7 Ways to Get Poop Smell Off Your Hands
This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through the link, I may earn a commission. Learn More.
You probably never thought you would be googling how to get the poop smell off of your hands.
Congratulations! You are a parent. You now have a host of new problems you didn’t even know existed before.
Luckily, those of us who have gone before know all of the tricks.
7 Ways to Get Poop Smell Off Your Hands
Did you know the poop smell doesn’t go away just by washing your hands with soap and water? If you have a baby, that’s something you learn pretty fast.
Don’t fret!
The following methods of getting the poop smell off of your hands work. You just need to decide which method you prefer.
1. Pre-rinse Hands With Cold Water
Rinse your hands with cold water before you start washing them. Make sure any little traces of poop are gone and rinsed away as well as possible.
Then, use a strong soap to scrub with hot water. I like Lava Soap, but there are a number of good choices on the market.
- Tough on dirt, grime, grease, oil, paint, ink, adhesives, caulk, grease, and pretty much anything…
- Contains pumice, a by-product of volcanic activity that can be used as a soft abrasive
- Moisturizers in the Lava formula keep your hands soft
Scrub for about 30 seconds, and then rinse dry. Follow this with a gentle moisturizer because scrubbing your hands this vigorously after every diaper change is bound to dry out your skin.
If you still smell the poop odor, try changing soaps. Also, make sure you are scrubbing under your fingernails where poop particles may be left behind.
2. Rinse Hands With Vinegar
Vinegar is used in a variety of cleaning products.
The acetic acid in vinegar breaks down the odor-causing materials in any unpleasant particles you might have on your hands. A good soak in vinegar should remove any lingering smells.
Unfortunately, vinegar itself doesn’t smell that great. Once you use the vinegar to get rid of the poop smell, you’ll need to find something else to get rid of the vinegar odor! There is an easy solution to this problem.
Once you have used vinegar to clean your hands, wash your hands with a lemon-scented soap. The citrus smell will counteract the vinegar odor.
3. Scrub With Salt and Argan Oil
This is my personal favorite. I make my own argan oil salt scrub for use on my hands and my face.
It clears away dead skin cells and leaves behind soft, supple skin. It works double-duty by removing unpleasant odors. Making this salt scrub is easy.
Mix 1/2 cup dead sea salt with two tablespoons of argan oil using a clean jar. If you wish, add about seven or eight drops of essential oil. Some good options are rosemary, lemon, rose, patchouli, myrrh, or peppermint.
If using mint, you might want to cut the amount of oil in half, as peppermint essential oil can be very strong. Wash your hands as you would with any other soap by moistening your hands, scrubbing with salt, and then rinsing.
NOTE
If you have especially sensitive skin, you might want to avoid using the salt scrub on your face. It can be very abrasive.
4. Scrub With Baking Soda
Baking soda is a favorite ingredient for cleaning and personal hygiene. It only stands to reason that baking soda is a good method for getting rid of bad odors.
The chemical makeup of baking soda makes it an ideal cleanser because it both removes and purifies the poop particles left behind after rinsing.
Make a paste with baking soda and water, and then thoroughly scrub your hands.
Alternatively, you can add baking soda to soapy water as you scrub. To get an even deeper penetration, combine baking soda with vinegar, scrub well, and rinse.
You may need to use a good hand lotion after washing with baking soda because it is very drying. I recommend O'Keeffe's Working Hands. It’s very inexpensive, but it works very well.
- Dry Hand Repair Cream: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream is a concentrated hand cream that…
- Dry Hands Treatment: Creates a protective layer on the skin’s surface that locks in moisture and…
- Dry, cracked Hands Repair: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands dry hand cream provides guaranteed relief. Makes…
5. Soak Hands With Mouthwash
I know what you’re thinking: If mouthwash can rid your mouth of bad odors, surely it can do the same for your skin, right? The answer is yes, it can.
Most mouthwash is made with alcohol and very strong essential oils that neutralize bad odors while killing bacteria.
To use mouthwash on your hands, pour the wash in a bowl and allow your hands to soak for up to a couple of minutes. Wash your hands as you normally would.
Soaking your hands with mouthwash is effective, but it can get very expensive if you replace the bowl of mouthwash several times a day. Only use this method when you are desperate, and nothing else is working.
6. Use Rubbing Alcohol
My husband washes with rubbing alcohol. He puts it on a cotton ball and swabs it all over his face and neck every morning and every night.
I could never understand how he wasn’t constantly battling dry skin until I finally gave it a shot. I washed my stinky poop hands with his rubbing alcohol, and before I knew it, the poop smell was gone.
I liked to dab the rubbing alcohol on the offensive areas, but if you can tolerate it, you might want to soak your hands in the alcohol for about 30 seconds before rinsing it off.
7. Make a Poop-Smell Defeating Sugar Scrub
I make my own sugar scrubs, and I truly love them.
Though I usually use salt scrubs, sugar scrubs are better for those days when my skin is feeling sensitive, and I need something a little less abrasive. Sugar scrubs can be used daily anywhere on your body.
If used with the right oils, you won’t even need to add a moisturizer. In a clean jar, add one cup of sugar (white, brown, or a mixture of the two) and 1/2 cup of coconut oil.
Scent your sugar scrub with about 20 drops of essential oils. Orange, lemon, cinnamon, and peppermint are some of the best oils for removing odors.
After you have made the scrub, keep it in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Scrub your hands with it every time you need to rid your skin of the poop smell.
Key Takeaway
You love your baby, but you don’t love the smell of poop on your hands. Try these methods of removing the poop smell and use the one that works best for you.
Once you’ve used these techniques, let us know which you prefer by leaving your story in the comments.
