The lingering smell of garlic after you have some delicious chicken fries can get quite annoying. Your mouth and hand both stink. And the stench is so prominent, people around you easily catch on to it. You definitely can’t meet your significant other, crush or to some important meeting while still giving out that horrible stench. People will keep their distance from you just because of the unbearable stench of garlic and you definitely don’t want that. Imagine going out on a date and instead of kissing you, your boyfriend or girlfriend keeps a hand’s distance from you! Disastrous, isn’t it? You may be thinking that you have a solution for this- a bit of mouthwash of some mint flavoured candy should do the trick, right? Well, you are correct as far as fixing your bad breath is concerned. The sad truth is, your garlic breath is not your only problem- even your hands are. In fact, this is a bigger problem as you can still contain your breath by keeping shut but that is not possible with your hands. Even the slightest stench will affect the person near you. Every allium produces something called ‘cysteine sulfoxide’ which is responsible for the distinct taste and smell garlic has. The various sulphuric compounds that are found in garlic cloves are like the ones anaerobic bacteria produce, and this gives garlic it’s bad stench. It is for this reason that garlic scent is so easily recognisable and is often called a stench.
Having too much of the stench of garlic on your hands can negatively affect your social, professional and romantic circle. How you smell is one of the important factors humans take into account when they decide whom they wish to associate with or not. Though often this is overlooked, it is hard-wired into our heads and we form a selection process based on smell subconsciously. Think about it yourself- someone with a bad body odour repulses you, right? You wouldn’t want to have a business dealing, or maybe a romantic relationship with such a person, would you? Similarly, no one would like to have any sort of relation with if you have hands that give out that terrible smell. A first date or a job interview is a complete no-no.
So, how do you get rid of this stench? Surely, if this article is being written, it implies that a simple soap and water wash does not cut it. Also, soap and water are not readily available everywhere, at all times. So what then? Fear not, we won’t let a few garlic cloves ruin your day, now can we? So here are some steps to fix those smelly hands in a jiffy-
- Rub your hands with baking soda and rinse well. If you do not have baking soda near you, you can substitute it with salt as well.
- Dental products like toothpaste or even mouthwash are designed to rid you of bad odour..but that doesn’t mean it works only inside your mouth. Apply some good old toothpaste, preferably the gel type, to free yourself from the curse of the garlic.
- Continuously rub your hands on something made of stainless steel like a spoon or some utensil, under cold running water. Steel reacts with the sulphur present in garlic, thus neutralizing the smell.
- Lemon is a good solution for anything that deals with bad odour. Squeeze a few drops of lemon (or any citrus fruit will work) onto your hands and rub it well and rinse- a simple solution to a terrifying problem.
These are some of the ways you can remove the stench from your hands. These methods are easy to follow and quick to implement. All of them require household items that are commonly available almost anywhere. You have a long way to go and a lot of things to achieve and a single smell should not be enough to bring you down. Conquer your day free of any stench.