Eli5: Why do some smells like fuel oil or garlic stay on hands for hours even after extensive scrubbing and washing?
In: 1482
Good points above but one thing that is kind of missed is at least for garlic and some gas is that they contain thiols (chemicals containing sulfur) and we have evolved to be very sensitive to thiols. Most likely because they are associated with gross things. So having the same amount of a non-thiol on you may be odorless but if it’s a thiol it will still smell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiol
I find, like with onions for instance, that using cold water to wash my hands helps more than hot water to take away the smell. Could be similar with garlic and other stuff.
Here’s a fun experiment. Take a clove of garlic, half it and gently rub it on your feet. After a while you will have the taste of garlic in your mouth.
This post is brought to you by the lard I washed out of a tupperware 2 hours ago, and I will smell on my fingers until at least tomorrow.
Other people will explain the why but, with garlic specifically, run your hands over the metal of the sink faucet before you finish washing (so you can make sure you didnt pick up bacteria) and it will neutralize the scent.
Hand sanitiser – I spilt diesel on my hands once (cause I forgot how to use a fuel pump one day… brain fart moment). Thanks to Covid all the servo had was sanitiser… didn’t have the oily texture or diesel smell afterwards
Advice passed down from my nanny – after cutting garlic, rub your hands under a cold faucet and rub them with a spoon. Works like a charm. I also wash it with soap after.
Some smells can be cut and rendered water-soluble with citric acid or isopropyl alcohol or SD alcohol, *some*.
If you have a stainless steel sink, start washing your hands as normal, then rub the sink with your hands and rinse. Takes away most odors; sometimes it takes two or three handwashes.
Fuel and garlic can mix with the oils in your skin. The skin on your hands is pretty thick so fuel for example might soak pretty deeply in. Scrubbing may only remove the very outer layer of dead skin, leaving some of the smell still embedded . In my experience it takes at least a day for some things to either evaporate or wear away from my hands.
Latest Answers