3 out of 5 leaves
Onions are a tasty and healthy addition to many dishes. However, they tend to leave a pungent odor on your hands after chopping that can linger. Can baking soda quickly and easily remove onion odor from your hands?
The Good
- Better for you – baking soda is natural and safe to use every day
- Saves money – baking soda is a cheap alternative to specialty soaps
- Convenient – baking soda is a staple of almost all western kitchens
The Bad
- A little more messy and tricky to use vs hand soap
My Experience
We love onions at our house. I add them to any dish where they makes sense, and usually toss in extra. Even the kids sneak bites of raw onions as I prep dinner. But after dicing a giant raw onion, my hands tend to get that unpleasant onion-y smell.
I’d heard that scrubbing with baking soda could quickly remove that onion smell from your hands. So, last week after chopping up a ton of onions for a lasagna sauce, I pulled out the baking soda. I sprinkled a small pile into the palm of a hand and added just enough water to make a paste. I scrubbed and rubbed the baking soda paste all over my hands then rinsed with water.
A quick sniff test told me that it worked! There was no more scent of onion on my hands. Another Green Idea Success!
What quick and easy green tips do you use in the kitchen?
P.S. I feel like I have to tell you – the cheap hand soap I have by my kitchen sink worked just as well! 
yes, the cheap soap works, but which is better for the Earth? My guess is the Baking Soda.
Maybe. If I use natural hand soap, and they both go down the same sewer to the same water treatment plant, not sure if the Earth will notice the difference. It may be a wash (see how I snuck in that pun?)
I love baking soda to shine up my stainless steel sink.
So many uses for Baking Soda. Great post!
Thank you for sharing at Rural Thursdays. xo
The best thing to remove onion odor from your hands is–no lie–stainless steel! Just rub your hands over a spoon and it will take the odor away! Has something to do with ions. I use something like this http://www.amazon.com/Amco-8402-Rub-Away-Bar/dp/B000F8JUJY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341590593&sr=8-2&keywords=odor+remover+bar, which is basically a hunk of stainless steel shaped like a bar of soap. Just makes it easier to use.
The spoon trick is exactly what I do! I know about the stainless steel ‘soap’ you can buy, so just tried rubbing my hands over a spoon under cold running water. It works perfectly and easily and doesn’t waste anything at all.
Thanks Anne, I’ll have to try it out!
Christa beat me to it, but I don’t even mess with the spoon–all my knives are stainless, so I simply rinse the knife, and CAREFULLY slide my fingers that were in contact with the onion around. Double points: cleans the knife that I just used AND no more stinky fingers.
But I still love baking soda!
I’ve heard of the stainless bar, but didn’t think about the other stainless items I have in my kitchen. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip! (And PLEASE be careful with that knife).
What a great idea! Baking soda is such a wonderfully useful thing to have in your kitchen. Thank you for sharing this interesting post!
I’ve never heard of this before. By the way, if you have a review on how to remove hot pepper oil from your hands, that would be great. I’ve tried lemon, vinegar, and dish soap (Dawn). Nothing works. Ahh! Anyway, that was a bit off topic.
Thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul!!
Hmmm, have you tried milk, or another oil, like olive oil? That may work. Nxt time I find myself with hot pepper oil hands, I’ll give it a try too!
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