How To Get Bleach Smell Off Hands

Worried how to get rid of bleach smell? Cleaning smells can be very comforting and reassuring—your house is germ-free, and your family's health is safeguarded.

But why should you have to live with the smell, especially if you've used bleach? So, how to get rid of bleach smell after you're done?

Bleach is one of the most popular household cleaners. Almost everyone has a bottle stashed away somewhere.

It is used to clean kitchen counters, bathrooms, tiles, and kitchen appliances like refrigerators. It is also used in hair and face products and to remove stains from clothes.

However, it can leave an overpowering odor.

Here's an easy DIY guide to how to get bleach smell off hands and from other surfaces.

How to Get Bleach Smell off Hands?

Your hands could reek of the chemical for several reasons.

Perhaps the bottle leaked, or your cleaning glove tore, or if you're like me, you forgot to wear protective gloves while cleaning.

It could be that in your rush to remove a stain from a favorite or expensive clothing item, you poured bleach and rubbed and didn't consider skin safety.

Either way, your hands stink, and now you need to figure out how to get rid of the smell of bleach from your hands.

Here are three possible ways to remove the offensive smell.

1. Wash Your Hands Thoroughly

Lathering your hands with dish soap and warm water should do the trick as dish soap is formulated to tackle smells and stains.

When you're washing, make sure you get the area between your fingers and under your fingernails as well.

Remove rings or other jewelry you might be wearing and wash them with dish soap as well.

Tip: You might have to wash your hands a few times to eliminate the smell.

2. Use Vinegar or Lemon

If you can still smell the chemical after washing your hands, you should try something acidic, like vinegar, lemon, and juice from most citrus foods.

Since bleach is alkaline, these readily available acidic alternatives will neutralize its smell.

Here's How To:

Step 1. Take a shallow dish and pour some vinegar into it. Keep your hands in the vinegar for a few minutes.

Take time to rub under your nails and between your fingers. Remove to clean skin under rings (if you wear any). Rinse thoroughly afterward.

Step 2. Take a cotton pad and drizzle vinegar onto it. Don't squeeze it dry. The cotton pad should be wet but not drippy.

Cover all hand surfaces, including over and under nails and cuticles. Wait a few minutes to see if the smell has gone. If not, repeat the process. Rinse well with warm water.

Step 3. If you don't have vinegar at home, use fresh lemon or other citrus fruits. Cut the lemon or fruit into quarters and rub it directly onto your skin.

After you're done, rinse well with warm water.

3. Apply a Scented Lotion

If the odor lingers despite your washing attempts, you can mask it with a scented lotion or moisturizer.

Since the chemical tends to dry skin, you'll counter that effect as well. Remember to thoroughly wash your hands as you don't want the moisturizer to trap remnants on your skin.

Here's How To:

Take a pea-sized amount of your favorite scented moisturizer and distribute it all over your hands.

Rub until your skin has soaked all that creamy goodness. You can always re-apply the lotion if the odor returns.

How to Get Rid of Bleach Smell in Nose

It is always advisable to open windows when cleaning with chemicals. Not only are the fumes overpowering, but concentrated amounts in a room without ventilation can irritate your eyes, mouth, and nasal lining.

You might start to feel a bit suffocated, and dizziness may follow as well. But physical discomfort isn't the only danger here. Inhaling bleach is dangerous for your health.

It can cause the nasal polyps in your nose cavity to grow, leading to inflammation. It can also damage your lungs and cause a fluid build-up.

You might even trigger breathing problems, especially if you have asthma. If you're going to be using bleach often, you'll need to know how to get rid of the smell of bleach from your room.

Here are some measures you can take:

1. Improve Your Room's Ventilation

This is the easiest and oldest trick in the book. Without open windows and active airways, none of the fumes are getting out.

Bleach, in itself, does not have an overpowering smell. However, when applied to surfaces, it releases a strong chlorine-like odor.

This is because it dissolves proteins, and when it does, the chlorine-like odor intensifies.

The more bleach you use, the more your room will stink and the longer it will take to ventilate.

To quickly dissipate the smell, try turning on the ceiling fan if you have one and open multiple windows for better cross-ventilation. Plan your cleaning on a particularly windy day to avoid lingering smells.

2. Deodorize the Room

Ventilation does go a long way in dissipating odors. Still, for more pungent smells, it's best to speed up the process by deodorizing the room with an odor-eliminating spray like OdoBan.

It's a countermeasure for instant relief. It's a simple process of mixing the solution with water, putting it in a spray bottle, and applying it to surfaces that you cleaned with bleach.

Remember to read and follow the use, mixing, and storage instructions provided on the packaging or a separate pamphlet. You can purchase a ready-to-use spray as well.

If using more chemicals to banish chemical smells doesn't appeal to you, you could also use scented candles as an alternative.

3. Coffee Grounds

Here's a slightly unconventional but popular urban remedy for eliminating irritating smells. Not from your room, but your nose.

If you've used bleach for cleaning and went mask-less or ventilation-less, fumes might have carried and deposited remnants of the chemical in your nasal lining.

After washing your face thoroughly, you could try roasting and sniffing your favorite coffee blend.

While it might sound insane to inhale coffee grounds, many users have claimed it helped them stop smelling bleach.

The aromatic scent of grounded coffee could be just the remedy you need.

Some Final Words

Some people are extra sensitive to smells. Powerful odors could bother them long after the cleaning ritual has ended. If such is the case, use an alternative.

Cleaning products come in all variants. You could pick something scented yet eco-friendly with mild strength.

Some users swear by alternatives to bleach when it comes to removing stains and sanitizing surfaces.

There are additional benefits as well, such as being residue-free and not requiring a follow-up rinse. So, it might be worth a shot.

While you're exploring options on how to get rid of bleach smell, you should also quickly research which household products should not be combined with bleach, such as toilet cleaners or glass and all-purpose cleaners.

Most cleaners react with bleach and release chlorine gas as a by-product, which is significantly more hazardous to your health.

Read Next: Know the best available products to make your home smell perfect!

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