Hands permeated by garlic and onion odors have never really bothered me; it's the smell of a good meal, after all! But for those of you who don't feel quite the same, here's a product you might want to try: Method Kitchen Hand Wash.
Method Kitchen Hand Wash comes in two scents, Basil and Lemongrass, and the promise that it "eliminates stubborn food odors from hands." Both fragrances are pleasantly clean and natural. I found that they did indeed get rid of garlic and onion odors, with the added bonus of leaving my skin soft after the washing up.
Like all Method products, Kitchen Hand Wash is non-toxic, biodegradable, phthalate-free, and packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. (It does, however, contain sodium lauryl sulfate, for those who are concerned about that.)
In addition to onions and garlic, Kitchen Hand Wash is supposed to neutralize fish odors but as a vegetarian I didn't get to test this. Perhaps some of our readers can chime in with their experiences?
• Find it:
Method Kitchen Hand Wash Basil (Pack of 6), $29.13 at Amazon
Method Kitchen Hand Wash Lemon Grass (Pack of 6), $20.19 at Amazon
Related: Good Question: How To Get Garlic Smell Off My Hands?
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
(Image: Emily Ho; Method)
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I made chicken noodle soup the other night, and I could not get the celery smell from my hands for hours! I guess I never realized how pungent it is!
I recent discovered the Kitchen Soap (Lemon scent) and it's fabulous! It really works!
I read on here once about the trick of rubbing your hands on stainless steel to get garlic and onion odours out of my hands - and it works! I just clean my sink with my fingers and palms after cooking.
I use this soap in the basil scent, and it's wonderful. I have tried the steel thing but it never seems to work for me - I even have one of those steel soap bar things but to no avail. This hand wash gets the garlic smell off my skin, which in nice since it doesn't go that well with dessert or vanilla scented hand lotion. I love it. As an FYI, they carry it at Target in the regular hand soap section for about $4.
I second the stainless steel sink trick. Works every time soap or no soap. I even have a little bar of stainless steel shaped like soap that someone gave me as a gift. It works too, but it's just as easy to rub your hands on the sink.
I was very curious how this worked - my hands always smell like garlic! I'll have to try it.
you can get those stainless steel odor removers for SUPER cheap on dealextreme.com. It's a great site, but they take their time shipping stuff. If you're patient, the price on anything you get off of there is worth it!
you can get those stainless steel odor removers for SUPER cheap on dealextreme.com. It's a great site, but they take their time shipping stuff. If you're patient, the price on anything you get off of there is worth it!
you can get those stainless steel odor removers for SUPER cheap on dealextreme.com. It's a great site, but they take their time shipping stuff. If you're patient, the price on anything you get off of there is worth it!
The stainless steel sink thing does work, but it doesn't get ALL the smell out...esp from around your nails b/c the sink can't get into the crevices.
I'll be looking for this at Target! Thanks for the rec.
re those with the stainless steel bars... aren't your knives that you just chopped the garlic with stainless steel? haha. that's what i always run my fingers on under cool water to remove the smell.
but to the subject at hand - love method.
my husbands hands seem to absorb the scent of garlic more than other peoples hands do. His hands will smell for a week or more. We've tried soap and water, vinegar, and the stainless still trick but nothing has put a dent in it. Currently we are working around it by me dealing with garlic onions etc or if he has to touch it he'll put on gloves. I'd love to see how this work though. Maybe its just the thing we need.
I always use lemon juice to get the stink of onion and garlic off of my hands. Plain old lemon juice.
But the real test is: Can it get the chili pepper residue off my hands after I cut up a bunch of Thai chilis? (or is it strictly a de-odorizer?)
Cannot count the number of painful times I've accidentally rubbed my eyes or nose hours after cooking.
I second the lemon juice. Gets any smell out and CHEAP!
Where can I find this in Canada?! I can't get it shipped from Amazon.com :(
@engill -- rub with olive oil to get rid of the stingy chili stuff. The spicy element is oil-based, so another oil will help pick it up and at least dilute it so it won't be as strong.