A friend returning from a deployment in Afghanistan got me hooked on using hygienic flushable wipes – not just in the bathroom but for all-around use, citing the abhorrent living conditions he and the rest of his detachment found on that side of the world. Since then, I’ve always maintained a pack of baby wipes either in my truck or in the bathroom. So when Grease Monkey asked if I’d be interested in trying out their Heavy-Duty Cleaning Wipes, I told them that I was the right guy.
The Grease Monkey wipes come presoaked in a heavy duty solution for cleaning your hands when there’s no access to soap and water. Although available in a bottle or a larger container full of Grease Monkey’s pre-moistened, disposable cleaning wipes, we were sent a couple of boxes of individually-packaged wipes meant for on-the-spot use or multi-purpose applications. Intended to remove grease, grime, oil and dirt from skin and other surfaces, the Grease Monkey wipes are advertised to be hard on dirt but gentle on skin, so that’s a plus.
As regular readers and subscribers to our YouTube channel know, we do quite a bit of hands-on work here at The Watercraft Journal, and never shy away from getting our hands dirty. Always interested in finding a new hand cleaner that’s tough on the different kinds of chemicals we encounter (be it grease, grime, oil, lubricants, adhesives, ink, etc.); we were interested to see how Grease Monkey’s citrus formula-infused wipes fared – especially as their wipes require no soap or water.
This weekend I decided it was time to service our worn-and-weary two-bunk PWC trailer’s wheels, hubs and bearings. After a few hours’ labor, it was time to clean up and see if Grease Monkey’s Heavy-Duty Cleaning Wipes could meet the challenge. Removing the wetted towelette from the pack with slippery hands was challenge Number 1. The towel is made with thick, perforated material, not a soft, cottony-feeling towel. This made the Heavy-Duty Cleaning Wipes durable enough to not tear or fray.
The gentle cleanser required quite a bit of scrubbing to clean up dirtier areas, like my fingertips, knuckles and palm. Admittedly, even a second towelette wasn’t enough to get the axle bearing grease that had embedded into the skin. While excellent at knocking off the surface grime, getting my hands clean enough to be comfortable to eat with required some deep-cleaning hand soap and hot water. Not exactly the stuff the marketers would like me advertising – but there is good news.
While the Grease Monkey Heavy-Duty Cleaning Wipes are fine for quick clean-ups, say after changing a tire on the side of the road, or wiping down after a quick oil change; they’re not the end-of-the-day hand cleaner that experienced mechanics will go to. And that’s OK. The pre-packaged wipes are great to carry on you for multi-use applications; while out biking or boating, fishing, hunting, camping, and ideal for the glove box or center console of your car or truck.
