Why do I/my clothes smell??

[Stinkysolutions]

Right lovely MNers, I've name changed for this.

I think I smell when I'm at work. Warm environment etc, but I can't work out the actual source! It's like a BO smell, but both myself and my uniform are freshly washed. I don't notice it when I'm not at work, so I don't think it's actually my body.
I usually wash my clothes at 40c but have upped it now to 60. My clothes don't seem to smell when they're off either.
Its been going on a few months now. Have changed shower gels, deodorants, perfume, washing powder. I don't use fabric softener or scent boosters. I've tried washing clothes with white vinegar, soda crystals, increased washing temp. I line dry clothes where possible.

Any ideas? I'm so embarrassed 😳

OP, you have mentioned that you don’t think it’s your machine, but it could be that your uniform is holding on to the machine smell more than other things because of the blend of the fabric mix.

How regularly do you remove and rinse through the machine filter? Washing machine manufacturers recommend monthly.

Once you have done this I would suggest run the machine with a washing machine cleaner, then wash at a 60c long wash with double the dosage of your usual detergent (as a one-off) and add fabric conditioner.

See if that helps.

Run a cleaning wash on the washing machine with washing machine cleaner in.
Biological sports wash gel. No softener or scent boosters or any of that stuff, it can clog the fabric up and prevent it actually cleaning. Make sure you take them straight out of the machine when done so they aren't sitting in there damp.

I think it is your uniform too. In the past I had to wear a hospital type navy dress which used to be so uncomfortable and made me sweat. I worked in a gp surgery. Nowadays I won’t wear anything but cotton.

are you spraying perfume on yourself and, if yes, is it getting on the clothes? My daughter's perfume on her clothes starts smelling old and its hard to get out.
Or could it be you are using softener which tends to start smelling too.

It will be your clothes holding on to smells and releasing them as they get warm on your body. Put a cap of zoflora in your wash to kill the bacteria.

sorry I have short term memory issues and just reread you are not using softner.

Odd question...but are you perimenopausal xx

Sounds like it’s ingrained in the armpits and your body warmth sets it off. Pretreat the clothes before washing- turn them inside out and pour on some liquid washing detergent, washing up liquid, or a paste of bio powder & water. Leave it for an hour minimum then wash at 40 degrees.

Age and weight gain can change your body odour, how much you sweat and how much you notice it - is it just your work uniform or all your clothes?

Suggestions -
Cleaning your washing machine with a rinse product, clean all your tumble drier filters
Washing your uniform and other pungent clothes with a sports wash like Rodalon, Halo, Smellwell or something, air dry on a line if possible otherwise tumble dry as quickly as able after washing.
Check your deodorant/antiperspirant- do you always use the same one? have they changed ingrediants/formulation or can you find one that works better for you now?

I hated those blazers.
My 2 DS's used to come home absolutely reeking in summer as they weren't allowed to take them off. Such a distinctive smell.
Only upside, quick to dry after a nightly wash!

OP, is it possible other people won't smell it and it's only you that can?
Peri has turned me into some sort of sweaty beast. DH insists he can't smell it, whereas I think I smell like a tomcat's balls all day (despite being clean/clean clothes etc.) 😳

Is it definitely your scrubs and not your shoes foe example?

I use an antibacterial sanitiser on my stinky gym clothes. It goes into the final rinse of the wash cycle. That seems to work well. I also swapped my deodorant from Mitchum to Wild, which has really helped too.

If your uniform is synthetic it might be that. Try online, is it possible to get hold of a cotton version?

If you are working in a healthcare setting they are often significantly warmer than is comfortable when you are moving around, the temperature is for the comfort of patients immobile in bed who get cold easily. That combined with a polyester uniform can mean you sweat more.

Ive also been known once in a while if i feel ive got whiffy to put a capful of dettol in a sink of warm water and rinse my arm pits. Its not the moisture that causes odour, its the bacteria getting out of control.

Do you have the Mirena coil? It releases hormones that can change your smell and make it stronger. That's what it did to me and I couldn't wait to have it removed.

Peri and some fabrics will do this.

I found that some fabrics really hold onto smells even if they smell clean after line drying.

If you are using hospital scrubs I guess you don't get a lot of choice in what to wear.

Things that I have found helped:

Dettol laundry cleanser
Dettol antibacterial soap in my pits
(I was smelling much more and some clothes pick it up much more than others)

I found some just got so bad I had to chuck them.

I agree with the suggestions to ditch the shower gel in favour of a bar of soap. It is a game changer, and better for the planet.

I had this problem in my younger days, since kids it's gone now. But it was like a cold sweat, I wasn't hot, but I could smell it at work, later when I got home I couldn't. I started using perspirex, which was amazing, you use it weekly and you literally don't sweat at all! Don't use it after shaving though because the smarting is unbearable!

Forgot to mention also that my problem occurred due to nylon work uniform!

Do you have any suspicion that you could be developing diabetes at all? Sometimes a change in body odour can be an indication of illness.

Not sure if it’s the same issue, but as soon as I hit my mid-30s regular deodorant stopped working on me, and if I wore any synthetic fabrics I would have to get changed multiple times a day due to the smell. Even natural fabrics still caused problems, just not as much. I cycled through all the main brands of deodorant and antiperspirants to no avail. Then tried Perspirex extra strength, and it’s revolutionised my life. Expensive but only need to use it every few days (I use normal deodorant in between), one roller has lasted about 4 months. It’s evil stuff if you overdo it, can make armpits very sore and itchy, so would only recommend as a last resort, but it’s made such a difference to my quality of life as I can actually wear all my clothes again and am no longer constantly paranoid.

Is the uniform made with re-cycled fabric ?

I have an M&S fleece made with rc polyester & it smells after one wearing.
I've recently bought an M&S skirt that smelt when I received it. Yes, made with rc polyester although it didn't say so on the website. A dunk with fabric con got rid of it though.

As it's only actually at work that you smell it, I wonder if it's stress causing you to sweat differently- apparently stress sweat can smell worse than other types if sweat due to endocrines at play...

https://www.sweathelp.org/home/news-blog/476-stress-sweat.html#:~:text=So%2C%20the%20reason%20stress%20sweat,bacterial%20growth%20leads%20to%20odor.

I follow a 3rd generation laundry specialist on insta.

He recommends getting rust remover to deal with deodorant stains because the stains are actually related to the metal in the deodorant/anti perspirant.

So maybe try a rust remover on the armpits of clothes do a quick wash and then try a more dedicated fabric treatment if the smell?

Let us know what works please!

Try a product on Amazon called perspiguard it's a little bit expensive but I find it to be a life safer