You whip up a tasty meal, enjoy it heartily, wrap up all the dishes, and settle in for the evening. And then… you get a faint whiff of lingering garlic. Naturally, you head back to the sink for a thorough wash, but the garlic smell remains even after doubling down with your go-to soap. What gives? Turns out, this aromatic allium has a tendency to linger, and the scent can stay on your fingers for days unless you know exactly how to get rid of that undeniable garlic smell from your hands.
- Brendan Camp, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City
- Danielle Walker, chef and author of Make It Easy
How to Peel and Chop Garlic Like a Pro
Why Does a Garlic Smell Stay on Hands?
When you cut, chop, or crush garlic, it releases a pungent, oily sulfur compound called allicin that’s not water-soluble, explains Brendan Camp, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. This oily compound can bond with the proteins in your skin, and can also penetrate deeper into the skin, making the scent super difficult to remove with just soap and water.
“The lingering odor of garlic can last hours or days depending on how much garlic your hands were exposed to and how often you wash your hands,” Dr. Camp says.
How to Get Rid of the Smell of Garlic on Your Fingers
Plain old soap and water usually isn’t enough to get rid of the garlic smell on hands, so you’ll need to try some other methods to break down the compound and neutralize the scent. Here are a few tried and true methods you can try.
Coffee Grounds
“I kind of love when my hands smell like garlic; it reminds me of cooking with my Italian grandmother,” says chef Danielle Walker, author of Make It Easy. “Grandma always taught me to rub a little coffee grounds between my hands to neutralize the odor.”
Mouthwash
Dr. Camp says that mouthwash is an effective method for removing the garlic smell on your hands. The alcohol and other antimicrobial ingredients help break down the sulfur compounds responsible for the lingering odor. Pour a small amount over your hands, rub them together, then rinse.
Lemon Juice and Dish Soap
Walker says that another way to remove the garlic smell from your skin is to squeeze a bit of lemon juice and some dish soap into your hands. This can help neutralize the scent and wash away the oily compound.
Stainless Steel Bar
Yes, stainless steel really does work to remove that lingering garlic smell from your fingers. “The idea behind the use of stainless steel to remove garlic odor is thought to be that a chemical reaction occurs between the oxidized surface of stainless steel and allicin,” Dr. Camp explains.
You can use a product (Amazon has a variety of stainless steel “soap bars”) or any stainless steel object you own. Just rub it over your hands to neutralize the smell.
Baking Soda and Water
A paste made from baking soda and water can also remove the garlic smell, Dr. Camp says. Combine equal parts baking soda and water to form a paste, then apply it onto your hands. Zero in on the particularly smelly areas, wait for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
