Help me get rid of metal-smelling hands?

Funny situation. I said to my boyfriend a few weeks ago after probably accidentally sniffing his hands too close that they smelled like Spaghetti Metal. Now, I realize the smell is mostly metal-y but for some reason there is a little tomato-y smell tossed in there too. Anyhow, I think the metal is the real culprit. Kinda smells like iron or something. It is not good at all, it’s pretty gross. He can wash his hands with soap and hot water and the smell will be back in 10–15 minutes.

I myself was free of spaghetti metal hands until 2 days ago when I woke up in my own bed with my hands near my face and BAM! SPAGHETTI METAL!!! I shrieked. Why?!?! How? Now, my hands don’t smell like spaghetti metal currently but they did the past 2 days in a row. Can anyone shed light on this? I have googled it and it isn’t unheard of, but I’m not handling any metal, or change, or taking iron supplements (in fact both of us are anemic) or anything I can think of that would make our hands discharge this smell. And it’s only the hands.

He thinks his hands smell this way because he works in a kitchen and is constantly handling meat and food and he thinks it got under his nails. I say it isn’t connected to work because I got the same smell and I do not work in a kitchen or handle food for a living. I feel like it’s probably something internal. But that is just a guess.

HELP!!