Why people smell bad

Haven’t noticed this tbh

Not always but mostly laziness. Can't be bothered to wash themselves or their clothes. Just imagine what their bed sheets are like!!

This is true also.
I always thought the garnier fructis range smelled like B.O

There's a couple of perfumes and aftershaves that absolutely sicken me when I smell them, they just smell disgusting to me and I find it unbearable if I'm close to someone wearing them, but others love those scents and think they smell fab.

My son came back from his dads the other day saying similar about a shampoo he tried there, he said he started to use it and started to gag, he had to wash his hair several times then with a different one to make sure the smell was gone. He said the whole rest of the family thought it smelled fine and are happy to use it!

The comments about larger people and about the nature of clothing fibres I think do contribute to what the OP describes.

I also wonder if having a month of less sunny weather and lower temperatures than last summer meant those who would have washed more often at this time of year don't do so now.

Yes, also very strong scented washing powder.

I'd far rather a bit of normal clean sweat smell than the incredibly strong artificial fragrances.

People have entirely forgotten how to wash clothes properly because they have been seduced by the false promises offered by manufacturers.
Forget bio powders. Forget shower gel. Forget those who say that you can get good results from water at low temperatures. Forget synthetic fibres that claim to 'wick away' moisture.
Use clothes made from natural fibres e.g. cotton, - not polyester. Wash them in normal washing powder at a high temperature - 60C if possible, 50 if you must. Never less than 40.
Wash yourself in a bath or a shower using bar soap. Scrub the sweaty bits - armpits and groin. Wash the back of your neck and behind your ears.
If you can't afford to heat the water, boil a kettlefull, put in the basin, add cold water and strip wash with a flannel. Every day. Then wash the flannel, and wring it out before leaving it to dry.

Use an anti-perspirant deodorant. Wash your hair with shampoo, at the very least once a week. Change pants and socks every day.
That's it.
Its sad your mothers have not told you all this, but it seems they haven't.

Yup. I do 60 for bedding, 40 for clothes. Added dettol for gym clothes.
I saw people claiming 20c 30min is enough. Nope.

I was on a train recently & my boyfriend and a fellow passenger started making grimacing faces at each other because of the smell of another bloke, I just felt really bad for him.

He did smell. It’s something that really irks my boyfriend because he feels like they’re invading his space with their smell… I get it. But I just always feel bad for them. Have no idea what’s going on in their lives. As said up post I don’t think people smell for fun (or even on purpose, mostly.)

I use Aleppo soap and perspirex deodorat. Clean and non smelly. The soap is fuking amazing. Shower gels just cannot compare at all

This has always been the case in my experience. Soap-dodgery is not a new phenomenon and yes, depression, illness etc can cause odours but this is hardly every 3rd person in the post office queue.
Some people are just a bit grubby.

But that doesn't always help. It will for most, but not all.

M&S still have plenty of cotton and linen stuff, as do shops like Sea Salt, White Stuff and Crew Club. And online, Cotton Traders and Regatta still do a lot of natural fabrics and are very reasonably priced (although they could never be described as fashionable).

It could be mental health issues. My hairdresser I had last week smelled really bad. I was surprised she’d smell that bad at the beginning of her shift, it would be a bit different perhaps at least if it was the end of a long day. She was also over an hour late for our appointment, so who knows what’s going on.

Interesting a lot of people are citing poverty but one thing I noticed from my time in many developing nations was that people no matter how poor or rich always made sure they were clean and smelled fresh - typical to have at least two showers/washes per day there. Many didn’t use deodorants but still smelled good due to how much they showered.

I don’t think there’s a massive culture of daily showers in Britain - growing up in an immigrant family in a working class community I was always surprised at the relative lack of washing that went on in other homes. I’ve had periods in my younger days where I had to decide how to make £7 last a week before I’d even bought groceries but always got in the shower. So I do feel some of this is cultural.

@Jacopo

People have entirely forgotten how to wash clothes properly because they have been seduced by the false promises offered by manufacturers.
Forget bio powders. Forget shower gel. Forget those who say that you can get good results from water at low temperatures. Forget synthetic fibres that claim to 'wick away' moisture.
Use clothes made from natural fibres e.g. cotton, - not polyester. Wash them in normal washing powder at a high temperature - 60C if possible, 50 if you must. Never less than 40.
Wash yourself in a bath or a shower using bar soap. Scrub the sweaty bits - armpits and groin. Wash the back of your neck and behind your ears.
If you can't afford to heat the water, boil a kettlefull, put in the basin, add cold water and strip wash with a flannel. Every day. Then wash the flannel, and wring it out before leaving it to dry.
Use an anti-perspirant deodorant. Wash your hair with shampoo, at the very least once a week. Change pants and socks every day.
That's it.
Its sad your mothers have not told you all this, but it seems they haven't

This is so patronising. Who made you an expert? I never use soap bars (old fashioned) or wash my clothes at 60 (bad for the environment and I know NO ONE who does this.) I don’t smell!

I noticed how bad our local pub smelled after smoking was banned. A mix of dried urine from the toilets and unwashed blokes propping up the bar

@MumGMT "This is true also.
I always thought the garnier fructis range smelled like B.O"

Yes, me too! Asda own brand bathroom cleaner is the same. Sadly COVID has not dulled my receptors for that one.

Even if not taught at home, isn't this what PSHE lessons are for at School?
I think genuine reasons are few and far between, the majority of stinkers are just lazy.

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.

@HollaHolla I'm not surre she'd take the hint with that. Maybe you could try "oh you smell nice and fresh" or even the more obvious "nice and clean" rather than commenting on the particular shower gel, as she might just think it's the smell of the shower gel you like rather the fact that she's clean!

Evsn primark had linen trousers and tops now. It's back in fashion (yay!).
Some if the m&s and JL stuff is reallt good and for good prices (JL Anyday collection)

Good points.

The synthetic clothing absolutely stinks by the end of the day as well. I have some tops I'm only wearing for gardening now as I can't stand the body odour they harbour. I shower daily and have clean clothing on every day too.

No matter how tight things got financially, I would never stop washing. You don't even need to take a shower every day, even a wash at the sink will do.

There are lots of ways to cut back but personal hygiene isn't really one of them.

I suspect the environment concern is an excuse to be honest.

Does she have a partner btw? I honestly couldn’t be with someone like that.

I've worked in a lot of poorer towns and it was common there .
You need soap , hot water and a change of clothes. One of these missing could cause an issue (as well as odour issues in the main living area)
Im lucky I can shower at work

I used to work at these events. We called the whiff "eau de coder"

Actually one of the less pleasant smells on people has reduced in my experience, and that's the pervading stink of deep fat fryer.