Getting rid of the smell of garlic made easy. If you don’t want to do without garlic dishes, you should know a few home remedies. We’ll show you how to fight the annoying garlic stench.
After dinner with friends at an Italian restaurant, the smell of garlic is there. It was very delicious. And the pesto tossed in aioli was a dream. But the next day you are told more than once that you smell quite penetratingly of garlic.
1) Cut garlic instead of pressing
The medicinal plant garlic is widespread worldwide. And is often used for cooking. If you cook with the white tuber yourself, make sure that you cut it rather than press it. Of course, garlic presses are very common, but when pressed, the inner structures of the bulb are destroyed so severely that the allicin is released in particularly high concentrations. It is therefore “more odor-friendly” to cut the tuber with a sharp knife. Another obvious tip when eating is not to eat large pieces of garlic at all. Because these make the largest contribution to the unpleasant smell during digestion in the stomach. But you should use garlic as a medicinal plant, as it also has health effects.
2) Miracle milk against the smell of garlic
In order to effectively combat the smell of garlic, you need to know that the unpleasant smell is mainly caused by the sulfur compound allicin being formed in the stomach when garlic is digested. This gets into the blood. And is then excreted through the skin. If you drink high-fat milk while eating, the allicin that is produced is immediately dissolved in the milk. So it doesn’t get into the blood. Therefore, enjoying milk together with food containing garlic is a really good preventive measure. Instead of using milk to get rid of garlic, you can use Turkey’s national drink, Ayran. Ayran, a drink made from salted yogurt and water, has a fat content of approx. 3% and therefore also dissolves the allicin very well.
3) Get rid of brushing your teeth and smell of garlic
However, if you have failed to take preventive odor-inhibiting measures and the garlic has reached your stomach and the allicin has already formed, then good advice is expensive. Now the substance gets into the blood and you vaporize it for about 24 hours, whether you want it or not. Of course, brushing your teeth as often as possible helps to counteract the development of odors in your stomach and then your throat, i.e. bad garlic breath. Although this only covers the smell for a certain time, it still provides relief. I’ve also tried chewing and sucking certain anti-garlic dragees and chewing gum. These also manage to fight the worst garlic flag for at least 1-2 hours. Also, note our tips for brushing your teeth.
4) Get Rid of Garlic Smell with Apple and Green Tea
Raw apples work on a similar principle. Or use the home remedy green tea. When consumed at the same time as a meal, they also neutralize the foul-smelling sulfur compound that is produced and does not allow it to get into the blood in the first place. However, since it is rather unusual to eat raw apples with garlic dishes, this alternative is not very common.
5) Chew fennel seeds for garlic smell
One of our readers has a great home remedy to fight bad breath. According to this, you can get rid of the unpleasant smell of garlic by chewing fennel seeds. Simply grab a small number of fennel seeds after the food containing garlic and chew them properly. Our reader reported that he got this tip from an Indian restaurant.
6) Get rid of the garlic smell with lemon
Another reader recommended using lemons. So you can eat a few pieces of lemon. Or for the less hardcore among us: just dilute some lemon juice with water and drink it after the meal containing garlic.
7) cardamom, parsley, sage, and co.
Likewise, some swear by chewing parsley or cardamom. The use of the medicinal plant sage is also very effective. Essential oils are released when these helpers are chewed. And these can also bind the odorous substances. Ginger is also said to help get rid of the garlic smell. However, these methods take some getting used to and are not for everyone. However, I have not had the best experiences with these methods.
8) Get rid of the garlic smell with coffee beans
Coffee as a home remedy is known to many. And that the right coffee bean is also needed for a delicious coffee. But suck a coffee bean? Who does that? Well, some swear by it to get rid of the garlic smell after eating. It’s worth a try.
9) Get rid of garlic smell on skin and hands
The common thing about the smell of garlic is that it is mainly excreted through the skin. And it is very difficult to neutralize this smell. But it helps to shower as often as possible and to wash your skin and hands with stainless steel soap. And if you use a knife with a stainless steel handle in the kitchen, the steel neutralizes the garlic fumes. Accordingly, rinse your hands under running water and rub your palms on the steel soap or alternatively on the handle of your stainless steel knife. In addition, note valuable tips for cleaning stainless steel.
10) Making clothes garlic free
But even after the bath or shower, the evaporation continues through the skin. Since the smell also quickly settles in clothing, you should also change your clothes more frequently in the 24 hours after ingesting garlic. Likewise, don’t cover up the smell of garlic with perfume sprayed on your skin. Because the combination of the fragrances from the perfume and the allicin creates a thoroughly unpleasant fragrance cocktail and confuses every nose. Speaking of the nose, garlic is also a good home remedy for a cold.
At least you don’t smell yourself
So there are a lot of tips and tricks to deal better with the annoying problem of garlic smell. It is best if you work preventively. This means that when cooking or eating, think about the smell and contain it accordingly. However, once the garlic has reached the stomach, combating it is difficult. But don’t let the unpleasant side effects of the smell deter you from a nice visit to the Greek with a good tsatsiki or your delicious homemade tsatsiki and a doner kebab with a good garlic sauce. Because there is at least one positive effect: you don’t even notice the smell of garlic yourself.
