Need Tips on Clean-up from Hot Peppers

I know I'm late on tips but - I use my yellow kitchen gloves and then just soap them off afterward. No need to toss them and I've never had a problem. Good luck!

(My heart went out to you, I know I would have felt bad if I'd done the same to my daughter!)

- signed, another pepper-loving Mama. :-)

Hi A.,

I have a product that I bought for cleaning veggies called All Natural Veggie Wash Fruit and Vegetable Wash. I don't know if you have a WinCo where you are, but I bought it there.

Perhaps you could clean your hands with it(or a similar product--this has organic citrus oil and other ings.) after you're done with the peppers, *then* wash your hands with regular hand soap when you're done. This product has a caution on the back that if you get it in your eyes to flush with copious amounts of water, and if irritation persists, to contact a physician.

I mention it because it may wash the residue from your hands, then you can use normal soap to remove the citrus acid from your hands. Otherwise, maybe baking soda?

I Yahoo searched this question, on on Yahoo answers read that butter and mayo would help, and for next time, wear rubber gloves. Reading some of the anecdotes about what other things folks touched after cutting peppers was kinda funny lol.

I did another search and read that it can get under your fingernails and maybe even linger for a couple days, so try the butter and/or mayo w/a fingernail scrubbing brush, and also I read milk would help as well as alcohol(I believe they meant rubbing alcohol). Something about capsaisins(sp?) and breaking down the oils.

I hope your baby feels better.

K. W

Hi Mercy,
If you cut the pepper in half then with a knife scrape the seeds out,trying not to touch them they are what is hot.Also use thin plastic gloves and throw them away when you are done.
Good luck!

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Wear rubber gloves while handling peppers. Then you can be pretty sure that you do not have it on your skin.

N.

I know this may sound a bit silly, but rub either salt or baking soda (either one will work) on your hands, and then wash them. You can also try soaking them in vinegar for a few minutes and then washing them. Hope something helps!

When I work with chile peppers (jalapenos, serranos, whatever) I now use either a plastic sandwich bag or plastic gloves to remove all of the strings/veins and seeds. I too have experienced the burn in my eye which is very uncomfortable. I once had a friend who cleaned a bunch of jalapenos (veins and seeds) for a thai dish, and was up all night with her fingers in the sink full of ice cubes. Unfortunately, I've heard icing a burn like that can cause the burn to go into the deeper tissue. Since then, I've learned to completely protect my skin and wash thoroughly afterward. Unfortunately, without using gloves the oil remains on your hands! No fun for anyone. Good luck and enjoy your peppers! They are so tasty
H.

You need to wear plastic gloves when handling hot peppers. I have found that the oils from jalepenos are pretty much impossible to wash off with soap or anything else I tried. But gloves can be whipped off in no time if you need to touch your child while you are cooking (or for hours afterward).

Hmm...the only thing I can think of is Alton Brown's tip - keep a box of surgical gloves in the kitchen for chopping peppers. :-)

Also, go here (http://www.recipesecrets.net/forums/cooking-tips/3245-nee...)
for more tips. They have some good ones!

This isn't so much a clean-up tip as much as a tip while cutting. Wear vinyl, rubber, or latex gloves while cutting any peppers. When you're done cutting, clean up any utensils, turn the gloves inside-out while taking them off (so you don't touch anything) and toss them. No oils/juices to worry about. Another option, that I usually use, is to make sure I only touch the peppers with my left hand as I cut with my right (I'm right-handed). Even though I don't get ALL of the oils off my left hand after washing up, I know not to touch anything sensitive (eyes, nose, etc.) with my left hand until the next day.

When cleaning any type of pepper you should always wear some type of latex or non latex glove. I have not found a solution to clean up after preping peppers except time, it takes time for the oils to come out of your skin especially if you are preping a lot of peppers.

I wear latex gloves when cutting hot peppers.

Hi A., Gramma B. here. I made salsa a couple years ago and did the same thing, only I rubbed my own eye. Talk about sting! I remembered that milk products will relieve the burn when eating hot pepper food so I thought why not try it in my eye. Knowing that canned milk is sterile I put a drop in my eye and immediate relief! The relief lasted quite awhile - maybe 15 minutes. So every 15 minutes or so for about 2 hours, I'd put a drop of canned (evaporated-not condensed) milk in the corner of my eye and let it work around in there. Not exactly what the doctor would recommend probably, but it worked and I knew it wouldn't hurt my eye at all. Of course it was blurry for the whole time but when it finally quit hurting, I rinsed it with sterile eye solution and it eventually cleared up. Nothing else I tried relieved it, including eye drops, etc.
And, no, washing a lot with soap and water does not take all the hot stuff off your hands. I also found that out - my right hand which I used to remove the seeds was also stinging. So I had to soak it in a little dishful of the milk also - regular milk would probably work for that. The best remedy is to wear latex or rubber gloves while working with jalapenos or other hot peppers, then discard them and wash thoroughly, just to be safe. And above all, which you already know :) do NOT touch your face or anyone else's while working with the peppers.
Hope this all helps. I've never answered any of these letters before but this one was something I experienced so strongly and actually had a solution for so just had to answer. Be blessed. Gramma B.

sorry about what happend with your litte one

Hi I'm mexican and best way to do it is get a lemon or lime and squeeze into your hands and fingers, like when we eat seafood!! works great.
the other option might sound weird but when that happend with your hair try to massage her eye..
good luck

lemons. It will brack up the oils from the pepper and smell good.

