To be totally baffled by the way this girl smells?

[madonnawhore]

We work in an open plan office and this girl sits on the desk near to me. I've noticed she has this really unique, bizarre smell like a damp, mildewy basement. But it's not just badly dried clothes smell because it's too consistent iyswim. It's like it's coming from her.

I honestly cannot describe it. I also cannot imagine how someone naturally comes to smell like that. It's not even unpleasant like BO, it's just so distinctive. I can tell from the moment I walk through the front door whether she's in the office or not. Also, in the loos I can tell if she's recently been in the cubicle I'm using.

Anyone else come across a colleague or friend with a really distinctive personal smell? I wonder if other people find my natural odour as pungent?!

She probably lives in a very damp house it is impossible to get the smell out of you and your stuff and keep it out. I lived some where like that once and it was only after I moved out that my mum told me I always smelled of damp.

It is really shit living somewhere with damp.

Apparently she's moving house soon. Will be interested to see if she suddenly stops smelling that way.

I can smell it now as I type! It's so strong, I don't know how she can't tell.

Like I said, it's not horrible, but I think if it was me I would know??

I used to work with someone who always wore patchouli - that stuff really gets up your nose and stays there. That always smelt slightly damp to me!

Yes agree that is a damp smell and is to do with where she lives. It gets into your skin, poor girl.

a really nice family i know smell like what i would class as an old loft smell. you know when you bring things down from the loft

I always know if the children are in my house and if my children have gone there they smell of it too.

their house is old and i would think it is probably damp. They don't have double glazing.

alemci yes, that's it! It's that same kind of smell. Maybe it IS to do with her house then.

Strange, I never thought something like that would have such an impact.

I was at school with a girl who had a weird smell. Turned out she had this bottle of her mum's old perfume from the 80s that she used every day. It was vile to start with but it was totally off by the mid nineties. I found it in a dept store once and while it had echoes of this girl's smell, it was less 'wrong'. We clubbed together to buy her some perfume for her birthday one year once we realised what it was! Anais anais much more pleasant. It did take a really long time of wondering though, until I went round to her house and discovered the culprit!

aah patchouli oil... [sniffs fondly]

Thinking about it, I've lived in some right old shit holes over the years - wonder if anyone used to think the same about me then?!

i found that washing powder with 'febreeze' in it smells like damp

maybe it's that too?

My old washing machine used to make all the clothes smell ming...had to put shitloads of fabric softener and spray every load with febreze...so consistent IYSWIM. We were too poor to replace it.

I worked with a woman once who smelled very strongly of dirty vagina.

It was horrendous.

I felt sorry for her a bit. But not much because it was very difficult having to work in such close quarters with someone who smelled like the sanitary bins.

The flea powder used on our cat smelled of patchouli - as I realised years after being puzzled by schoolfriends who reeked of the stuff.

Ewww dirty vagina?

I have a friend who smells fishy. She must have that vaginosis thing but nobody has ever had the guts to tell her. Gaaah. She has a lovely DH, I would expect him to....but maybe he's used to it.

Yeah I had a friend at school who was really fishy. It was really strong and she knew that we knew but everyone was too embarrassed to say anything.

I think it was about 2 years before she got it sorted, poor girl.

No, that fishy smell can be from the sweat as opposed to down below. Think diet can affect it - I knew a blokoe who had it and he was very very active, and his poor wife told me that she had to wash his gym stuff straight away or the fishy smell became unbearable.

No, this woman smelled of sanitary bins - and you know when you go into a dirty toilet sometimes and you think "Fuck me, it smells of fanny in here"? She smelled like that.

I only lasted there a fortnight and had to leave.

"you know when you go into a dirty toilet sometimes and you think "Fuck me, it smells of fanny in here"? She smelled like that."

Hahaha, that made me nearly choke on my tea.

You do have a way with words Shirley.

I'm gifted, what can I say?

Lovely images!

Does the woman have psoriasis or eczema? One of the creams for that has a very distinctive smell.

[boak] thanks Shirley

I had a student friend who lived in a damp house - I had to keep things in her basement at one point and many were ruined by the damp - and she always smelt of it. You get used to the smell of your own house very easily.

I say patchouli too.

maybe you could say loudly "can I smell patchouli?"

then you'll know.

if she says yes, it's patchouli, if she doesn't answer, it's damp.

lol shirley!!!!!

Not much to add other then when i am pg i smell realy weird, its not an awful smell but can only discribe it as realy sweet. Nobody ever said anything to me but i wonder now if they could smell it too and just didnt want to say. Nothing i did got rid of it though.

Thankfully now DD is here i dont smell anymore, or at least i hope so.