Why people smell bad

The smell of smoke would be far preferable to BO!

I literally cannot stand it. I have a sensitive sense of smell and being subjected to other people's body odour makes me gag or even actually vomit if it's very bad. It's so antisocial to go out like that. Even if in significant poverty (and I have been in the past) it is not expensive to buy a soap and wash in a sink.

One reason is that they're depressed and showering is a huge task that makes getting out of bed and out of the house to run errands much harder.

I agree that BO is gross but I possibly smell quite often myself due to the above and some days I don't care enough to do anything about it. But I still need to go to the shops etc. I wear clean(ish) clothes outside and use a lot of dry shampoo so I wouldn't look unkempt necessarily.

I agree. I loathe the smell of stale booze on people. It makes me want to heave. Alcoholics who are self-conscious tend to try to cover it up with loads of perfume was well which makes it smell even worse.

Yes. There's a massive difference between the two and while neither is pleasant, the latter is far, far more pungent and nausea-inducing.

I think people become used to the smell and stop noticing. There was a girl at my primary school who smelled terrible and people were really unkind about her. It was unbearable to be within a few metres. Their while house smelled like that, and her mother, and they were oblivious: they were really shocked when somebody eventually told them and her mother then cleaned and started washing them both and their dogs and it went away. I really do think people must not realise (unless mentally unwell) because otherwise they would do something about it. Perhaps we need to get rid of the social taboo of telling people because in the long run it's much kinder that they know and can fix it.

Yep I'm a teacher and it's more noticeable among the young people too.
There's been too much focus on social media about making your hair stretch one more day til you wash it, competitive busy parent accounts that swear they don't have time to shower. Add to that the people on threads like these who insist everyone has sensory issues and there's this reason and that reason. Keeping yourself clean really isnt that deep. It's a very basic part of being a human being and living with others

Weirdly I’ve just read a book that says some people perceive the smell of BO as vanilla - maybe that’s why? People just think they smell nice naturally?

https://www.realsimple.com/the-right-way-to-shower-7497757

I shower every day, and wash my hair about 3 times a week. Yet, menopause has made me so super sweaty, and I seem to stink sometimes. I have noticed the thing about washing clothes/towels/bedding at lower temps not always getting them properly clean, so there are some things which still get a hot wash.

A friend of mine is an every 2-3 day showerer. Always has been. Yet, she often smells a bit.... sour.... rather than stinky, just a bit like slightly off milk. She has a new partner, and she tells me there's a lot of sex; yet the showering routine remains the same. I don't think there's any mental health, or financial constraints, as we've been close friends for over 20 years, and share a lot. But I do tell her she smells nice when I know she's fresh from the shower, and say, 'Oh, that's a lovely shower gel/perfume/cream/whatever', in the hope it might change.... for her. I used to work with her, and I did overhear people commenting sometimes. I do wonder if I should say something.

You 'watched them' paying at the till and made a mental note of the amount? It's rude to stare, ruder to stand and watch, and really bad manners and judgemental to take note of the amount they were spending.

I used to work in care, and there's a really potent smell that comes from people as they age. It's mainly head/neck oils and if people don't wash well or wash their coats/cardigans, it really builds. We get clients in at work, and sometimes it's so bad we have to prop the doors open front and back to waft the air through and clear the smell.

It really is putrid to me as I've got a very sensitive nose. DH is nearly 60 and gets very cranky that I keep washing his coats but I can really smell it if they're not washed regularly and in laundry sanitiser.

People with MH conditions will often be on SSRI's which fuck up the bodies ability to cope with high temperatures, I am and the slightest heat will have me pouring sweat despite use of mitchum antiperspirent.

You can’t assume people aren’t washing. I stink if I’ve walked a bit too fast as I sweat at basically everything! Same with my husband he has a physical job so can come home a bit smelly but we both shower at least once a day. Some people just smell more.

My pet theory is that the ridiculous washing powder / pod adverts telling everyone it is fine to wash clothes at 20 degrees are to blame. Clothes aren't washed properly and bacteria builds up in washing machines making clothes smell worse.

Oddly enough, I think well meaning middle class people are often the ones misled as they want perceive themselves as green.

Doilies on the head rests of chairs and arms make sense now!

I detected I had an odd smell when I was very ill with covid. It was strange because I was suffering from anosmia but if I put my nose on my forearms I smelt weird. Another time ( despite the fact I bathed and changed clothes regularly) was before I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year

Maybe they all lost their sense of smell during covid 👃

I've noticed this too and wondered the same thing. I also think there's a trend among younger people not to shower every day to be more eco. And lots of people now work from home who used to have to make an effort for the office.

100% this, usually what we perceive as BO is the smell of unwashed clothes, or as other have mentioned clothes that don't get bone dry due to damp houses or being put away before they've been aired properly.

They must be aware that not everybody did!

Think this thread has got some nasty posts.

I know someone who showers daily but then puts the same dirty clothes back on! I'm not talking about jeans/jumpers that you might get 2 or 3 days from, but t-shirts that they've worn on hot days and sweated on! What is the point? I'm not sure they ever wash the heavier items like jeans and jumpers, maybe once or twice a year. So I think maybe some people do wash or shower but don't wash their clothes often enough.

Bin the smelly ones.

They don't realise they smell. You see it on here all the time people claiming they wear jumpers or tops 2 or 3 days running to save on washing them and don't smell. Or that they only shower or wash hair one a week and don't smell. They do. They just can't smell their own funk, same as how your own farts don't smell bad to you. Your partner gets used to your smell too, they go nose blind.

Soap isn't dangerous, it's not bleach. What do you think happens?

I was searching g for Cex reviews and found several Reddit threads on this exact topic