Hi, gloves are the easiest and best way to avoid getting the pepper oils on your hands. I have tried washing with many kinds of soaps...I haven't found one that works yet. But disposable gloves will protect you and family from the dreaded hot pepper in the eye (who hasn't had that happen at least once)hope this helps, A.

A., I'm so sorry! One time I had this brilliant idea that I'd have a salsa-making marathon. I chopped jalapeno after jalepeno, I must have chopped dozens. Anyway, nobody ever told me they would burn my skin. They didn't feel like they were having any effect while I was chopping them...then, in the middle of the night my skin felt like it was on fire There was absolutely nothing I could do to get rid of the pain. Well, long story short, I've since read that oil of peppermint would have worked. Who has that on hand? Anyway, my advice to you is to ALWAYS use gloves when handling peppers. That way, you just take them off and toss them, not taking any chance of having anything lingering on your skin...hope this helps...

R.

One tip I found for peppers is to cut them wearing disposable gloves. That way the pepper's oil doesn't get on your hands in the first place. It is very difficult to fully wash off but I have also heard washing with cold water gets the oil off better.
Hope this helps!
Good luck,
F.

I don't know about washing, but we ALWAYS use rubber or latex gloves when working with jalapenos. Get them at the drug store. Then when you are done, you just throw them away and your hands are clean. I've never been able to get my hands clean after working with jalapenos and my eyes have suffered when I tried to get my contacts out. Never have a problem when I use the gloves.

Here we go,, I'm white but was married to a Mexican and cooked all the cool meals from Mexico any way,, what you do is,, wash with really hot water a few times with Dawn dish soap or a good kind,,,,, see peppers have a oil base juice in them,, not water,, and it is really hard to get off,, also if you get it in your child's eye or any ones if you have a cat,, hair from it's long tail will absorb the oil,, sounds weird,, but works!!!!!!!!!!!pass this info around,, it works and it is fast and safe!!!!!!!!!!do the same on your wood or plastic cutting boards,, member to wash a few times,, hot water and dawn,,D.

The only things that I have ever tried is....lemon juice and or milk...depending how hot they are. Milk or bread for the tongue... I have to tell you that the pesticide on fruit, and even kiwi has caused my daughter and myself the same reaction in our eyes....Don't feel bad...we learn as we go..
G.

Poor mom! I was reading this and saw it was you and my heart broke for you. :) I've done that very thing before. There are some great suggestions here. I did the wash thing too. :) Love you, see ya tomorrow at church!

the only thing i can recommend is to wear gloves.

We eat a lot of spicy foods and prefer to make our own sauces rather than store bought ones. Use plain table salt and lots of it. If I'm able to hold the stem of the pepper and cut it with a scissor then I will. I would use a cutting board dedicated for just for cutting peppers. If I'm lazy, I'd use a folded brown paper bag and toss it when I'm done. Wash utensils with soap and water. With your hand moistened, pour salt into it and rub it all over, especially where the oils are. Leave it on for about a minute then "rinse and repeat" :-) As necessary. I wouldn't recommend salt near the eyes.

I just recently saw on food network that after working with hot peppers you dip your hands in a bowl of water and baking soda mix, and it neutralizes the heat! It works!

White vinegar. The acidity in the white vinegar will neutralize the peppers from your hands and the counter tops. (But I'd also suggest washing your hands and the counter with your regular soap afterwards unless you are one of the very rare people who LIKES to have a house that reeks of vinegar!)

It's amazing, but peppers can cause horrible chemical burns. The capsaicin in them is incredibly powerful.

I was preparing a soup a few years ago that called for fresh jalapenos. Not knowing any better, I scraped the seeds out with my thumbnail. I ended up with painful blisters that lasted for days, and I swear to you, I could taste the pepper on the skin of my thumb over a week later. That suff isn't to be messed with.

Like the other posters said, gloves are best, but I've heard that washing in milk can also help. Didn't help me, but by the time I tried it, the damage had been done.

Fill your eye wash cup with the saline solution, cut a fresh lime, squeeze 1 drop of fresh lime into the saline solution, rinse eye...NO KIDDING IT WORKS!! You will never need an antibiotic eye ointment again! Limes are a natural astringent. Just rinse 2-3 times a day when the eyes are irritated.

You may want to try washing your hands with milk along with soap and water to neutralize the oil, same idea of drinking milk to remove the heat when you eat somingthing. I'v done the same thing removing my contacts hours after cutting hot peppers and found wearing plastic or tight laytex gloves is the best bet to prevent the oil from coming in context with my hands and then my kids. Good luck next time you use peppers :)
A. T.

Salt!!! When you're done with the peppers, pour table salt on your hands and scrub. Rinse with fresh water and no burn.

Use gloves. I found it the only way to truly protect from the oils. My favorite are the nitril surgical gloves. I use them whenever I cut peppers or onions or garlic. Then my hands don't smell like garlic/onions and no pepper oils to get on that precious baby skin.