I was struggling with this issue for a long time.Finally I think I got it.This is what I do for heavy many hours work I always wear gloves.First I put vaseline on my hands and a bit under nails.It will protect your nails and yes no dirt will get there the vasseline is like a barrier.then I put gloves the same kind used in medical or for food handling.If you get the ones with talcum powder they also will protect from dirt.Then I put my regular garden gloves on top of them.If I have to take my gloves off for any reason sometimes the first pair has to be replaced if your hands get moist you won't be able to reuse the same ones.So I just change them as needed.If I do light work I just stay with the first pair and change it as needed.It does work and my finger nails stay reasonably clean.If I do it well and re-apply vaseline each time the gloves are changed then my nails stay clean, but the hands stay moist and it will ruin your nail polish after few hours.

I've had problems with my nails all my life until I used a product called Onymyrrh which is no longer sold. There's a similar product that's almost as good, found it on internet but didn't re-order. Bottle lasts forever. Ahyway I found a product called ER for nails at Sally's and it does toughen up nails but is drying to cuticles. What I do now after seeing a demo at a fair, I bought a file at Sally's, they have several makes. You file your ridges down and the ends of nail to seal by smoothing. Another section or side smooths your nails and another shines the nails like they have been polished. The instructions are right on the file. All this attention toughens your nails by increasing circulation to them. It does work great, takes very little time, I do it while watching TV or riding in the car. I carry a file in my purse to use when I think about it and have time. Once or twice a week is more than enough to touch them up. I no longer have to polish my nails. I have only broken a nail once when lifting a very heavy box and it bent my nail in the middle of the bed so it bled. My nail really didn't break until a few days later. Actually I cut it down close to the wound to keep it from hurting. I also use a moisturizer on my cuticles and supposedly this also keeps nails from being brittle. It works for me, and a lot cheaper and less time than seeing the manicurist every 2-3 weeks to get wraps. That was my previous solution but I always had trouble finding the time and didn't like the growing out phase. I started with the Onymyrrh and ended up with ER and the file which keeps my nails very healthy looking, natural and looong.

Acetone (fingernail polish remover) is actually a product used in removing stains from granite. Fingernail polish remover has not hurt my porcelain tile or granite counters (or my glass sink). I dropped a bottle of clear top coat on the porcelain bathroom floor/ I was able to scrap it up off the floor once it dried. But, it also go on my practically new dark stained cabinets. I waited till DH got home to discuss the best way to remove it. He said, "I would just leave it. You're the only one that will know it's there and any attempt to remove me will probably do more damage". So until/if someone can offer a tried and true way to remove it, I'll just live with it. I paint my nails in my bathroom and sometimes sitting in bed.

Husband got Lyme disease twice over 35 years ago when scoutmaster during camping trips in Rhode Island. This was early in the start of the disease, and not far from the point of origin at the time. Doctors were not as aware then as they are now. We have had twice-yearly IPM spraying of our property since we moved to the countryside 20+ years ago on three wooded acres. The first summer here, I counted 36 ticks on me (I"m an avid gardener, used to spend more than 8 hours out in the yard daily), both the larger dog ticks and the barely visible deer ticks which carry Lyme. Freaked me out big-time! Hence the spray program -- since we have been doing that, I have had only one tick. Getting rid of mice is also helpful as they are intermediate carriers of the deer tick. LoneJack, I take one exception to the article you shared -- generally spot-on, but flushing a tick down the toilet is NOT a good idea -- they are able to survive the flush and crawl back up into the toilet bowl. I always use the "seal them in clear tape" method. Alisande -- Thanks for the rose geranium oil tip. Do you think that might work also on keeping those pesky "no-see-um" midges that are so annoying this time of year??