Smelling like brisket forever doesn't seem like such a terrible fate either.

May 23, 2011 11:02 PM

How do I get rid of the smell of liquid smoke on my skin? I rubbed beef for homemade beef jerky with liquid smoke using my fingers, and now my hand smells delectable. I can't stop salivating and I'm about to start gnawing on my phalanges. Help!

Seriously though, I don't want to go to work tomorrow smelling like this. It's this brand, and the extract appears to be dissolved just in water but my detergents don't seem to be helping.

I have various solvents in the house, but no lemons – the only citrus in the house right now is a grapefruit, and the stores are closed.

posted by halogen to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

Maybe it's an oil thing? Try rubbing olive oil (or some other nice neutral oil) into your hands, working it in really good, and then using a grease-cutting soap afterwards. Be sure you're getting under your nails and around your cuticles!
posted by Mizu at 11:15 PM on May 23, 2011

scrub your hands with a paste of baking soda and water?

toothpaste?
posted by virginia_clemm at 11:20 PM on May 23, 2011

Response by poster: Oh! That helped a bit, but there's still a significant lingering smell after three cycles of rubbing and washes. I also tried soaking my hands in diluted acetic acid/vinegar (didn't work) and 70% ethanol (no luck).
posted by halogen at 11:22 PM on May 23, 2011

Response by poster: (The olive oil helped; about to try baking soda.)
posted by halogen at 11:22 PM on May 23, 2011

Response by poster: For a while, baking soda appeared to do the trick, but now the smell is back! WTF‽
posted by halogen at 11:29 PM on May 23, 2011

Best answer: Wash your hair. (vigorous hair washing great for cleaning smell from hands)
posted by seanyboy at 12:16 AM on May 24, 2011

Method soap for kitchen in a black bottle? It's designed with basil to get rid of garlicky hands.
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 12:21 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

soak in warm water for a while? possibly a hot bath with bath salts?
posted by nile_red at 2:07 AM on May 24, 2011

Wash your hands with table salt? (Like lemon, it's great for getting rid of onion too.)
posted by easily confused at 2:14 AM on May 24, 2011

Rub your hands on something steel (like a pan or a piece of silverware). Same idea as the steel soap-style smell removers like this.
posted by Signed Sealed Delivered at 4:22 AM on May 24, 2011

Lime (or lemon) always works for me. Scrub your hands with a half, then wash with soap and water.
posted by sa3z at 7:48 AM on May 24, 2011

Doh, sorry, just saw the part about no citrus. Disregard my previous message and now this one, too.
posted by sa3z at 7:49 AM on May 24, 2011