How to remove the smell of fish from your hands, from dishes, from your mouth, from your apartment

Fish is a very healthy dietary product, rich in nutrients, from which you can prepare a lot of delicious dishes. There are a huge number of varieties of inhabitants of rivers, seas and oceans. But they all differ in their characteristic odor, which strongly penetrates into everything that comes into contact with it. That is why seafood lovers often have the question of how to remove the smell of fish from their hands and mouth at home. The women's website “Beautiful and Successful” advises its readers to give up their favorite fish dishes because of the strong smell, and to take advantage of the experience of housewives in removing odor from various surfaces. It is all collected on this page.

Removing fish smell from hands

Fresh fish leaves aromatic traces everywhere it has been: in the freezer, on dishes, hands, cutting boards. The latter suffer the most from odor, since the porous structure of wood greatly facilitates its absorption inside, from where it is very difficult to wash out aromas. Fortunately for all sensitive noses in the modern world, a special kitchen soap has appeared that quite successfully combats a number of unpleasant odors. If you love fish, but try to cook it less often because of the smell in the kitchen, buy this soap and forget about the discomfort once and for all. In general, it is intended for cleaning the skin of the hands, but it can also be used to treat almost any surface.

To remove odors from your hands, there is also a special solid soap made of stainless steel. True, it does not dissolve fat, so it must be used after washing with regular soap, but many of those who purchased such a new product claim that it is not worth spending money on.

If the fish is already being cooked, and there is no time to run for soap, you can use traditional methods to get rid of traces of butchering the carcass. Housewives, through trial and error, have identified several home methods on how to get rid of the smell of fish on their hands and dishes:

Lemon or citric acid. Citrus neutralizes unpleasant odors very well. If your hands smell like smoked or salted fish, you need to cut off a slice of lemon and rub it on your skin, then wash them with water. Vinegar has the same effect. It is advisable to take an apple product to cause less harm to the skin.
Toothpaste. It is extremely difficult to wash your hands after smoked or salted fish, but this persistent smell can be hidden with the help of any toothpaste. This hygiene product removes the source of the odor - the smallest particles of the product embedded in the skin, and also masks the odor itself, because it usually contains mint essential oils. Squeeze a drop of paste onto the palm of your hand, wipe the skin with it, and then rinse with water. Your hands will become fresh and soft.
Washing powder. To give the skin of your hands a pleasant aroma, you need to wash something in water with the addition of laundry detergent. Both powder and liquid form are suitable. You can also use good laundry soap.
Essential oil. Almost any aromatic extract will refresh the skin of your hands, so the choice depends on individual preferences. However, it is worth keeping in mind that substances with a strong aroma - citrus oils, eucalyptus, mint, rosemary, tea tree - are most effective. When washing your hands after contact with smoked mackerel, red fish or, for example, herring, you need to drop a couple of drops of a plant extract into the water.

Lemon juice neutralizes fishy odor on skin

Sunflower oil. If after washing your hands you still smell like canned fish, herring or other seafood, you need to wipe them with a drop of sunflower oil. Ideally, you should take an unrefined product. It will not only mask aromatic traces well, but will also moisturize the skin.
Coffee. This product is actively used in perfume stores in order to “zero” the sense of smell. Coffee is a strong natural flavoring agent. It removes unpleasant ambers, leaving behind a persistent but unobtrusive scent. If your hands do not regain their former freshness after eating fish, you need to thoroughly rub the coffee beans in your palms. If there are no beans in the house, but only ground coffee, you can use that. To do this, you just need to prepare coffee gruel, rub your hands with it and then rinse them thoroughly with water.
Alcohol. It is able to dissolve fats, so it can easily remove fish odor from the skin. In order to refresh your hands after smoked, salted, fried or raw fish, you need to wipe them with a cotton pad or gauze swab dipped in an alcohol-containing product, such as vodka or eau de toilette. The question of how to wash off the smell of fish from your hands at home can also be solved by beer.
Activated carbon. It is recommended to grind coal tablets into powder and mix with water to form a slurry. Clean your hands with this paste and then rinse with water.

Preventative actions to prevent unwanted odors

Following precautions can often prevent the appearance of unpleasant odors. Preventive measures are better than finding effective ways to get rid of fishy odors. They are distinguished by their ease and simplicity of execution:

Lemon juice reduces fishy odor. To do this, it is enough to spray the pieces and carcasses before heat treatment.
After processing fish, surfaces used must be thoroughly washed immediately.
An unpleasant odor will not appear on your hands if you wear rubber gloves.
Fish should not be stored in the refrigerator without packaging, as other foods quickly absorb its spirit.
When cooking, allspice is added to the fish broth.

