How To Remove Walnut Stains From Your Hands

You love walnuts. You eat them every day, either by themselves or in your baking.

Yet hulling the nut causes your hands and fingers to be stained black. 

The culprit behind turning your hands black is juglone. Juglone is a toxin that is found in walnut trees and walnuts.

The staining from this compound can take up to three months to be removed. There are some methods you can try to speed up the process. 

To remove walnut stains from your hands you can try creating different solutions. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, cooking oil, and salt are some options recommended. But, because the stain is semi-permanent, you will have to wait several weeks for the staining to disappear.

Here we will show you how to use household remedies to rid your hands of walnut stains. Also, you will be given a couple of tips that can prevent staining. 

There may be affiliate links in this article. You can read more about this in my disclosure.

6 ways to remove walnut stains from your hands

Juglone is a potent toxin. Those who deal with walnuts will tell you how hard it can be to remove the stains.

You can try the following methods to try and get the black coloring out of your skin. However, the best option is time.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is a great all-rounder stain remover.

You can use it on clothes, kitchen, and other household surfaces, as well as remove stains from your skin. 

The juice contains a natural whitener that acts as a bleaching agent. This bleaching effect can be enhanced by exposure to sunlight.

So, when you clean your hands from walnut stains, get out into the sun for a while.

Here is how you can remove walnut stains from your hands with lemon juice:

1. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon onto your hands. 
2. Rub your hands together for a few minutes and work the juice it the skin.
3. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.

Go out into the sunshine for a while.

Dish detergent with baking soda

With these two ingredients, you are going to make a paste. Then you apply the paste to your hands.

Here is what to do:

1. In a bowl mix ¼ cup of dish soap with a tablespoon of baking soda.
2. Stir the dish soap and baking soda until a paste is formed.
3. Apply the paste to your hands using a small brush.
4. Work the paste into your hands using circular motions with the brush. Keep doing this until the stain starts to lighten in color.

Cooking Oil

You don’t need to worry about which cooking oil to use for this method. Any type of cooking oil will work.

The only issue is that you need to repeat the following steps at least three times to remove the walnut stains.

1. Pour a generous amount of oil over your hands.
2. Rub your hands together, working the oil through the stained skin.
3. Wash off the oil with soap and water.

Salt and lemon

With this procedure, you are combining the bleaching power of lemon juice with the abrasiveness of salt.

Here is what to do:

1. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a container. 
2. Place a tablespoon of salt into each hand. 
3. Pour the lemon juice over the salt and then vigorously rub your hands together.
4. Work the lemon\salt solution over the walnut stains.
5. Rinse your hands under warm water.

Dip your hands in vinegar 

Time and again you will find white vinegar is recommended as a way to remove any kind of stain. That’s because it’s so effective as a bleach.

To get rid of the walnut stains from your hands, try this:

1. Get a bowl that is big enough for you to place your hands in. Fill the bowl with vinegar.
2. Submerge your hands into the bowl and leave them there for 30 minutes.
3. Rinse the vinegar off with soap and water.

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An alternative method is:

1. Take a cotton ball (or a cloth)and dab it into the vinegar.
2. Rub at the stains with your cotton ball\cloth. 
3. Wash your hands. 

Removing walnut stains from your fingernails

If you find that your fingernails have turned black due to the juglone of the walnut, you can try the following method to clean them. 

For this you will need:

• Lemon juice
• Vinegar
• A nail brush 
• Hand lotion

Here is the method:

1. Start by giving your hands a good wash with soap and water.
2. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl. Dip your nail brush (you can also use a toothbrush) into the juice. Gently scrub your fingernails.
3. Pour vinegar over your hands and scrub your fingernails once again with your brush.
4. Rinse off the lemon juice and vinegar with soap and water.
5. Apply hand lotion to keep your hands soft and healthy.

It will take time

Walnut stains can be stubborn to remove. The methods we have given you can help to remove the black stain of walnuts, yet you will find there is still some staining left. 

You will need to wait patiently for the discoloration on your skin to wear away. As your skin gets replaced with a new layer, the walnut stain will slowly disappear.

It can take anywhere between several weeks to three months. 

Preventing walnut stains

The best way to stop your skin from being stained by walnuts is to keep your skin protected.

Wear gloves if you are doing anything with walnuts (the black walnuts are the worst for causing stains). You want gloves that won’t tear easily. Disposable gloves are great because you can throw them away once you’re done. 

Be careful when removing the gloves from your hands. Have them come off inside out so that you avoid getting the juglone on your skin.

Another option is to place the walnuts in a sealable bag. Then you can hit them with a hammer or rolling pin.

The juglone is confined within the bag. 

Conclusion 

Walnuts offer a range of health benefits such as boosting brain health and reducing the risk of getting heart disease. Yet, when it comes to extracting the nut from the shell, you can find your skin stained black.

Wear gloves when hulling and you will be keeping your hands safe from the stains. If you get a bit of the juglone onto your skin, we have provided you with several methods to reduce the blackening.

Ultimately, you will find that it will take some time before the stain is completely gone. 

Last update on 2023-12-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API