How to get rid of bad smell on hands

Whether you handle gasoline, prepare food with onions, or bleach your clothes, your hands can be contaminated with unpleasant odors. Fortunately, there are plenty of home remedies that you can use to keep your hands clean and smelling good.

Table of Contents

Choose a quick treatment

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Wash hands with soap and cold water. Always use cold water for this as hot water opens up the pores, allowing oil and odor causing dirt to penetrate deeper into the skin. Make a lather with soap and rub your hands together thoroughly before rinsing with cold water. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Wash hands with mouthwash. In addition to eliminating odor-causing substances, mouthwash also kills odor-causing bacteria on hands. Scented mouthwash also leaves a minty smell on your hands which helps to get rid of any lingering unpleasant odors. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Remove odors from your hands by rubbing your hands against a stainless steel item. Simply take an item from stainless steel (such as a cookware or bowl) and rub it in your hands under cold running water. Continue until the smell is eliminated. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Any item made from stainless steel is suitable for this method, including the sink, if it is made from stainless steel.
You can also buy hand soap made from stainless steel specifically for hand deodorization.
This method is suitable for deodorizing garlic or onions.

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Wash your hands with vinegar to remove odors. When you wash your hands with vinegar, you don’t need to rub your hands together. Instead, just pour some vinegar on your hands and let them dry. If you want to reduce the vinegar smell, you can wash your hands with soap and water right after. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Vinegar is very effective in deodorizing fish or onions.

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Rub your hands with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. Pour about 1 teaspoon (about 5ml) of hand sanitizer or alcohol into your hands and rub your hands together until the product evaporates and your hands are no longer wet. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Since alcohol can dry out the skin of your hands, it’s best to try this method only once and switch to another if your hands still smell.

Make hand sanitizer

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Squeeze some toothpaste into your hands to deodorize. Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste – the best kind with baking soda – into your hand and rub it in. After rubbing your hands together for a few minutes, wash your hands with clean water. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Rub the two together with wet salt for a hand sanitizer. Put some salt in your hands and rub your hands. You can wet the salt with a little water to increase the rub. When you’re done, rinse off the salt and dry your hands. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can also rub dish soap into your hands before sprinkling the salt. Rub hands together to deodorize and wash hands with clean water when finished. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Apply coffee grounds to your hands to create a scent. If you don’t mind the smell of coffee on your hands, you can use coffee grounds to deodorize. Apply coffee grounds to your hands and gently rub them together in a bowl of water. Or, you can also rub your hands with the beans until the smell disappears. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Mix a thick flour mixture with 1 part baking soda and 3 parts water. Mix 1 part baking soda with 3 parts water in a bowl to make a thick paste. Next, you apply the mixture on your hands for at least 1 minute, then wash your hands. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Soak hands

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Combine 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 3 parts water. By mixing hydrogen peroxide with water, you create a skin-safe cleanser. Soak your hands in the mixture for 1-3 minutes, then wash your hands with clean water before drying them. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Deodorize hands with green or yellow lemon juice. You can use pure lemon juice or dilute it with a little water so as not to cause strong effects on the skin. Lemon juice is also effective. You just need to squeeze yellow/green lemon juice into a bowl of water and soak your hands. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Stirring 1 part yellow or green lemon juice in a bowl with 1 part water is an effective way to soak your hands.

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Dilute 1 tablespoon (15ml) of vinegar with water. Pour some filtered water into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon (15ml) of vinegar. Soak your hands in the mixture for 2-3 minutes. Wash your hands with clean water after the soaking time is up. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Advice

Wear gloves when handling materials with strong odors to prevent unpleasant odors from sticking to your hands. You can also buy tools specifically designed for peeling and slicing ingredients like garlic without touching them.

Warning

Note that salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and alcohol mixture can irritate cuts or bruises on your hands. You should avoid these methods if the skin has cuts so as not to irritate the skin.

Steps

Choose a quick treatment

Make hand sanitizer

Soak hands

Advice

Warning

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