Every housewife has certain secrets for preparing fish dishes. They get rid of the specific fishy smell without losing taste. Knowing the intricacies of cooking food and how to quickly get rid of odors is the way to obtain delicious food.

How to get rid of fishy smell on dishes

A special wooden board is usually used to clean and cut the carcasses of pollock, herring, mackerel, carp, pike, crucian carp and other species of water inhabitants.

If possible, you should purchase cutting boards made of plastic or silicone specifically for processing fish: these materials do not have a porous structure, so they absorb odors less well and are easier to clean.

If the housewife only has wooden boards in her arsenal, then each time after cooking fish they should be thoroughly cleaned using the following home remedies:

Soda. The website sympaty.net advises: to remove unpleasant odors from dishes, wet a sponge and dip it in baking soda, then wipe all dirty surfaces.
Beer. You can pour beer on the cutting board. For this purpose, you can use an expired product. If possible, you should soak used dishes in beer for some time. After such a procedure, there will be no smell left from either river or sea red fish.
Lemon juice. You can dilute lemon juice with water and soak a cloth in this solution to treat dishes after washing. Table vinegar will also do the job well. The main thing is to rinse the dishes thoroughly with running water after using these home remedies. If the smell has ingrained itself deeply, you need to boil 2-3 liters of water, add 4-6 tablespoons of vinegar to it, immerse plates, forks, knives and cutting boards in the solution, which need to be washed from the smell, and put the pan on the fire for 5- Boil for 7 minutes.
Mustard powder. The spice should be diluted with water and the contaminated surfaces should be wiped with the paste. During washing, mustard does a good job of removing unpleasant odors from your hands.
Ammonia. Ammonia should be added to the washing water and wiped down everything that needs to be removed from the smell. The method is suitable for both dishes and kitchen surfaces - countertops, refrigerators, furniture.
Dishwashing liquid. If you wash the dishes with regular detergent immediately after cooking the fish, the smell will go away.
Dishwasher. After cooking fish, glass, silicone and ceramic dishes can be easily removed from the smell by the dishwasher. A modern machine can even handle old smells. You cannot place only a wooden cutting board in such household appliances: this will damage wooden utensils.

In fact, there is nothing complicated about the question of how to get rid of the smell of fish on your hands and dishes. Especially if you just need to wash dishes or hands. It is more difficult to remove the unpleasant odor from the mouth after eating smoked or salted fish. But there is a way out here too.

The refreshing properties of cloves for the oral cavity are widely known.

Why is this smell so persistent?

This odor is persistent because freshwater and marine life contain a chemical compound known as trimethylamine oxide. The latter maintains normal osmotic pressure, without which fish would not be able to rise and fall in the water.

Pure trimethylamine oxide is odorless. The unpleasant aroma appears due to the action of enzymes that convert this component into trimethylamine. The unpleasant odor is most pronounced in fish that has been rotten or stored for a long time. This substance can penetrate into:

tree;
fabrics;
skin;
plastic.

Because of the described feature, it can be difficult to get rid of the unpleasant fishy smell.

How to get rid of bad breath after eating fish

If you thoroughly rinse your mouth with mouthwash after eating fish, there will be no smell left. However, such a tool is not always at hand. In this case, other methods will help:

Homemade mouthwash. If you have any citrus essential oil in your kitchen, you can drop a couple of drops of the product into boiled water and use the solution as a rinse. If essential oil is not available, you can use strong green tea. It is not necessary to rinse your mouth; drinking the drink will give results. Moreover, green tea will benefit not only fresh breath, but also overall well-being.
Ginger tea. This is a natural mouth freshener. Thanks to its composition, ginger enhances the secretion of saliva, which speeds up the elimination of unpleasant odors. Ginger tea is also good for the immune system.
Black seeds. They neutralize a huge number of aromas. To get rid of the aftertaste of smoked fish, you need to click on this favorite product in our country. The smell will disappear completely. Those who do not like seeds are recommended to try replacing them with walnuts. This is also a good way to freshen your breath.
Coffee. Fans of this drink are well acquainted with the amazing feeling of freshness and purity that it leaves behind. If you don't have the opportunity to brew coffee, chew the beans. The effect will be similar.
Carnation. Many people also have this spice in their homes. If you hold it in your mouth, your breath will become fresh and aromatic even after eating fish.
Herb tea. If after eating your breath smells unpleasant of fish, you can rinse it with a decoction of herbs or drink herbal tea from chamomile, St. John's wort, sage, thyme, and mint.

It’s not difficult to freshen your mouth: in modern conditions there are many ways. As a last resort, you can chew mint gum or eat a menthol candy.

