What Are Shower Onions? The TikTok Trend Explained (2024)

Co-authored byMichelle Driscoll, MPHand Bailey Cho

Last Updated: July 24, 2023Fact Checked

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1. The shower onion trend involves keeping onions in your bathroom. In the now-viral video, TikTok user Karalynn Dunton (@karalynndunton) is inspecting the bathroom of a guy she met on Tinder. She pans to normal items like soap and lotion, before casually highlighting his shower onions—a bowl filled with onions resting on top of the toilet. She quickly zooms into dental floss, then acts lovestruck that “he even has shallots.”^[1]

   • Many TikTok users were baffled by the video because Karalynn makes shower onions seem like a bathroom necessity, but other users explained that they act as deodorizers.
   • In an interview with BuzzFeed, Karalynn said she wanted to create a parody of videos filmed in the bedrooms of guys that girls are starting to catch feelings for, which are used to find out whether the guy has slept with other girls they (by seeing if they recognize his room).^[2]

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1. Shower onions can eliminate odor and keep your bathroom fresh. Similar to leaving a sliced lemon in a room, a sliced onion acts as a natural deodorizer to absorb odors, especially in areas with poor ventilation or no windows. Many people place them around their toilets to prevent (or neutralize) unpleasant smells, but you can leave them in any room in the house.^[3]

   • In the 1500s, people believed that putting onions around the home could protect them from the bubonic plague, and today, many people swear that leaving an onion in the bedroom can prevent cough, although these claims are not scientifically proven.^[4]

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1. 1

   Peel and cut a large onion in half. Remove the papery skin from the onion, then stand it on its root end. Using a sharp knife, slice the onion in half lengthwise, from the top towards the root end. Peel away any remaining skin so the flesh is visible.^[5]

   • You can use any onion you like—red, yellow, or white. They work the same to absorb odors.
   • Alternatively, leave a sliced lemon or a cup of coffee grinds in the room to absorb odors.
2. 2

   Put the sliced onion in a dish and place it in the bathroom. Place the sliced on a small dish, tray, or paper towel with the sliced side facing up. Leave it in the bathroom, or any room that tends to stink or has poor ventilation.^[6]

   • If you have pets or small children, place the onion out of reach so they don’t accidentally eat it.
   • Onions also repel insects because they contain sulfur, so consider placing them around doors, windows, or any areas that have cracks.^[7]
3. 3

   Leave the onion in the room overnight to eliminate odor. Wait at least 8-10 hours before removing the onion and tossing it in the trash. The onion will have absorbed most (if not all) of the scent, but you can leave it in the room for up to 2 days.^[8]

   • Make sure you throw away your shower onion and do not use it for cooking.

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