How long does it take to stop smelling of garlic?

November 23, 2025 •

4 min read

According to scientific studies, a powerful sulfur compound in garlic can remain in the body for up to two days, causing lingering bad breath, pungent sweat, and odor in urine. This is the primary reason why it can take so long to stop smelling of garlic and for the odor to disappear completely.

Quick Summary

The duration of garlic odor depends on sulfur compounds that enter the bloodstream and are expelled through the lungs and skin. Learn how specific foods and practices can help neutralize the lingering effects.

Key Points

Garlic Odor is Systemic: The smell comes from sulfur compounds absorbed into your bloodstream, which are then expelled through your breath, sweat, and urine.
Breath Lingers for Hours: Garlic breath can last for several hours, and even up to 24 hours, because compounds travel through the bloodstream to the lungs.
Body Odor Takes Longer: It can take up to two days for the garlic compounds to be fully cleared from the body, affecting sweat and overall body scent.
Milk and Apples Can Help: Consuming milk, especially whole milk, or eating a raw apple can help neutralize the odorous sulfur compounds in the mouth.
Stainless Steel for Hands: Rubbing your hands on a stainless steel object under running water can lift and neutralize the stubborn garlic smell.
Oral Hygiene is Only Part of the Solution: Brushing and mouthwash provide temporary relief for breath but don't address the systemic cause of the smell.
Hydration is Key: Drinking plenty of water helps flush the sulfur compounds from your system more efficiently.

The Scientific Reason Behind Lingering Garlic Odor

Garlic’s distinctive and tenacious smell is caused by a group of volatile sulfur compounds, with the main culprit being allicin. When garlic is crushed or chopped, a compound called alliin comes into contact with the enzyme alliinase, creating allicin. This allicin then breaks down into various other smelly sulfurous compounds, such as allyl methyl sulfide (AMS). Unlike other compounds that are quickly eliminated, AMS is not easily broken down by the body.

How Garlic Travels Through the Body

When you eat garlic, the sulfur compounds are absorbed into your bloodstream. From there, they circulate throughout your entire body before being excreted. This process explains why garlic odor isn't just a matter of what's in your mouth. The unpleasant smell is actually expelled through multiple routes, including:

The Lungs: The AMS travels to the lungs and is released every time you exhale, causing the infamous garlic breath that can last for hours or even up to 24 hours. Brushing and mouthwash only offer temporary relief because the odor is coming from within.
The Skin: As the sulfur compounds are processed and excreted, they can also escape through your pores via sweat. This leads to a distinct body odor that can take a full day or two to disappear.
The Kidneys: Excess compounds are filtered out by the kidneys and released in urine, contributing to a change in the body's overall scent profile.

Remedies to Speed Up the Process

While you can't eliminate the odor instantly, there are several effective strategies and food pairings that can help neutralize or mask the smell more quickly.

Foods and Drinks That Help

Milk: A study found that drinking milk can significantly reduce the concentration of odorous sulfur compounds in the mouth. Whole milk is more effective than skim milk due to its fat content, which helps bind to the compounds.
Apples and Leafy Greens: Raw apple is particularly effective due to enzymatic and phenolic compounds that neutralize the sulfur. Eating an apple with or after a garlicky meal can be very helpful. Fresh mint, basil, and parsley also contain similar neutralizing agents.
Green Tea: Rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, green tea can effectively reduce the bacteria and sulfur compounds that cause bad breath. Drinking a cup after your meal can provide both immediate and sustained relief.
Lemon Water: The citric acid in lemon can help neutralize the odor and also stimulates saliva production, which helps wash away odor-causing particles.

Comparison of Common Remedies


Remedy	Primary Mechanism	Speed of Relief	Best For	Effectiveness	Notes
Milk	Neutralizes sulfur compounds.	Immediate to short-term.	Primarily breath odor.	High	Whole milk works best.
Apples	Enzymatic and phenolic action.	Fast acting, potentially longer lasting.	Breath and some systemic effect.	High	Raw is more effective than cooked.
Green Tea	Antioxidants and pH balance.	Fast to short-term.	Breath odor.	Moderate to High	Also beneficial for overall oral health.
Parsley	Chlorophyll and natural oils.	Immediate masking effect.	Breath odor.	Moderate	Best when chewed fresh after the meal.
Lemon Juice	Acidity and saliva production.	Immediate and short-term.	Breath odor.	Moderate	Best as a diluted rinse or with water.
Water	Hydration and flushing.	Gradual	Breath and systemic flushing.	Moderate	Simple and always available.

How to Manage Lingering Odor on Hands and Skin

Beyond what you eat and drink, physical methods are crucial for dealing with the persistent smell that adheres to your hands.

Stainless Steel Method

Rubbing your hands on a stainless steel object, such as a spoon, faucet, or specially made stainless steel soap bar, under running water can help remove the odor. The sulfur molecules from the garlic are attracted to and bind with the metals in the steel, lifting them from your skin.

Baking Soda Paste

Mixing baking soda with water to create a paste and scrubbing your hands with it is another effective solution. Baking soda is alkaline and helps to neutralize the acidic sulfur compounds that cause the smell.

The Importance of Good Oral Hygiene

While a persistent breath odor is not just from the mouth, meticulous oral hygiene is still a crucial first step. Brushing your teeth, tongue, and using a tongue scraper will remove residual garlic particles and odor-causing bacteria. Combining this with a neutralizing mouthwash containing ingredients like zinc or chlorine dioxide can also offer additional benefits.

Conclusion: The Final Word on Garlic Odor

To successfully manage and accelerate the removal of garlic odor, a multi-pronged approach is most effective. The duration of the smell, from breath to body odor, is a direct result of sulfur compounds entering the bloodstream. While some compounds dissipate quickly, others, like allyl methyl sulfide, can linger for up to 48 hours. Incorporating foods like milk, apples, and parsley, along with practicing good oral hygiene and using household remedies like stainless steel, can significantly help. The best strategy involves addressing the odor from both the inside and outside, rather than relying on a single quick fix.

Visit this BBC Future article for more on the surprising science of garlic breath.

Frequently Asked Questions

Garlic contains sulfur compounds that are absorbed into the bloodstream during digestion. These compounds, particularly allyl methyl sulfide (AMS), are not quickly broken down by the body and are released through the lungs (breath) and skin (sweat) for up to 48 hours.

Brushing your teeth and tongue can remove some odor-causing particles in your mouth, but it won't eliminate the systemic smell coming from your lungs and sweat. The effect is often temporary.

Eating foods like raw apples, fresh parsley, spinach, and mint can help neutralize the sulfur compounds that cause garlic breath. Drinking milk, especially whole milk, has also been shown to be effective.

To remove the smell from your hands, try rubbing them on a stainless steel object under cold running water. Alternatively, scrub your hands with a paste made of baking soda and water or use lemon juice.

Yes, green tea contains antioxidants called polyphenols that can help neutralize the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic odor. Drinking a cup after a meal can aid in freshening your breath.

It is nearly impossible to prevent garlic odor completely once it's consumed, but you can manage it. Cooking garlic differently (slicing instead of mincing) or eating it with neutralizing foods can reduce the intensity of the smell.

The duration and intensity of garlic odor can vary based on individual metabolism, diet, and gut bacteria. The amount of garlic consumed and whether it's raw or cooked also plays a significant role in how much sulfur compound is released.