New Au Pair has BO

[creativevoid]

Our new au pair arrived from Germany last week. She is lovely, helpful, responsible, exactly what I had hoped for. However I can smell her and can sometimes smell her after she has left the room. I have lived in Germany and know our obsession with not smelling is cultural but still, I can't say I like it. She does seem to bathe so I'm wondering if it is because she doesn't wash her clothes often enough. Anyone have any advice on how to tackle this? It is awkward to say the least.

What about a little pampering pack, like a flannel, body wash, deoderant etc and tell her she is welcome to use the washing machine and tablets etc

It could be that the sweat smell is ingrained in her clothing. Normal soap powders don't kill the sweat bacteria so the smell lingers. Using dettol laundry cleanser or napisan in the washing will kill the smelly bacteria.

I had the exact same problem with a French au pair. Her BO was terrible - she would be doing the ironing and I would be gagging in the corner.

I tried the subtle things - getting shower gel, deodorant, telling her she could use the washing machine whenever she needed. It didn't work. In the end I had to grab the bull by the horns, sit down and explain that she smelled and that she needed to use antiperspirant. She said she already used it - I was fairly blunt by this stage and explained it clearly wasn't working. Anyway, she showered more, got better deodorant, but it didn't really solve the problem - she still stank. In the end she ended up going to the GP who gave her some kind of hardcore antiperspirant.

I know it's awful, but sometimes you just have to be frank. You have my sympathies.

I'll start with the dettol and then move on to being frank!

I would save time and sit her down and be frank. It could be a medical condition where she needs a trip to the doctors.

I have lived in Germany and know our obsession with not smelling is cultural

I can't believe you have actually said this!!! How racist are you exactly? I'm off to Germany next week, let's hope I can avoid all those smelly Germans

Okay beach days, whatever. I've lived and travelled all over the world and different cultures have different norms about this stuff. I'm not judging my au pair and if she weren't living in my house I wouldn't care. Have a good trip.

I have lived in Germany and know our obsession with not smelling is cultural

What an odd comment. I have lived more than 10 years in Germany, and the vast majority of people are obsessively clean, they put most of us to shame!
For someone who has lived all over the world, you seem very narrow minded and unfair. Picture what a foreigner would say about us after spending 15mn in the tube!

Anyway, I would gently speak to the AP too.

Okay I will take the feedback on board that whatever it was I meant to convey has come across quite differently. It seems the advice is to gently raise the subject with her so I will do that.

I agree that Germans are one of the cleanest bunch ive known!