i opened. I couldn't believe it! It was like magic!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for posting.   Dissapointed Comments By: Paula on 2010-09-24 It did not worked for me....   Thanks for the tip! Comments By: Cindi on 2010-10-09 Nothing more annoying than having that sticky stain/polyurethane on your hands. I was ready to scream and then I found this solution. Worked in seconds. I just rubbed it in and scrubbed a little in the worst spots and then washed with dawn dish detergent. Now I'm typing this comment sticky free!   WOW! Comments By: alisharm on 2010-10-22 Fantastic! Didn't really beleive the comments but worked right away! Try it!!!   AWESOME! Comments By: tfo on 2010-10-23 We don't have vegetable oil, but we had Canola oil...and that worked perfectly! And now we smell good.   Magic Eraser Comments By: Alison on 2010-10-27 This worked great with my skin! But I was having some trouble getting it off my nails and nail-beds, I used a magic eraser to clean off the tray I used and I used it on my nails and it worked great! Brand new! Thanks for the tip!   THANK YOU! Comments By: kelly on 2010-11-11 worked like a charm! i just had a french manicure a couple days ago and got dark wood stain ALL over my hands and nails during a project... rubbed the oil on for a few minute and it's completely gone.   Yep!!! It worked!!! Comments By: Val on 2010-12-08 I thought I was going to have to walk around with brown spotted stains on my arms!! How in the world did you figure this one out??? Thanks for tipping off!!!   Saved a whacky chocolate lab! Comments By: mmcneill on 2011-01-03 Our lab puppy stepped into a can of polyurethane stain - we immediately got her paw rinsed off but didn't want to use anything harsh for fear of her ingesting it. The vegetable oil worked great - she was a very happy puppy! Thanks! :)   the perfect tip Comments By: Cynthia Beseler on 2011-01-07 Using oil is the perfect tip: its non-toxic, readily available (I only had olive oil), works quickly, and thoroughly! I did it within ten minutes of using the stain, after trying soap and everything else I had, still left with sticky hands. The oil was so easy-the way to go from now on!   How to remove stain from plastic container? Comments By: desmond on 2011-02-07 I have a plastic container that has stainer for the fence for over 24 hours. Anyone has any idea how I can remove it?   it worked! Comments By: anon on 2011-02-11 I was skeptical about this but tried it and was amazed at how well it worked.   Way to go Einstein! Comments By: Anon on 2011-02-23 Vegetable oil to remove wood stain! Works perfectly. You can't even tell it was on my skin. Thank you!   Bingo baby! Comments By: Bagelx on 2011-03-06 Worked like a charm......was seconds away from using paint thinner or acetone...which i no doubt would have regretted in the morning...thanks a bundle!   It worked AMAZINGLY! Comments By: KJB on 2011-03-16 Thank you so much for the tip! I was struggling to get a red wood stain off my hands (I'm staining a present for my husband) and was starting to freak out. To the Internets! The stain came off with EVO and I didn't have to explain why I was caught "red handed." Thanks again!   WoW Comments By: Megan on 2011-03-16 It REALLY works!!! Thanks so much!!!   Works really Well Comments By: Joe on 2011-03-20 I didn't have any vegetable oil, so I resorted to Canola Oil which worked just as well!! Thanks for the tip :D   AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: Josh Glover on 2011-03-25 I am always getting my hands stained with oil and grease ive used all the expensive hand cleaners and this is the best ive ever got them cleaned. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!   Perfect! Comments By: Anon on 2011-04-02 This worked like a charm. Thanks!   Discovered tonight that wood stain dissolves latex gloves Comments By: The Stainer on 2011-04-02 Discovered tonight that wood stain dissolves latex gloves. Great tip! Although the melted latex is taking some harder scrubbing, it's coming off :)   IT'S THE BOMB!!! Comments By: Allison on 2011-04-04 I used canola oil on my hands for about a minute, rinsed with warm water and then washed hands with dawn olay dishwashing liquid, rinsed with warm water again, towel dry, and that sticky stuff (minwax wood stain/polyurethane) was not on my hands anymore. Wow, thanks for the tip!!!   Wonderfulus!!!!! Comments By: Carla on 2011-04-17 It worked wonderful and fabulously!!!!! I first ran the sink full of water with Dawn and warm water then put the veg oil on my hands and worked it in and rinsed in the dish water. Great tip!!!!   