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What's the best way to clean paints off my hands?

That old trick – turpentine – isn't the best way, that's for sure. Turpentine is a potent toxin that can cause lung inflammation, headaches and even brain damage. If you have dried latex paint on your skin, rub baby oil on the area, wait at least five minutes, and then rinse with soap and water, recommends chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol, MS. But if you know you’ll be dealing with an oil-based paint or stain, buy a non-toxic hand cleaner ahead of time and put its power to work before the spill has a chance to set. Too late? That’s still no reason to resort to turpentine: Let time do the job. “Whatever you can’t remove will grow out and shed with dead skin cells in a few days,” Rossol says.