Smelly people first thing in the morning making me cross

[Wherecanitbe]

I completely understand in the UK we are currently experiencing extremely high temperatures, however......

why is it so many people smell really strongly of B.O first thing in the morning? I was on the bus Saturday morning around 9am and their were one or two people who smelled really strongly, not just slightly. This morning I was in my local shop around 10am and the man in front of me smelled that strongly that when he left, the smell even lingered.

I can understand if it was towards the end of the day, then it would be more reasonable that people would have B.O. I am just really irritated how these people think it's acceptable that other people have to put up with their offensive smell.

People stink in all weathers. The don’t shower. I have to hold my breath in the supermarket. Filthy fuckers.

Yes there are regularly threads on here in which people say “I only shower once a week and I don’t smell. I just asked DH if I smell and he says I don’t”. Well he’s probably used to it, or maybe he smells too and doesn’t notice.

Any adult who only showers once a week will smell, especially in warm weather.

I was sitting on a bus a couple of weeks ago and it was cold weather and had been for some time. Two ladies ahead of me absolutely stank. It wasn't fresh sweat it was old (maybe months ago sweat). They looked absolutely lovely with beautiful makeup on, and had been to a medieval fair (dressed the part). Their clothes were grubby looking as well.

I had to put a tissue over my nose. On leaving the bus I did say something.

The only people I knew who stank to high heaven were white homeless middle-aged men. They never washed their legs or feet 😞 It was grim but they were humans who deserved help.

I used to think as a teenager that I stank because I was on my period. Which of course was not the case.

This thread is appalling in attitudes to people who suffer from ill mental health.

Yes it’s awful. But when you read threads on here about people showering once a week it’s not surprising. The funny thing is they always say they don’t smell!

Please let's stop saying that everybody who doesn't shower has poor mental health and that the rest of us have to put up with it. A few people may have MH problems or no water or a good reason. The vast majority do not.
On MN thousands of posters post about how they only shower once a week and have perfect mental health.

I also think a lot of people wash clothes too quickly and at low temperatures so they're never fully removing the stale odour of sweat. And polyester based clothing. I've never done a quick wash - always the 2 hour cycle at 40c minimum and with a generous amount of washing liquid.

Agree, my tops get stained under the arms more than my husbands, I just sweat a lot. I spray all my tops with vinegar under the armpits before they go in the wash, leave it to soak in for a while before I put the machine on, and it's a lot better than before I started doing this. A woman I knew who worked at Unilever (on the washing liquids testing) told me sweat is full of fat that comes out when you sweat, that's why it's so hard to get out of your clothes, think spilling oil or mayo on something and how hard that is to get out. Hence she said pre-soak, use vinegar etc... they can't make washing powders or liquids which are enough to dissolve this type of sweaty residue without also dissolving clothes if people are washing at low temps, which most people do now.

Also why do people wear puffers in 34 degree heat on the Tube?

Lots of people wash in the evening.

They don't seem to realise they sweat overnight. Wash in the evening if you want... but in a heatwave, you need to wash before you go out too, or you will be going into battle with this sun already stinky.

It's awful and is getting worse.

It's not surprising. There was a thread om how often do you shower on here once, I replied min 10 times a week (once every morning & at least 3 evening on exercise, etc). I was berated for wasting water, drying out my skin and being "competituve cleanliness"

My pet bugbear are people who also don't wash their coats and ties. My boss - great guy, amazing boss- his neck ties were stained with skin oil at the knot. It used to make me queasy.

And- coats need to be cleaned or dry cleaned often. My Dcs school blazers are thankfully washable and I wash those too quite often. I mentioned once casually to a friend that DSs blazer was not quite dry and he was complaining about it when he went off to school and she looked at me in surprise and said she had literally never ever had either f her Dcs blazers washed in all the years they had gone to school. Just- yuck. Our school unless it's scorching won't let the poor sods take off their blazers. All that sweat......

@placemats if the only smelly people you’ve come across in your life were homeless men, then you’re either very young, you’ve not gone out much, or you have a very poor sense of smell.

And of course we all know that poor mental health can lead to lack of self care, including washing. But as I said previously, the vast majority of smelly people are not unwell. They just choose not to wash. And you only have to read MN to see that plenty of well happy NT people think it’s fine to only shower once a week.

Surely showering after exercise is a must! I try to go to the gym in the morning and then shower after that to save water, but if people exercise in the evening, then two showers a day is completely reasonable.

@Wamid what did you say?!

I lived in a very hot and humid country in SE Asia when I was younger, which made me realise how filthy a lot of people must be in the UK, because even on hot crowded buses, at the end of a working day, when everybody would have one arm up hanging onto the rails/hand hold things, it would be really, really rare to smell anybody. You'd still smell deodorant or talc (they are still very fond of talc in SE Asia, they have cooling ones which I wish I could buy here when its hot, but maybe they are really bad for you like the talcs that caused cancer that used to be on sale here?). Yet in this country, which is never nearly as warm or humid, even on weekends like this, yet a lot of people are just stinking. Grim.

Hopefully you’ve got some fun party plans today and won’t bother making any more posts on mumsnet. If you haven’t got something helpful to add, then add nothing.

Im using a natural organic deodorant at the moment as I am pregnant and want to avoid chemicals. I absolutely stink. There’s a reason all the main brands use funky chemicals.

I can only apologise.

What did you say?

Dehydration. People smell more when they're dehydrated. As a teacher (Yes, I'm looking at you Year 8), I can tell if a kid is dehydrated depending on how much they smell.

Obviously, something she didn't have the balls to say until she was leaving.

I have never seen those threads regarding working adults showering once a week.

I'm 65 with three adult children. If course I've experienced stinky wet towels and clothing .

To add Henry VIII famously stank because he didn't was his legs or feet due to an ulcerated injury.

OP,
you do realise that for you it might be first thing in the morning but some ppl just finished night shift and are on the way home to have shower and sleep??

The only people I knew who stank to high heaven were white homeless middle-aged men.

This is not my experience at all.

They're most certainly not the ones on MN who advocate for bathing once a week and wearing no deodorant because, contrary to the rest of humanity, they've been made exempt from natural smells.

This is a reach.

This

There may be some people with health issues or genuinely seriously financially struggling but most of them will just be dirty bastards and presumably can’t smell themselves so don’t care