Odor Absorbing Products

Man has gained experience throughout his existence. He also revealed that there are products that absorb unpleasant odors, including fish. In particular, I understood how to get rid of fishy odors using improvised means:

The smell of fish on the skin is quickly removed by lemon slices.
Fish spirit can be easily removed with vinegar.
Fish odors are removed from various surfaces by using beer to wipe down kitchen utensils.
You can get rid of the smell in your mouth with fresh parsley.
Breath odors are neutralized with strawberries or an apple, or a couple of coffee beans.
To treat clothes, use a solution of citric acid, laundry soap or vinegar.

Removing fishy aroma from the apartment

It is somewhat more difficult to freshen the air in a room where fish has been fried. The most effective is long-term ventilation. If you are preparing any type of seafood by frying or baking, be sure to immediately turn on the hood.

After airing the apartment, it is recommended to freshen the air in it using special means in the form of a spray.

If you don’t have an air freshener, you can use orange zest: place it in different corners of the room. Setting the zest on fire will have an even greater effect. It produces aromatic smoke that perfectly eliminates any unpleasant odor. This method also works for removing unpleasant odors from clothes: you need to fumigate your favorite items with aromatic smoke.

An unpleasant odor coming from your favorite coat that just can’t be washed? In this case, the item should be hung outside. Frost ideally removes various aromatic traces, so in winter it will be enough to hang the item on the balcony at night. In general, if things smell like fish, it’s better to just wash them.

Website www.sympaty.net – Beautiful and Successful. Author: Elena Burenyuk. Learn more about the site's authors.

Natural neutralizers and flavors

If the smell of fish has filled the refrigerator, then for the methods listed below to work, you need to remove everything from it and put the peels, tea, etc., on the shelves. If the stench is in the apartment or car, then it will be enough to simply place several cups of coffee beans or cans of soda and cinnamon in the rooms or in the salon.

Orange or tangerine peel.
A little tea in gauze.
Activated carbon.
Jars of coffee. You've probably noticed that they are often placed in stores and confectionery shops. This is no coincidence, because coffee beans are one of the best natural neutralizers. Just 10 grams of this product is enough.
Cinnamon soda. Mix them and pour them into a jar, closing the lid and making holes at the top.

Prevention

There are several secrets that can be used to successfully minimize odor not only indoors, but also in the refrigerator (freezer). To do this, fresh or frozen seafood does not need to be stored open, but only wrapped in foil. The packaging should be as airtight as possible.

In cooking, the first and main rule is that you need to put potatoes or onions cut into small pieces into heated vegetable oil prepared for frying fish. If these vegetables are not on hand, you can use lemon juice or at least citrus zest. The juice is poured into the oil in small portions, and then the container is closed with a lid for a few seconds.

If you plan to make fish soup from fish, then add a little cow's milk to the broth. The liquid neutralizes stench, which then does not spread throughout the apartment. Everyone knows that when cooking food, the smell spreads not only throughout the entire apartment, but also through the exhaust ducts to the entrance and to the neighbors.

To prevent the fish from saturating the pan, it is better to purchase a separate deck specifically for these dishes. This way, the stench will not spread beyond this item. After cutting the carcass, all knives, cutting boards and other items are thoroughly washed under water with the addition of detergent.

Cleaning the kitchen does not take much time, but if you love fish dishes and cook them on a regular basis, wiping work surfaces and washing floors using household chemicals is imperative to maintaining a comfortable atmosphere in the room.

How to tell if fish has gone bad

Since it is sold not only fresh, but also smoked and salted, each product has its own shelf life. Fresh fillet is unlikely to last more than 2 days even in the refrigerator, then destructive processes begin to occur in the meat, causing it to disappear. Salted fish will last up to 4-5 days, and the more salt, the better it will be preserved. The finished fish dish can be stored for no more than 5 days.

In the event that you doubt whether the fish has spoiled or not, examine it carefully from all sides for the following criteria:

presence of a sticky layer. It appears only on a fresh carcass when it begins to deteriorate;
the appearance of a strong unpleasant odor. It occurs both in fresh meat and in smoked and salted meat. If you feel that there is a smell, then this is a sure sign that the fillet is rotting;
formation of milky spots. This phenomenon will only occur on fresh fillets; spots do not appear on cooked meat. See if the carcass is covered with gray stripes; if so, then it has deteriorated;
yellow gills and cloudy eyes. These are also signs of rotting, since a healthy fish should have clear and protruding eyes and pink gills. But here sellers are often cunning: they specially cut off the head so that it is impossible to determine the quality;
the appearance of mucus when pressed. If you have fresh, lightly salted or smoked fillet in front of you, press lightly with your fingers. They should not fall into the meat.

To ensure the freshness of a whole fish, throw it into the water. It shouldn't float to the surface.