Canola oil works too!!!! Comments By: Martha on 2011-05-22 I only had canola oil at home and it worked perfectly on the wood stain that had fallen on my tile floors and had stained my hands and nails !!!!!   vegetable o to remove stain Comments By: sarah on 2011-05-23 Best idea ever. I just got done staining some wood and stain got on my hands arms legs and feet. Vegetable oil took it right off and dish soap got the oil off!!   WOW, it works Comments By: Stained in OK on 2011-05-28 Amazing, I tried 4 different things before googling this. Thanks, you saved me from 100 dark spots   heilge sheisse Comments By: jack on 2011-06-05 it actually worked this was the first solution on google that I looked at after working on a coffee table tried it and in 10 seconds the stain was all off and no more sticky. another 30 seconds of washing with soap and I got off the veggie oil.   THANK YOU! Comments By: alee on 2011-06-09 I tried alcohol, degreaser, dish soap, glass cleaner, hand soap and even some barkeepers friend...nothing got the sticky stuff off. The vegetable oil worked like a charm! I just washed it off with the dish soap and my hands are completely clean!   ALL GONE! Comments By: liz on 2011-06-09 YEY! Its all gone! Thank you so much for the advice! It worked great! I'd suggest this to anyone who got stain on their hands! :)   Works really well. Comments By: paula on 2011-06-17 Vegetable oil works really good. You really have to scrub, but the stain comes off quickly.   WOW!!! Comments By: Selena on 2011-06-17 I USED THIS RIGHT BEFORE A PARTY AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS NEVER EVEN THERE!! YOU ARE A GENIUS!!   life saving!!!!!! Comments By: megan on 2011-06-18 my mom was painting a chair with stain, it got all over her legs, she though she was scared for life until i saved the day and found this live saving website!!!!   wood stain in a can + kids = mess Comments By: Mother of stain free children on 2011-06-29 My son was helping a neighbor paint and the top came off the can and sprayed all over. At first sight it was complete panic as if he had some type of skin rash. Searched online and found this, worked great, fast too! Thank you!   Vegetable Oil Comments By: Karen H. from Phila,Pa on 2011-07-02 OMG I just used vegetable oil to remove stain from my husband hands and on some of the items we used to stain the floor. Great Advise!!   Excellent,,, Comments By: Anon on 2011-07-09 Thank you! You're a hero!   IM NO LONGER A SKEPTIC Comments By: Douglas on 2011-08-17 IM usually a very skeptical person, so after reading this ti my instant reaction was "yeah right everything on the internet is a hoax" but eh i gave it a try cause i had so much deck stainer on my hands. And to my great surprised it worked very well!!!   Incredible! Comments By: Anon on 2011-08-21 I thought I would have sticky hands all day at work, but this tip saved me! Thanks!!!   Thanks! Comments By: Mike on 2011-08-19 You just saved me! Great tip.   Wow! It works! Comments By: Casey on 2011-07-23 Thank you so much. Never would have thought this would do the trick.   Thank You! Comments By: A Friend on 2011-08-20 Thank you so much. I stained picnic tables for my Dad several times and found out soaking doesn't work for me!! Any suggestions on how to remove the stain from your hair???   yes Comments By: mallory on 2011-08-20 vegetable oil totally works. worked for my brush too   Works to get the sticky off Comments By: James on 2011-08-03 My hands where not stained any color just sticky from the wood stain, and this works perfect for getting the stickyness off... the color portion will that will just have to wear off,   awesome! Comments By: Me on 2011-08-21 My 15 mo old just grabbed the brush from the stain can and sprayed it everywhere. Everywhere. He was covered within seconds. I thought he'd be covered in this for weeks. Never heard of the vegetable oil tip before. Worked PERFECTLY. thank you, thank you!!!   YES Comments By: EPW on 2011-08-10 THANK you so much! awesome!!! I tried Dawn after the oil because I was in the kitchen....regular hand soap was much better!!!   What a relief Comments By: nonajean on 2011-08-13 I stained a dresser with no gloves on and then I felt dizzy. If I hadn't read all of these comments and used oil to wash it off I would still be panicking.It's good to know people and babies survive stain on the skin!!!   AMAZING!!! Comments By: Anon on 2011-08-15 Tried vinager, thinner, n.polish remover didnt work...Olive Oil did...AMAZING!!!   Worked Perfectly! Comments By: Anon on 2011-08-16 This was the perfect cleaner for me!!! I had wood stain from my finger tips to my elbows, and it all came out in less than 30 seconds. Awesome! :) Â