Why people smell bad

Tonsil stones smell as well and I think people don't often know what they are. I can smell them because I get them and it's a distinctive smell

I’ve found the opposite and that it’s getting worse. Every time I go on a bus or a train there’s someone who smells terrible. I don’t mean a bit of BO, but that kind of putrid smell that comes from sustained non-washing of body or clothes or both. Due to the times I travel it’s often commuters too- so people who have jobs. It must be down to mental health issues I assume. But I do feel like I’m noticing it more and more now and from people who seem like they otherwise function ok.

Yet another thread about smelly people?

Until I came on here I wondered how people could smell the way they do, first thing of a morning. Posters will claim that they don't wash for days, but don't smell. We pick partners who we like the smell of and their family familiarity in body scent, then there's nose blindness, so those around you aren't a good judge.

Might have been me, sorry. Been stupidly busy at work and despite good antiperspirant and a shower this morning, I feel grubby and don't smell terribly fresh. The boiler was being serviced when means the heating has been on and off all day and the house was really warm! (and the weather is horrible and clammy!)

Will be resolved in an hour when I get into the bath!

There are lots of medical conditions which cause this.
Diet can be a factor: people with restrictive or very unhealthy diets can often have weird smells.
People with depression or addictions are much more likely to struggle with this.

That said, I am quite shocked how many people I come across who choose to bathe or shower once or twice a week. People with no financial concerns usually for slightly misguided environmental reasons.

I know one family who live in a five bedroom house and have two family cars who restrict their teenage kids to one bath/shower a week on environmental grounds.

I couldn't live like this.

I live in a crowded city and take public transport every day. Never noticed it. I hope I'm clean. I find the sight of a hoiked up nose and a face like a slapped arse is much more unpleasant. More of those round my way unfortunately.

I have a really sensitive nose and hate the smell of BO, however I also try not to judge - I do think that sometimes BO smells are down to laziness, however there are a whole host of other reasons why someone might have BO and so I try not to judge. If it was a close friend/relative I'd speak to them about it, but for random folk I just tend to breath down my sleeve a lot!

Different people perceive smells differently.

I find heavily fragranced soaps amd perfumes overwhelminh. A colleague comes in wearing a very strong aftershave and it literally makes me feel nauseous!

I find a that slight mustiness of clothes not dried well, or mild BO, less nauseating & more "neutral" than people drenched in sweet perfumes.

People from some cultures don't use antiperspirants habitually and they can have a very particular smell that is very unpleasant .

my poor younger brother is someone who struggles with this. he will literally shower, put fresh clothes on and in 30 mins be stinky (tbf only if you sit close to him). we have tried so many things, and nothing works :-(.

Interesting this thread came up!
I shower every day, wash clothes regularly with bio detergent and dry them on an airer so most clothes are fine. But there’s some clothes- mainly workout clothes and tight fitted t shirts that just seem to always stink of BO! Advice welcome!

Why was the previous thread deleted? Does anyone know?

A whole range of reasons such as poor mental health, trauma, being controlled by another person, subconsciously trying to push others away, homeless or sofa surfing or living in a car, pulled a night shift, forgot to put on deodorant, lack of running water and no money for the gym, no clean washing done, health condition, side effect of medication, trying to use a greener deodorant, no sense of smell. Who knows.

Dettol laundry stuff, soak the armpits and do a hot wash with some in

Exactly@hylian . Who knows what anybody may be going through, and may be self neglecting. I would not be judging them.

I have a condition called hyperhydrosis which causes excessive sweating, this is unpleasant as I am aware of it which make me anxious and makes me sweat more, I can shower everyday and still sweat bad enough that I can notice it at the end of the day, they only thing that works is either mitchum or a prescription roll on.
That being said there are people who pong to high heaven and who dont seem to realise they do.

Maybe they are those MNetters who only wash their jeans once a week, their bras once a month, their bedding once every two months, and the "family towel" occasionally.

My parents both smell. No poverty or health issues. Just poor hygiene. Standing under the water is showering, and clothes are always washed fast and cold with not enough detergent. I think they're just oblivious to it at this point.

i agree it’s really hard to get armpit/ crotch smells out of some clothes! A good solution is spraying the offending areas with vinegar and leaving for 10 mins before putting in the wash. The vinegar kills the bacteria and neutralises the odour.

Washing machines need a good hot wash at least every 1-2 weeks to keep them clean.

if people aren’t cleaning the washing machine often and this is often worse when washing at low temps the washer can smell musty.

so cleaning your clothes in a musty washer makes them clean but smell musty and that’s made worse by slow drying.

it’s probably worse now than usual as electricity prices are so so high for a lot of people that one hot wash in the machine can be unaffordable so more people are washing clothes on cold cycles.

I have been stricter with washing some clothes in cooler cycles but I still hot was anything that comes in contact with pits and bits so undies, towels, flannels and t shirts get a hot wash. Everything else cool.

if I haven’t done the hot wash my machine and the next load can smell off.

Waterproofs ot outdoor coats that aren;t dry then go musty . Same with an umbrella if yiou put it away damp .

There was a man in our local Sainsburys wearing a manky raincoat , even from the next aisle I could smell him <not envy

One of the worst smells is people who drink loads of alcohol,they excrete it through the pours of their skin and there is a very distinctive smell.
I can smell it a mile off.
I also think some deodarants can react with the swet of some people and actually smell worse than non at all. Some people need to try a different brand.

Now and then it’s not BO, it’s just a stale, unwashed smell. Hair that badly needs washing smells particularly horrible, though it’s a lot less common to encounter it nowadays.

@CaptainMyCaptain , a ‘proper’ wash, as we used to call it, was a normal daily thing before nearly everyone had showers and almost endless hot water. We weren’t poor but there were 6 of us in a 4 bed house with one bathroom and one bath - no shower and certainly not unlimited hot water - this was absolutely normal and better than many people had.

Loads of MNs will find loads of excuses for people they dont even know that stink 🤣 I havent read all the posts but you OP will be no doubt blamed for your sense of smell ! 👃

Many people are just dirty and have no pride in their appearance or cleanliness 🤮

In my brothers case it’s lifelong mental illness, poor self esteem meaning he doesn’t expect people to relate to him positively anyway and general obliviousness; possibly some non neuro typical sensory issues with bathing too. Not everyone has the same circumstances and social skills and support.