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The most effective ways to de-stink your hands and fingers with household ingredients
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The scent of sautéed garlic and onions wafting through your home is heavenly, but the odor left on your fingers after all that chopping is…not as nice. Whether you’re cooking with pungent ingredients, pumping gas, or cleaning with odorous products like bleach, sometimes you can’t help getting strong smells on your hands. When regular soap and water fails, there are plenty of other easy ways to deodorize your hands and fingers. Go ahead and check your pantry and cabinets—you’ve probably got most of the products you need already!
Things You Should Know
- Try washing your hand with mild cleansers like hand or dish soap, hand sanitizer , or even mouthwash or toothpaste first.
- Lather up your hands in odor-fighting kitchen ingredients like lemon or tomato juice, diluted vanilla extract , salt, or coffee grounds.
- Rub your hands with common household cleaners like distilled vinegar, a baking soda paste, or diluted hydrogen peroxide .
Steps
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Tips
- Prevent bad smells from getting on your hands by wearing gloves when you’re cooking or working with odorous chemicals. [18] X Research sourceThanks
- Always moisturize after scrubbing your hands intensely to get rid of smells.Thanks
- Try using specialized kitchen equipment, like a garlic press, that allows you to prepare pungent ingredients without having to touch them too much.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you've got something really gnarly on your hands and the odor won't wash off with normal dish soap, try mixing a little salt and garlic in the soap. This will exfoliate your skin and pull out whatever stubborn aromas won't go away.
- Try squeezing lemon juice on your hands! The citrus will cover any bad smells. Just be careful if you have any cuts. Getting citrus juice in a wound will really hurt.
- Personally, I haven't had much luck adding vinegar to any concoctions. I think it's too harsh for my sensitive skin, so just beware, folks!
- I like to wash my hands with a squirt of toothpaste when I want to get any nasty smells out.
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Warnings
- Ingredients like salt, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, or alcohol can irritate dry or sensitive skin or cuts and wounds on your hands. Try mild methods first and use harsh ingredients for extra stubborn odors. [19] X Research sourceThanks
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References
- ↑ https://beezzly.com/how-to-get-the-smell-of-gas-off-your-hands
- ↑ https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/8-health-benefits-of-cinnamon-you-never-knew-about
- ↑ https://www.southernliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/get-rid-of-onion-smell-on-hands
- ↑ https://www.getsmellout.com/how-to-get-poop-smell-off-hands/
- ↑ https://www.fishingduo.com/simple-tricks-to-get-fish-smell-off-your-hands/
- ↑ https://www.southernliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/get-rid-of-onion-smell-on-hands
- ↑ https://lifehacker.com/remove-fish-smell-from-your-hands-with-toothpaste-1791581272
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/help-how-to-get-that-pesky-garlic-smell-off-hands-198025
- ↑ https://www.getsmellout.com/how-to-get-poop-smell-off-hands/
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/help-how-to-get-that-pesky-garlic-smell-off-hands-198025
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/help-how-to-get-that-pesky-garlic-smell-off-hands-198025
- ↑ https://homelyville.com/gas-smell-removal/
- ↑ http://www.getsmellout.com/how-to-get-skunk-smell-off-hands/
- ↑ https://home.onehowto.com/article/how-to-get-the-smell-of-bleach-off-your-hands-6847.html
- ↑ https://www.getsmellout.com/how-to-get-poop-smell-off-hands/
- ↑ https://gudgear.com/how-to-get-diesel-smell-out-of-clothes/
- ↑ https://homelyville.com/gas-smell-removal/
- ↑ https://home.onehowto.com/article/how-to-get-the-smell-of-bleach-off-your-hands-6847.html
- ↑ https://www.fishingduo.com/simple-tricks-to-get-fish-smell-off-your-hands/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
After you've washed your hands with soap and water, try splashing some mouthwash on them to get rid of the bad smell — mouthwash can kill smelly bacteria. If that doesn't help, try washing your hands with vinegar or rubbing alcohol. For really strong smells, soak your hands in a bowl of 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 3 parts water for several minutes. For more ways you can get a bad smell off your hands, like using baking soda or coffee grounds, keep reading!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 566,133 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I had the smell of fresh meat on my hands and it nauseated me. I looked up on how to get rid of the smell, and this site gave me several options. I used the mouthwash one and it worked, thank you!" ..." more
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"I had the smell of fresh meat on my hands and it nauseated me. I looked up on how to get rid of the smell, and this site gave me several options. I used the mouthwash one and it worked, thank you!"
..."
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"Thank you! I was chopping onions with my mom and after a few hours my hands really started to stink. I did the stainless steel method the next day and the smell is completely gone! Thank you."
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"When you are putting the mouthwash onto your hands, make sure to put little amounts gradually. Make sure to rub the mouthwash around your hands and fingers for a full minute."
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"I would have never known that salt works well."
"The salt worked instantly."
