How to Remove Garlic Smell from Hands

chopping garlic
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You love garlic, don’t you? We all do. After all, it’s a significant ingredient in nearly every savory dish. Except that, maybe, you sometimes choose to cut back on some of that fantastic flavor because you’re afraid that you’ll end up reeking of garlic. We might skip adding those flavorful little orbs in favor of a sprinkle from a neatly contained jar of garlic powder. And yes, garlic powder can contribute a lot to a recipe, but there's more aroma in that jar than flavor. After all, the sense of smell is a significant component of the sense of taste, right? But still, somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you’re shortchanging your dish. We understand. Unless you live in a vampire-infested area, nobody wants to walk around smelling like garlic all day.

Some Tips

But, not to worry. Assuming you’re not trying to ward off advances from Count Dracula, getting rid of that highly potent garlic smell is straightforward. So, after chopping garlic, you can remove the garlic smell from your hands by simply rubbing your hands with a stainless-steel spoon or other stainless-steel utensil. It seems too easy, right? You want the science behind this, don’t you? OK, here goes. That potent odor residue on your hands comes from sulfur molecules in the garlic. The molecules in stainless-steel bind with the sulfur molecules and transfer those molecules (that garlic smell) from your hands to the stainless-steel. Just wash the stainless-steel utensil as you usually would, and all the offensive sulfur smell will be gone. Are you lucky enough to have a stainless-steel sink? Just rest your hands on the bottom or sides for a minute or two, and presto! Gone!

Want us to share another useful tip? That same stainless-steel trick will also eliminate the onion smell, too, which can be equally as offensive as garlic. We can’t imagine not cooking with onions, but that raw onion smell needs to go. Fish for dinner? Tasty and healthy, right? Hands smelling like you’ve been working all day at a fish market? Once again, stainless-steel to the rescue.

Don’t have stainless-steel utensils on hand? A spritz of citrus spray should also do the trick. Just steep some citrus peel (lemons, limes, grapefruit, or orange) in hot water. Allow to cool, strain out and discard the peel and transfer to a spray bottle to keep around for emergencies.

Breath smelling like garlic? Stay kissable by chewing on some fresh parsley or mint. You can also drink some green or cinnamon tea. So, as you’ve learned, getting rid of that stubborn garlic scent is easier than you think. So go ahead, be bold and add the extra 20 cloves!