The Easiest Way to Get Rid of Garlic Smell on Your Hands

Garlic stinks. But hey, that’s why we like it so much. These pungent onions add flavor to sauces, enhance seasonings and add complexity to marinades, but have a nasty habit of leaving behind their aroma, especially on human hands. Whenever I crush this oily clove, the strong scent seems to linger on my nails for days. Or rather, it was like that before. I now use this simple trick to get rid of garlic smell on my hands: I simply rub my fingers on the sink to get rid of the smell.

Garlic, as well as onions and other aromatic bulbs, contain sulfur-containing chemicals. When you mince, slice, or mince garlic cloves, these chemicals are released. Because your fingertips and nails interact with oils and juices as you cut and move pieces during cooking, it’s natural for them to pick up these odors. Unlike fruits and other vegetables, these chemicals are persistent and will not come off even with soap and water.

How to remove garlic smell from hands

To get rid of garlic smell, use stainless steel. It is a useful metal that resists rust and is used to make many items in the average kitchen. If you’re worried about stinky fingers, the answer is most likely right in front of you. See if your sink is metal; It’s most likely stainless steel. Most silverware is made of stainless steel, and your stove or refrigerator may be stainless steel, too. Knives are usually made of stainless steel, but they may not be the best option for massaging your fingers.

All you have to do is rub your fingers or palms (where you came into contact with the garlic juice) on a stainless steel object. Make sure you have good contact and try to get all the angles possible. This can be tricky with nails because of their shape, but if you have very long nails, you can stick a spoon in there. Just try your best. I rub my fingers against the sides of the sink for just two or three seconds and turn my fingers at as much of an angle as humanly possible. The stench disappeared. This is such a common part of my garlic and onion chopping process now that I do it quickly when I take the cutting board and knife to the sink. I really only notice it when I don’t do it for obvious reasons, and it’s easy enough to take care of.

You might argue that this doesn’t eliminate all the odor, or that you still smell the garlic. This may be true due to natural variables that may arise. You may have missed some point running contoured human fingers on a hard, flat, unyielding metal surface, but trust me, it’s effective. If you could compare your fingers with and without stainless steel rubbing, you would definitely notice a difference. Personally, my goal is to neutralize as much odor as possible so that my garlic hands don’t keep me up at night.

Why Stainless Steel Works

Stainless steel is an alloy of various metals. Even though there are many different types of stainless steel, the odor-causing chemicals in onions bind to one or more metals that are found in the stainless steel item. These chemicals are transferred to you and you can get back to cooking without worrying about the past garlic. Now you can enjoy garlic steak for dinner, and only for dinner.