PLEASE HELP! WE ARE THE SMELLY FAMILY! WHAT CAN I DO??

[debka]

My mum just said that my house, me, DH and DDs have a distinctive and not-entirely-pleasant smell. DD1 is 3 and my mum is worried that she will be The Smelly Girl in school :(

I am horrified at this. I had no idea.

DDs are small and I am a SAHM. I probably don't clean enough- probably a good going over once every 3 weeks a fortnight. Clothes all washed frequently. Girls bathed daily, I shower every other day.

DH, however, is another matter. He has a wash and cleans his teeth every day, but only showers about once a month, if that. Underwear changed daily, t-shirt probably twice a week. I don't notice him smelling, but apparently he does :( I will talk to him about it but I doubt he will do anything. If I get the house and linen etc in tip top sparkly condition will he infect it all with smelliness? :(

Please, any ideas, advice, encouragement very welcome.

If the kids have 4 tog single duvets they will most likely fit in a normal sized washing machine with the covers on. I wash the kids duvets this way and the benefit is you never have to change a cover.

You can get a light 4 tog double duvet with its cover on in most washers although worth putting it through twice or using the "extra wash" feature just to make sure it's thoroughly done.

I regularly stick pillows through the wash, none of them are expensive so if they end up a bit lumpy it isn't a tragedy.

Things that make a smelly house are nappies, litter trays, smoking, doggy smells, chip fat (clings to everything)....

I don't think you need to hoover daily unless you have a particularly hairy dog.

DH does need to wash though.

Stinky things:

Smelly pillows - replace then used quilted protectors
Fuggy mouldy damp smells - pull back bed covers when you get up and open bedroom windows ( I do this every day whatever the weather).Make bed and close windows before you go out.One room in my house sometimes smells damp - a few hours blast with my de humidifier takes the smell away.
Nappies - have a bin outside the back door for them and empty into black sack as you (daily) take other rubbish out.
Bins - wipe around with dilute zoflora every so often.
Animal smells - litter tray (if you must )in a tucked out of the way but ventilated space.Dried on or old animal food stinks.

The thing I can really detect on people (other than fags,obviously) is cooking smells.If someone stands next to me in a shop I can tell if they hang their coat in or near the kitchen if a lot of fried food is cooked or a chip fryer used.It stinks! Similarly if the clothes horse is in such a place....

It's smells in the atmosphere that'll cling the most IMO.

But I also think some people have their own odour naturally even when clean.

I really really would ask your Mum to explain what the smell is and what she thinks the cause may be.

I actually don't think your DH would make you,the kids or the house in general to smell.(possibly only smelly bed issues but I think that'd be confined to the bedroom)

Cooking spag bol or similar can cause nasty niffs especially left overs in the bin.

Hope you resolve it soon and ask Mum for frequent updates!

I honestly do think that an adult who only washes once a month, doesn't change his clothes as frequently as he should could well stink they house out - the bed alone would reek!

Sorry OP, not having a go :)

Thanks debka for starting this thread, it's given me a kick up the bum

the house - bloody computer!

interesting thread.I resolve to open all the windows tomorrow and air the place out. However the "you MUST have a daily shower thing" pisses me off a bit. we don't have a shower - well, we have a shower head on a tube over the taps - and so the daily shower doesn't apply. But think back 20 or 30 years and most houses didn't have showers. Everyone had baths instead, and I'm pretty sure they weren't daily! Not showering every single day does not mean you are an out and out minger - there are other ways of getting washed.

There are most definitely BUT the OP's dh isn't known for his thorough washes and no showers OR baths for a whole month unless you are very very thorough with strip washing is minting

or minging even!

Car wash with windows open!

How can you bring yourself to have sex with someone who only showers once a month, his cock must be really stinky

Oh fabby how I have missed you!

It's a phrase, just shorter than saying 'or a bath'.

Strip washing is no substitute for ashower, or bath.

Crusty, Fab :(

Jeeesus imagine having to floss after giving a cheesy cock a blow job.

I had a really bad accident a few years ago and wasn't able to bath or shower for 3 months - let me tell you, I KNOW how thorough you need to be when you only have strip washes and how long it takes

Do you know how bad bollocks smell after a day? Sitting their scrunched up sweating all day? Breeding ground for stickiness.

Ok fabby you are over thinking this now!

I think its called a navy wash.Submariners (I believe) have to have a navy wash for extended periods of time and certainly in the armed forces when you are on exercise a thorough wash has to suffice.They are very hot on hygiene because of not wanting foot rot etc. so its certainly not the case that you are unable to keep sweet smelling through proper washing.
Not that I'm recommending it - just saying,tis all!

Fab, I will vom.

Put elastic bands round the bottom of his trousers so the bullock smell does not get out. Its him. OMG

Imagine the skiddies in his pants for christ sake.

countess I agree, but you have to be very thorough and it doesn't sound like OP's dh is.

my flat has a damp problem, the best thing we ever did is to get a tumble dryer. It probably costs a fortune but we washed away the mould and it hasn't come back. Drying clothes is the biggest contributer to damp. We also used to have a cat and when we rehomed him because I developed an allergy my sister commented on how much nicer our flat smelled! I had also just got pet odour scented candles from John Lewis and think they made a big difference.

Roof rack and car wash. Wonder if he showered today.