Do you clean it before and then clean as you go? When I work on A car, especially a new to me car, I’ll clean it either using a pressure washer or going to the car wash and using one of their soapy wands.
Then, as I’m working on the car, I use brake cleaner like it’s going out of style to clean it further.
It’s not that I’m afraid of getting my hands dirty, because they always do, it’s just that I like a clean area without dirt and crap.
WBU?
This is not my car, but you get the idea of working on a dirty engine.