Garlic is one of those things that puts a special savoriness into your sauce, is the perfect companion to any protein, and is the way to revive lackluster side dishes. Yet after the meal is all said and done, garlic’s odor tends to take up long-term residency in the house and doesn’t want to budge. Here are some ways to get rid of garlic in a variety of ways.
Sometimes you have to fight a strong odor with another stronger odor. Boiling warming spices on the stovetop (or better yet baking a batch of spice cookies) won’t compete with the garlic, it will actually overpower it and eliminate the scent with a new one. If you don’t have those warming spices on hand, you can also boil a sliced lemon in water or even brew a pot of coffee, both of which will repel the garlic’s airborne odor.
Summer’s classic drink may have another purpose. If things like the dishwasher or microwave have a strong garlic smell, turn to a packet of unsweetened lemonade mix. The citric acid in the lemonade mix will block the strong odors of the garlic that have been absorbed by the interior of the appliances.
When your go-to box of baking soda isn’t doing the trick in your refrigerator, turn to this method. Fill your refrigerator with paper and charcoal, both of which will absorb the lingering garlic odor.
If your hands get a new garlicky scent that doesn’t want to leave, turn to stainless steel. When you rub your skin on stainless steel, the molecules in the steel bind to the sulfur molecules that are stuck onto your hands. The garlicky smell then gets transferred to the bar and off of your hands! Back in the day silverware used to be made of this material, and you could simply rub your hands on a spoon. Nowadays, cutlery is made of various metal materials, so it won’t have the same effect. Luckily you can purchase stainless steel soap which is a piece of stainless steel in the shape of a bar of soap that you can leave right next to your sink. If you don’t have that on hand, you can wet your hands and rub them against a stainless steel sink.
If you happen to get garlic on your wood countertops or cutting board, you’ll find a solution in an odd food — tomatoes. Slice a tomato and rub it against the smelly wooden surface, the tomato will absorb the odor from the garlic.
Blenders and food processors are great ways to cut down prep, but sometimes the prep can become a guest in the plastic. To remove lingering garlic odors, fill the blender or food processor with water and a heaping tablespoon or two of baking soda and let it sit overnight for 24 hours. The baking soda should lift the smell from the interior of the appliances.
If you find garlic has gotten into material surfaces like a carpet, reach for a cleaner with an enzyme-based cleaner. Natural remedies like baking soda or vinegar won’t break down the strong sulfur compounds of garlic in adsorbing material like fabric, and a cleaner that can deal with garlic’s pungent powers is needed.
A garlicky meal is always great, but the aftermath of a lingering garlic taste is not an appetizing postprandial taste. If you don’t like the lingering garlic taste, turn to these three foods — raw apples, raw lettuce, and mint. These three foods are high in phenolic compounds, are aromatic chemicals found in plants that are successful at combating garlic breath. Raw lettuce, apples, and mint also have high levels of polyphenol oxidase, which is an enzyme that speeds up the browning and breakdown of organic matter, meaning it will both block and break down garlic, so its smell is not pungent. Eating one of these three foods is more effective at reducing garlic breath than a simple teeth brushing and mouth rinsing session.