How do people not know they smell?

[sioermt]

I’m not talking “it’s hot, I’ve been sweating and headed home for a shower” or I’m disabled and can’t shower so have a sink wash or even showering every day

went to the supermarket today and was hit with a wall of body odour from someone in front of me to the point in caught in my throat. Every aisle they went down stunk of it, people were moving away and looking who the smell was from. It was acrid beyond belief. it was a couple who were driving and seemed perfectly normal apart from this smell as if they hadn’t showered in months

It isn't always. I've worked in DV services and there's a lot of men who use their body odour/pissing all over the bathroom etc as a form of abuse.
An old neighbour started to not put clean clothes on, or wash. I offered to do his washing, thinking that he was struggling. He was of the opinion that it wasn't fair that he was on his own, so he wasn't going to be fair to the World. He'd been abusive to his wife and children. His daughter had to give him the ultimatum that he either puts on the clean clothes she's bought him, or he doesn't come.
Then there's entitlement and laziness, that seems to hit some men over 50 and another strange phenomenon, I've had to ask my DP why he suddenly thinks that his clothes don't need washing. He didn't have an answer. He has lost most of his sense of smell.
If it is wee, then it can be bladder issues and not affording pads. There's period help, but not tena. I think that it should be addressed at school/training, even at the job centre etc.

What are you wearing that it takes you two minutes to get it off?!

I’m declaring this thread full of stinky buggers who want to make excuses instead of getting in a shower.

My dad sometimes smells. Not extremely bad but enough that I can smell it when he moves near me. He has extremely sensitive skin and showering everyday leaves him sore. He has tried every deodorant/antiperspirant going including the natural salt rocks and they all leave the skin raw and blistering. He washes/showers as often as his skin allows it. Can I also add that he has no sense of smell at all, never has. He's excellent at changing dirty nappies lol

😆🤣

That isn't poverty, it's severe neglect.

There are still NHS dentists for children. Dentists have packs they can give out, toothpaste/brush. They will offer extra to children who they know won't get toothbrushes bought for them. Foodbanks/community groups have hygiene packs. It's neglect/abuse, not poverty. It could be MH in the parent's case, but support is available.

It's often people's clothes rather than their bodies - if their clothes aren't being washed properly. It's hard to get a smell out of clothes if you don't have access to a washing machine.

Also, trainers. I was in a supermarket during the heatwave last month (where I live the heatwave was relatively brief) and there was a man whose trainers were stinking to high heaven - it was very obviously a 'trainers' smell, I have no idea what the rest of him smelled like as the trainers overpowered everything, but he didn't otherwise look unkempt, he was well dressed.

OP, this happened to me in a supermarket. That’s bad enough, but it was a member of staff!

Tooth brushing is the bane of my existence. I've been brushing DS's teeth since before he had them, then came the screaming when I went near him with the toothbrush (6-18 months), and even now he hates it and tries everything to stop it (and still occasionally screams.) Daft child!

One of my exes used to only have one bath a week, and wouldn't shower. He also thinks sharing bath water is acceptable!

I genuinely think people become nose-blind to their own odour. I've known 2 people who had to be taken aside aside at work and spoken to about personal hygiene who both reformed -so they both clearly did care but didn't know. One was a woman in her 30s who smelt terrible for years.

Honestly I don’t know. I think it must be nose blindness though.

Theres a woman at work and she absolutely stinks of BO. It can’t be poverty because she’s on a very good salary.

Worked with another woman a few years before, she absolutely stunk, that unwashed musky, greasy, bin smell.

When I met dh he’d get really sweaty and stink if BO by the end of the day, he knew and was really embarrassed about it. It became apparent that he was using body spray rather than deodorant or anti perspirant. He simply didn’t realise. I got him some proper stuff and the problem was solved.

Growing up my parents smoked non stop and used a chip pan, we must have gone to school stinking but never realised.

My brother and his wife currently smell badly of BO.

She doesn’t believe in washing powder use around babies, so the whole household doesn’t use washing powder (or I suspect much soap) when they have a baby, and they currently have an 8 week old. I’m not sure showering is top of this list either.

I think they’re probably nose blind to it. It’s pretty grim.

Talking about garlic sweat.
Somebody told me that if I wanted to avoid a colicky baby (DC1 had a bad case) I should drink fennel seed tea.
I started in week 38 and by the time DC2 was born it was coming out of my pores and into my clothes.
Not a day of colic,🤔 but even now the smell takes me right back to the early days…

That Neglect goes hand in hand with poverty

nhs dentists may be available for children - if the adult is registered as a private patient , or on the other side of a city that someone with no money can only get to by a 4 hr round trip walk

neglect does go hand in hand with poverty as that goes hand in hand with depression and mental exhaustion trying to make ends meet. Who has time to nag a child when that takes effort and all your effort for the day has already been used up?

Europe does have bio and non-bio detergent

There was a bloke in Tesco pushing a kid in a trolley. He stunk out every aisle he went into. It was horrific like a mixture of grease, piss and sheer filth. Mind you, he looked grubby and so did the kid.

A bit of transient BO is tolerable as it’s v hot and sweaty atm so I’ll be forgiving, but that acrid smell of someone hasn’t washed for a long time is awful.

Usually these people do generally have mental or physical health conditions but it doesn’t mean it’s pleasant to be around! if not, then I truly don’t understand.

Also, companies like Dove sell whole body deodorant. So there’s no real excuse for it at all.

I smell of garlic for 24 hours - I generally don’t use it.

@Ponoka7- there is 100% tena for men!

There will be different levels of what is considered "clean" or acceptable. I think US is the worst in overdoing it.

But you don’t know whether they’ve just come from a tough morning on a farm/ fixing plumbing/ working either animals etc etc etc- you listed your ‘I don’t mean people who’ but the only people who’d know their business are themselves!

But it literally does cost to be clean.
Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, deodorant, laundry detergent, gas/electricity to heat water, to run showers, to run a washing machine - these all cost money. It also costs in time. It's all very quantifiable.

That doesn't mean it's money/time people should avoid spending, I think it should be a priority after food and shelter - but it's not true to say, "costs nothing to be clean."

This wasn’t one day of BO, I’m human and exercise and sweat and occasionally smell slightly
their house must smell of it, their car, everything they’re around. People were looking round to see who it was and backing off. Every aisle they went down smelled. I can’t quite get across how bad it was

As if "Europe" was one place.
In my country bio and non-bio laundry detergents arent a thing. On the other hand people dont wash at 30 degrees.

Some people do have medical problems that lead to chronic BO and I suspect the majority of bad bo is poor mental health or physical conditions so try to be a little less judgmental