How to Get Rid of Stinky Hands: Eliminate Odors from Garlic, Fish, Gasoline, Skunks, Bleach & More

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The most effective ways to de-stink your hands and fingers with household ingredients

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: November 18, 2024 Fact Checked

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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.

1

Hand soap and water

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Scrub your hands with antibacterial hand soap and cold water. Wash with plain water for a few minutes before adding any soap or detergent. Make sure to get underneath your fingernails, too (try cutting them or using an old toothbrush to make it easier).^{[1]
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- Try washing your hands first for everyday smells like garlic or onions.
- For chemical smells like gasoline, use an anti-grease soap. Rub the soap into your skin with a dry towel first, then wash as normal with water.
- Using cold water keeps your pores small and prevents the smell from sinking deeper into your skin.^{[2]
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2

Dish soap, salt, and baking soda

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Mix 2 tbsp (30 mL) of soap and 1 tbsp (17 g) of salt and baking soda. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and stir until it forms a thick paste. Coat your hands in the mixture and leave it on for 30 seconds before rinsing it off with water.^{[3]
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- Moisturize afterwards if the salt soap mixture dries out your skin.
- The dish soap kills germs and removes smelly particles while the salt and baking soda lightly exfoliate your hands.

3

Rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer

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Wash your hands, then splash your palms with rubbing alcohol. Rub it all over your hands until it evaporates away. If the bad smell lingers, try another splash and rub again until the scent is gone.^{[4]
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- Try using scented hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes to mask any faint, unwanted smells that might linger.
- Use 2 tsp (9.9 mL) of vodka if you don’t have rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer on hand.
- Alcohol can dry out your skin, so moisturize your hands after trying this method. If it doesn’t work after a splash or two, try another strategy.

4

Exfoliating hand scrub

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Pick up a scented scrub from the store or grab one from your shower. Wet your hands, wash them with the exfoliant for 1-2 minutes, and then rinse them clean. Use a scrub designed for hands and skin or for your face—the results will be the same.^{[5]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists

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- Try citrus, coffee, or vanilla scents that can cut through bad smells and leave your hands smelling fresh.
- Exfoliants are great for fighting odors on your skin because they rub away the top layer that contains the most scent particles.

5

Mouthwash

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Rub antiseptic mouthwash between your hands for at least 30 seconds. Grab any scent you like and splash some mouthwash into your hands, rubbing thoroughly between your fingers and under your nails. The mouthwash will neutralize odors, kill odor-causing bacteria, and leave your hands smelling minty fresh!^{[6]
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- Try mixing mouthwash and toothpaste together to create a strong, smell-fighting paste.
- Mouthwash might burn if you have dry skin or cuts on your hands.

6

Toothpaste

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Rub toothpaste (with baking soda) on your hands and rinse it off. Rub the toothpaste all over, including between your fingers and under your nails. If any smell still lingers after you rinse it off, follow up with another method like soap, lemon juice, or vinegar.^{[7]
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- Use toothpaste for food smells, like fish, on your hands. You can even use it on any utensils or equipment that smells, too.
- Toothpaste is slightly abrasive and lightly exfoliates the top layer of your skin, helping get rid of bad smells effectively.

7

Stainless steel

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Grab a stainless steel object and rub your hands on it under cold water. Turn on your faucet and grab a stainless steel bowl, spoon, or anything you have that you don’t mind getting wet. Put your hands and the object under the water and rub the metal all over your skin until the bad smell disappears.^{[8]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

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- If it doesn’t work the first time, wash your hands with soap and then try it again. This trick works great for kitchen smells like fish, onions, or garlic.
- Do your best to get in between your fingers. Depending on the shape of the stainless steel you’re using, it might be hard to get every nook and cranny.
- Try keeping a bar of stainless steel “soap” in your kitchen to use after preparing pungent recipes. Sometimes referred to as "faux soap," this can come shaped like an egg, a garlic bulb, etc.and is a decorative as well as useful addition. Keeping this handy can make it easy to clean your hands of odors quickly.

