Rub a Lemon on Your Hands to Remove Garlic or Onion Smell

After chopping garlic or onions, your hands can smell for hours no matter how much soap you use. The sulfur compounds responsible for the odor bond to your skin and are not easily dissolved by soap. The citric acid in lemon juice breaks down these compounds and neutralizes the smell.

Cut a lemon in half and rub it over your hands, or squeeze some juice and wash with it. Rinse and the smell is gone. Another trick that works: rub your hands on something stainless steel under running water — the metal catalyzes a reaction that removes the sulfur compounds. A stainless steel faucet or the inside of your sink works perfectly.