How Martha Stewart Removes Garlic Odor With Ease

There are many myths about garlic, but one thing that's for real is the pungent odor that raw garlic leaves behind on your fingers. It just isn't ideal when you're making a meal for company or cooking right before leaving the house. You may have experienced the inconvenience of scrubbing your hands with soap and warm water only to find that they still smell like they could ward off a vampire. No one likes to smell like raw garlic, and you never have to again with the help of a simple trick. Multihyphenate Martha Stewart recommends using the stainless steel method to get rid of stubborn garlic smells.

In a November 2022 TikTok video, Stewart explained that the "smell of garlic disappears" if you rub your fingers on anything made of stainless steel underneath warm running water. She demonstrated the technique using the dull side of a kitchen knife, although you can use anything made from rust-resistant metal. It doesn't take long for the stainless steel to work its magic either; about 10 seconds should do the trick.

Raw garlic owes its unique and strong smell to the sulfur compound allicin, which has numerous health benefits, including acting as a natural antibiotic. Although allicin is good for your health, it's also what's making your hands stink. Stainless steel can neutralize the odor that garlic's sulfur molecules leave on your fingers. This is likely because the chromium found in stainless steel — the same chemical that gives the metal its rust-resistant properties — forms a layer of chromium oxide that attracts allicin. The pungent compound will then be on the stainless steel rather than your fingers, leaving them odor-free.

While you can follow Martha Stewart's lead and use whatever stainless steel utensils you should already have in your kitchen to remove garlic odor, you can also buy stainless steel soap designed for that specific purpose. Some stainless steel soap bars on the market also reportedly remove lingering fish and onion scents in addition to garlic. Whether you purchase metal soap or opt for something you already have in your knife block, stainless steel is the remedy to garlicky fingers.