# Any idea for getting KMnO4 stains off my hands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2001, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365 "2001-10-24T19:44:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/1 "2001-10-24T19:44:27Z")
I was using some today and I have the telltale brown stains on my fingers. I didn’t have access to latex gloves, but I will remedy that soon. Dishsoap doesn’t really take it off, and at home I don’t have access to higher cleaners. I have acetone from nail polish remover and pine-sol if that helps. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/2 "2001-10-24T19:47:28Z")
nope, nope and nope. The only thing that will take the stains away, dear fellow, is time. The permanganate ion is quite the oxidizer. You have chemically altered your skin. You have to wait for it to slough off. Of course, anything that you might do to hasten exfoliation might work. I’m thinking things like pumice soap, peroxide to dry out skin adn make it peel off, sanding away the skin, etc. Just give it time. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/3 "2001-10-24T19:53:29Z")
Heh. Once during an AP bio lab, I put KMnO[sub]4[/sub] on my hands purposely because I thought it looked cool. It came off by the next day, so don’t worry. ---
**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/4 "2001-10-24T23:30:26Z")
Dit, it comes off pretty quick. That is, unless you were bathing your hands in the stuff and didn’t just get some mild splashes. ---
**Author:** ![catmandu42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@catmandu42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catmandu42)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/5 "2001-10-24T23:52:08Z")
Did you try a Brill-O pad? \<–Serious. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/6 "2001-10-25T02:38:59Z")
Ah…chemistry. Isn’t it great to turn all kinds of wacky colours? I have a bit of yellow, from nitric acid, on my hands, and a small balck splotch from silver nitrate. Great fun :). ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/7 "2001-10-25T02:54:36Z")
Dammit, didn’t I tell you to be careful with the KMnO4? Now you’ve gotten the KMnO4 all over the kitchen! You go to your room right now and think about what you did! I’m never going to buy any KMnO4 for you ever again! ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/8 "2001-10-25T03:31:47Z")
try conc. sulphuric ---
**Author:** ![Damhna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Damhna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damhna)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/9 "2001-10-25T09:48:25Z")
Ahh ha ha! So I’m not the only one who can do that. AFAIK you just going to have to wait till the layers of skin containing the pigment fall away (naturally or with a good deal of wire brushing…yrp it hurts like a bitch but needs must). On the upside you can always head to your bank and ask how the hell you are supposed to clean off a diepack stain. That one went down real well in our college branch.You’d swear a bank teller in a college branch would need a sense of humour right ? Youd be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Alescus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Alescus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alescus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/10 "2001-10-25T12:14:09Z")
I’ve always managed to remove KMnO[sub]4[/sub] by using a scouring pad intended for dishes. One of those green ones, like the kind that come attached to the top of yellow sponges, should be fine. No need to use a metal one. If it’s on your hands, I doubt it would make your skin sore. Picric acid is worse, especially around your fingernails. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/11 "2001-10-25T13:03:03Z")
Freemnan’s Pumice Foot Scrub will probably do it. It seems to take anything off of anything. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-for-getting-kmno4-stains-off-my-hands/89365/12 "2001-10-25T13:18:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mnemosyne \* > **…and a small balck splotch from silver nitrate. Great fun.** As a Chemistry major in college I was in lab a lot and had many lab partners - some cool, some jerks. One lab partner was an incredibly obnoxious frat boy who spent the entire lab trying to get me to do all the work (You’re the chem-bot; I don’t want to mess it up for you.) Finally, we agreed that I’d do the lab and he’d clean up. while he took labware to the sink, I wiped up some of the spilled water off the table and poured out about 5 mL Silver nitrate. He came back and decided, thinking it was water, to push it into the drain trench with his hand and wipe up what was left with a towel. Boy did he look funny in class the next day! Apparently, he had wiped his face before washing his hand! :D:D I wonder if he washed up before visiting the men’s room… :eek: