What makes a smelly person

[pootlingalong5]

Bit of a random one. I’ve been out all day with dd at a NT place, in the woods, paddling in water etc. Didn’t bother showering before we went as I knew I’d be getting dirty and sweaty. Got home and knew I smelt a bit, probably not so someone walking past would notice me but I could tell I wasn’t fresh, as many of us probably are not in this weather.

I’ve had a bath and feel much better now but it made me wonder about people who really do smell. I encounter them a lot in shops and on buses and have been unfortunate enough to work with a few. That’s like a constant smell that you can detect a mile off and that lingers even when they leave the room. Would it be caused by them simply not washing for days on end? Or maybe I was one of them today and just didn’t realise.

Some people just sweat a lot more than others. I’m not a sweaty person at all, but DP is. There are times when his back will be drenched in sweat, when I’m not sweating at all. I rarely sweat much.

I do tend to neglect these things when I’m low and have to really force myself to shower if I’m going out. Most of the time I shower etc everyday.
I struggle with smelly people on the bus especially when they smell strongly of weed 😕

I think some people do naturally sweat more and some people's sweat naturally smells more than others. I've never been a smelly person(I do still wash and wear clean clothes before anybody says I bet you are you just don't know it) but last year I was seriously ill and had to have blood transfusions and for about 3 months afterwards my sweat absolutely honked. I don't know if it was my body reacting to the trauma of being gravely ill or if my levels of whatever in my blood were messed up or what caused it but it was bad and I was very self conscious of it.

Ive got one armpit that sweats more and smells more than the other. I get a bit paranoid about being smelly. I do shower and wear antiperspirant. Being paranoid about smelling probably makes me sweat even more!

Using shower gel instead of soap
Clothes dried badly so a bit damp (for example over loaded airer, on a radiator not hot enough).
Not showering after working out
Not putting on new pants every day
Not changing bedding often enough

It does vary between people. My OH can skip a days deodorant and still not get BO. If I tried doing that I doubt they'd let me into shops or restaurants.

I have never smelt BO on anyone, but then...I have a very poor sense of smell. I shower and wear clean clothes every day, but I have no idea if that is "enough".

I can, just about, smell if the kitchen garbage needs to be emptied, but that's about it.

It is often smelly, badly washed clothes. Badly dried/aired clothes will smell of mildew, not sweat.

If people smell meaty or sweaty or that acrid general funk that is body grease (same acrid/rancid smell as unwashed hair) then it is usually because their clothes have been washed in non-bio detergents at low 30C temperatures. Fabric softeners also cause a greasy build up in fabric which traps body secretions.

Washing at 40C except woolens and delicates, washing bedding/towels at 60C and most importantly using a really good bio detergent such as Ariel or Persil will properly remove all the old sweat and sebum from clothes. Avoiding waxy fabric conditioners such as Comfort & Lenor will help prevent body secretions sticking on to clothing even when you get really sweaty.

Agree. I really notice the smell of unwashed hair.
I also think clothes can trap bad smells. DD has had some smelly school shirts that no amount of soaking in bicarb and vinegar, bio detergent, or hot washing could solve!

This is sort of a stupid question isn’t it ? I mean there are various reasons why some people stink . Some have mental health difficulties or are unable to look after themselves properly or may even be incontinent and unable to wash their clothes properly . Some people might have nipped into a supermarket after running a marathon in the heat . There are endless reasons why someone might smell . Are you looking for some blanket conspiracy or something

Lots of reasons, beyond the obvious 'not washing often enough'..

I had a huge issue with clothes ponging, years ago, before I learned how to clean out washing machines, not shut the door on it, not leave clothes standing in it wet, washing at higher temperatures and using slightly LESS washing powder (as it was clogging things up!)...

In the past I have had some horrible infections in my armpits (just there, no where else) that really absolutely fucking honk like something died. Seem to have got that sorted and it seems to have been diet related rather than washing related - waxing rather than shaving my pits also helped a lot.

Some people its diet related, sometimes its genetic, they produce sweat that smells bad very quickly.

I know a guy who smells but it’s not dirt. It’s like ammonia or something. It’s hard to explain. He’s a really nice guy but I don’t know if he knows.

Wow!!! I didn't know this! I think I have this. I seriously wouldn't smell if I didn't wash for weeks- I'd sweat, but not smell. I also never have smelly feet/socks even if I've been hiking all day. I also have dry ear wax! I wonder if it's also related to not needing to shave much either (I could never trim my bikini line & still wear swim-wear).

I think DS1 is exactly the same -even his rugby boots/ trainers never smell- but DS2 is your classic, smelly older teen, & his rugby boots/ trainers reek to high heaven (I go through bicarb of soda like no-one else I know). On holiday now & after a day of mountain biking in the heat I had to put a wash on for DS2's kit- DS1's was sweaty but didn't smell. DH's was in the middle!

DS2 (19) is autistic & needs to be reminded to shower/ brush teeth, but I am religious about it every, single day. He's also been trained to put clothes in the wash after one wear and change his bedding weekly. I've also trained all of them (3 boys) how to clean a bathroom/kitchen/ bedroom/ hoover/dust properly & regularly. From evidence of some of DS1's student flatmates this is not being done everywhere- the worst offender was a very privileged youngster who seriously didn't clean anything the 8 months they lived together- the smell from his room was awful.

Stale unwashed clothes

A medical reason aside, it’s because they don’t wash enough and also not wash their clothes.

😂

Some people are nose blind to themselves. My sister in law doesn’t use deodorant, because “she doesn’t smell”. Reader, she feckin reeks.

Some people don’t wash their clothes often enough I often can smell smelly men’s crotches from a mile away. If my husband has worn some trousers all day I’ll sniff them and they’ll need a wash. Whereas I can wear a pair of jeans multiple times and the smell isn’t there - I think men have more sweaty bums or something. Everyone I’ve met who’s smelled it’s come from their clothes that have been worn multiple times and lack of showers

MIL always uses the shortest, lowest temperature cycle on her washing machine. She also doesn’t use enough detergent and overfills the drum. The result is that, even though everyone showers regularly (two of DP’s siblings have moved back home), there is always a really pungent smell of poorly washed laundry, which gets progressively worse as people’s body heat is thrown into the mix. It hits me up the face as soon as I walk in. I am really sensitive to smells - good and bad - and it stays in my nose the whole time I’m there. MIL patrols the machine like a Rottweiler, giving off hell if anyone tries to use a different programme🤣

Because it’s massively OTT. You are doing an activity at which it is expected you will get messy- you just go home and get changed. I don’t know anyone who would take presoaked washclothes, maybe a towel and or a couple of wet wipes.

Do you have ocd?

My ex would never wash,either himself or his clothes (we'd long split up by then)

His hair was thick with grease and the smell had to be smelt to be believed

It was a mix of vinegar,bo,poo,urine,dirt,grease,sweat,old sex and mould

His teeth where green

I even offered to wash his clothes/offer him the shower/a toothbrush but he just looked at me strangely and refused

Even when our ds asked 'why does my dad smell of vinegar?' he just laughed

It was that strong,you could smell him coming down the street

He was just a mucky mucker,he couldn't smell himself and didn't seem to care that everyone else could

Oddly,he never seemed to have a shortage of girlfriends!

All I can think of is they either had such low self esteem they put it to one side or genuinely couldn't smell him

As my mate put it 'it strips the skin from the back of your lungs'

It really did-i once watched him walk through a crowded street-people where shoulder to shoulder as they walked down it but he had an empty 'ring' around him with people wrinkling their noses as he walked past

He either didn't notice or didn't give a fuck

It completely depends on the person. I am very sweaty and shower every morning, do tons of laundry and use loads of strong anti perspirant and deodorant. I’m pretty sure I don’t smell during the day. But possibly a bit when it comes to the evening if it’s hot. It doesn’t really matter if I’m not doing anything but if I have to go out again I will probably have another quick shower.
But DH hardly sweats, often forgets to wear deodorant (and even when he does it’s that natural stuff that wouldn’t even touch the sides for me) and never smells. I have a very good sense of smell so I would know. However, he does contribute to the excessive amount of laundry as he likes to have clean clothes. So I do think that helps.
I have a friend who showers at night and never smells. I absolutely would if I did that. Everyone is different.

I absolutely agree with this. Shower gel is pointless rubbish. It just slips off and goes down the drain (and creates plastic waste too). Proper bar soap is the only thing that cleans. I soap a flannel and really scrub myself down in the shower, especially armpits. You need to get rid of both sweat and the layer of deodorant.

I worked with smelly people and the reasons for their pong generally are:

1. no deodorant/ "natural deodorant" - number of times I encountered this!
2. literally, not washing
3. in addition to not washing, wearing same clothes several times
4. keeping their clothes where they cook the food (this is mainly winter times, I assume jackets in the kitchen) so they stink of stale fat
5. Not wiping after using toilet
6. medical condition, i assume?

I’m aware of this and I usually do bathe or shower every morning before work or going anywhere. Today it seemed utterly pointless as I knew I’d be sweaty and dirty again soon anyway. If I did smell, I was outdoors in the woods with my toddler in a heatwave, not sat in an office with my colleagues. I also wash my hair daily.