Help! My whole house smells of teenage boys.

[moofolk]

Help! My house smells of teenage boy and I don’t know how to make it better. AIBU to think this is not inevitable?

What can I do? There’s three of them. The 17 year old washes fastidiously and without prompting. The other two need reminding, but even straight after a bath or shower they smell.
I wash clothes & bedding more frequently than is environmentally sound.
The musk comes off them and infiltrates everything. Their bedrooms smell disgusting. The fastidiously tidy one less so, but still bad, which leads me to fear I might be being U to expect to be able to change and just have to wait it out. But how long? Until they all leave home?

As I walk upstairs in my house the fug hits. I hate it but also very embarrassed if anyone comes round.

Dettol laundry cleanser, not a smelly teen yet but DHs grim gym clothes, works a treat, also use it to wash duvets, towels etc.

Also fully enclosed zippable mattress protectors I got ours from a company called house of Emily they do stuff for care settings, there soft and not rustly but completely waterproof, so no sweat or spills soaking into mattresses.

Also yes to mitchum and bar soap.

DS is only six but he's just come back from grandparents he smells grimy, he's currently in a lush bubble bath and I've properly washed and conditioned his hair and given him a flannel to scrub with, I'm hoping to get him into good habits before the stinky years 🤦🏼‍♀️

Simple solution stain and odour remover

Oh also get net bags for laundry not baskets, then the bags get washed too (emptied) or a plastic laundry basket and clean it every week

Also washing clothes at 40 degrees rather than 30, and making sure they wash their armpits with soap or shower gel, not just water. Tell them they need to wear a clean top every day too

Pour Dettol in the bath that should help with the smell, and give them a new smell.

I second glycolic acid - I have the one from The Ordinary and I put it on a cotton pad, then wipe under my armpits. It's not for daily use though, as the skin is quite thin and you risk over-exfoliating it.

Also, the Inkey List now does a glycolic acid stick which would be easier/less faff to apply under the arms. I haven't used it but I've used other Inkey List products and really rate them.

what’s wrong with Dove @ all the comments on here against it

Three teen boys here too!
I have put a Dettol soap in the loo and in their bathroom so if they do wash their hands, they will be clean!!
sholl “fresh step” shoe sprays
lots of deodorants available
lots of fun shower gel
lots of “fancy” shampoos and conditioners
a steady supply of Clearasil
dirty laundry collected daily
no food in bedroom policy (which is blatantly ignored, but i would like to believe it makes them reign in the amount of food they eat in their bedrooms)
plates and cups collected weekly
lots of compliments when they look clean

That’s gone on the list, thanks!

Too much moisturiser in it and not enough proper soap to count as a proper soap.

Soak socks in Napisan. It kills the stinky feet bacteria. I do this for all of our socks. My DH used to have stinky feet and shoes at the end of the work day. Using Napisan fixed the issue.

Bar soap only
Tell them to scrub the soap onto a flannel and do bits, pits, feet and ass
Say it jokingly if you have to but they may need a reminder of how to wash their body. They get lazy. One of mine used to take his phone in the shower and just stand there under the water using it !!!!!!

I'm afraid I got rid of carpets in kids bedrooms upstairs and replaced with lino and rugs.. was much better.. but some of that was bc of general replacement, pets and dds hair straightener burns and makeup stains 🙃

Windows permanently open,
zoflora/bicarb added in the washing machine,
only wash clothes on a really hot wash, with bio,
air freshener gel things/reed diffusers hidden in rooms,
febreeze air freshener spray and use fabric refresh spray on soft furnishings,
Make sure they use proper bar soap each not shower gel,
Proper antiperspirants not deodorants,
shove any smelly trainers, gym bags, coats etc in the washing machine as they can hold smells.

The best thing ever ever ever is persimmon and goats milk soap. It’s famous for getting rid of gross musty smell. Google it! I think it’s called a natural deodorant bar. We get it from Amazon.

its the same smell as the changing rooms- absolutely rank!

showering- they need to wash their whole body with soap and dry it and put in clean clothes daily. Dr Squatch are cool so as for men but pricy. Dettol soap is actually good idea.
washing - a long wash at 40*c I use the cotton rather than quick wash. Dettol laundry cleanser instead of softener
sheets - use the washable divest with no cover and wash weekly. Use a mattress protector. Pillow protectors
deoderant - sure max
coats and shoes and bags - I notice the stench clings to these so wash these

the best thing to remove awful smells is Dettol disinfectant spray for rid of an awful smell at my house instantly from the poorly dog!

I have 3 boys (one at uni, so home at times) & seem to have avoided the worst of the stink, although DS2 does have a bit of a whiff. He's been on holiday with his dad all week & his room smells like the rest of the house- clean- after the usual hoovering/ bed change/ wipe down, but as soon as he's home he'll sleep one night & it'll have a slight musty smell again. It's wild.

I'll agree with bar soap/ Mitchum/ weekly bed washing/ shoes aired/ windows open all the time etc.

One tip I've always done is all socks, & pants are kept until I do a weekly, long, hot wash (60 degrees) with double the usual washing powder (I swear by powder & not gel or pods). Put dark towels or bedding or rugby kit in with them if need to fill the wash.

I have 2 rugby players, 1 karate guy & all 4 (inc DP) are mountain bikers, so well used to sweaty washing - the key here is immediate washing!

It's testosterone. They can't help it.
As long as they are keeping themselves clean and their rooms clean, pleaae don't have a go at them.
It definitely does pass. By about 18/ 19 ime.

Scented candles, open windows, clean bedding etc.

Awww, bless 'em! I quite miss it actually. Walking into that choking cloud of Lynx Africa that seems to settle halfway down the stairs.

If they are clean boys (mine is a complete clean freak) you just have to desensitise yourself until the phase passes.

I have one DS that I constantly have to nag about washing his armpits properly as opposed to just standing in the shower. Make sure they are doing it properly.

One DS shaved his head and the smell from him/ his room immediately improved.

Blimey I'm feeling nostalgic for that smell of a houseful of boys. And the mountain of size 12 shoes at the door.

I’m evangelical about this stuff. I’ve found it better than those sports wash or anti bacterial products.
amzn.eu/d/bkFxjVK

Also, anything that can be washed at higher than 40, nuke it on a hotter wash.

Add teachers to that, from what I'm told

Oooh this sounds promising! Would you mind linking a pic of the one you use? There seem to be a few different ones on Amazon….

I recommend the Dettol anti bac soap - my DS 15 is using this and smells much better.

I've read about the evolution / incest prevention thing too! We are hard wired apparently to find them stinky. Although I still find mine adorable 😂🙈

It isn't a proper soap as it has too much moisturiser in it its more like an emollient in bar form

My son’s room stinks! But my husband says he can’t smell it. Bedding changed once a week. Hoovered twice a week and dusted once a week. He does often let his dirty washing fester in there between hoovering but even when I remind him every day or he remembers himself it still smells. He has an air purifier in there too and I try to open the windows often.