8

Lemon juice

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Squeeze 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) lemon juice into your palms. Rub the juice all over your hands, then rinse away with water. If you don’t have lemons on hand, use limes, oranges, grapefruits, or any citrus fruit you can find for a similar effect.^{[9]
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Research source} For an extra powerful scrub, add a generous amount of salt to your palms to absorb more odors and exfoliate your skin.^{[10]
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- Alternatively, mix equal parts lemon juice and water in a bowl and soak your hands in it for a few minutes, then rinse.
- Use lemon (or other citrus fruits) to cut through food smells or difficult odors including poop or gasoline.
- Lemon juice has lots of benefits for your skin and can be incorporated into your skincare routine to fight blackheads, acne scars, and oily skin.

9

Coffee grounds

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Rub coffee grounds all over your hands in a bowl of water. Fill up a large bowl with water and then pour a generous amount of grounds into your hands. Submerge your hands and work the grounds all over, including between the fingers and under the nails. The original bad smell should go away (and a pleasant coffee scent might linger!).^{[11]
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Science Direct
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- Alternatively, rub whole coffee beans between your hands for a similar effect, minus the exfoliating (no need for water).

10

Vanilla extract

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Add a few drops of vanilla to 0.5 c (120 mL) of water. Pour the solution on your hands and rub them together for 1-2 minutes, then rinse them off and wash your hands with soap and water. Pat dry and enjoy your vanilla-scented hands!^{[12]
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- Add as many drops of vanilla as you like, but be cautious. If the vanilla scent is too strong, you won’t be able to tell if the original odor is gone.
- Vanilla works for household food smells as well as gasoline, bleach, and other chemical odors.

11

Tomato juice

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Pour tomato juice into your palms and rub your hands together. Scrub for several minutes, making sure to get between all fingers and under your nails, then rinse the juice off with water. Be cautious with tomato juice since it might stain if it gets on your clothes or carpet.^{[13]
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- Tomato juice is great for stubborn smells, including skunk scent. Use it on your own skin or your pets' fur after an encounter with a skunk.

12

Vinegar

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Splash distilled, white vinegar onto your hands and let them air dry. Gently rub your hands together to distribute the vinegar, but try not to scrub very hard. Wait for it to air dry—the smell of vinegar and whatever you had on your hands before will disappear as it evaporates.^{[14]
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- If there’s any lingering vinegar smell, wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.
- Alternatively, add 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of vinegar to a bowl of water and soak your hands in it for 3 minutes. Rinse with clean water afterward.
- Use vinegar to clean and deodorize your hands, clothes, furniture, and many other household items.

13

Baking soda paste

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Make a paste of 1 part baking soda and 2-3 parts water. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and rub the mixture all over your hands for 60-90 seconds. Rinse the mixture away with water to reveal odorless hands.^{[15]
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- Use this method for anything from kitchen smells, like garlic, to harsher odors like poop, skunks, or gasoline.
- In addition to absorbing odors, baking soda is a great exfoliant—you can even make an exfoliating face scrub with it!

14

Vinegar and baking soda

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Make a paste of equal parts distilled, white vinegar and baking soda. Wait a moment for some of the fizzing to fade away, then rub the mixture over your hands for a minute or two. Rinse the paste off with water for fresh, odorless hands.^{[16]
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American Lung Association
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- If a slight vinegar smell lingers, wash your hands with soap or try another scented alternative like lemon juice, vanilla, or coffee grounds.

15

Hydrogen peroxide

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Mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 3 parts water in a large bowl. Soak your hands in the bowl for up to 3 minutes, then rinse them off with water and pat them dry. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong cleaner and disinfectant, so try a milder method first if you have dry or sensitive skin or cuts on your hands.^{[17]
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- Save the hydrogen peroxide for difficult odors like gasoline or bleach and use milder alternatives like baking soda or vinegar for food smells.

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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]
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Always moisturize after scrubbing your hands intensely to get rid of smells.

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Try using specialized kitchen equipment, like a garlic press, that allows you to prepare pungent ingredients without having to touch them too much.

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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]
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