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.

valium while damp washing in the house undoubtedly caused condensation problems,it can happen without drying washing in the house (I have a tumble drier and line dry as much as possible).
It just seems some houses have an underlying problem with condensation and/or damp whatever you do - I ventilate thoroughly and heat the house well.That's where de humidifiers come into their own.But I agree that to try the simple solutions first is always the best option.

Ooh I've just thought of another tip. Take it or leave it, I just wanted to share. And btw debka you're doing fantastically.

Once you're on top of the smells with the carpets/upholstery/duvets cleaned, and say you have someone coming over, I read that if you buy some bouquet garni bags (little muslin bags) you can fill them with things, for example star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and put the bag in a saucepan of simmering water for half an hour. It is supposed to make the house smell lovely and would be good in winter when you can't have the windows open so much.

Stares at my nearest drawer that contains lots of muslin bags which I had planned to use in just that way but which I never got round to using.

I posted this on another thread today, but yes some houses are more prone to damp - where I live used to be marshes so all the houses round here are more likely to have problems.

That makes sense re damp issues.

My parents used to keep those water tray things that hang on radiators and put essential oils in them, they were quite good. I would do it myself if we had proper radiators.

However they also put a vase of water next to the fireplace (apparently it stops the air drying out.

One day we got a major shock when our cat started foaming it the mouth - it was scary! Then mum phoned the vet to be told it was probably because she had put peppermint oil in said vase and the cat had drunk some!

Oh debka, I have read the whole thread and you are lovely! :)

My house can get smelly too, because I don't open windows. But as soon as I read this thread, guess what I did?!
You mentioned upthread that your DH smoked, although you didn't think that was what was responsible for the smell. I just wanted t say that stale smoke clings onto clothes and hair and even skin more than you'd ever think- The houses with the worst smells always house smokers IMO, even if they don't smoke a lot, and don't smoke indoors.
This thread is such an inspiration- I'm going to clean my windows now!

Good for you Debka for sorting this out.

But you dh, sorry but ewwww! It's not 1940 ffs, a 'wash' is not sufficient - get him in the shower at least once a day.

Ha ha at everyone rushing to open their windows - guess what I have just done!!!

If t-shirts are smelly under the armpits even after washing, chuck 'em in a 60 degree wash with powder. Iron when dry, if there is still bacteria there you will smell it as the iron warms them up. Once you are confident they are clean, no need to iron of course. I always wash t-shirts/tops at 60.

You can soak the tops in white vinegar too and it helps get rid of smells but I found the Halo easy to use and very effective.

That sports wash sounds like precisely the product I never knew I needed, carrots - DH likes to mature his sports kit in the car for a while before bringing it in to wash. Where do I get it?

I'm truly shocked surprised at the number of people that don't open their windows on a daily basis! I open mine even if it is just a crack every day when I cook - how else do you get rid of cooking smells/condensation?

I agree. I hate unaired rooms and always air the bedrroms in the morning. I use the extractor fan in the kitchen on cold and windy days.

I've just opened my windows for the first time in several days (drafty old Victorian terrace) I'm freezing already but the fresh air coming in is lovely!

I really laughed at the mner upthread who said 'don't let getorf see this or she'll have a hernia'

But debka having read the thread, you sound like such a lovely person. There is much sterling advice so I won't bother repeating it, but would say that probably the most important thing would be to open the windows to get rid of the damp smell. If you have mildew anywhere there is good mould and mildew remover with bleach which gets rid of it quickly and removes the smell. But opening every window in the house at least once a day will really help.

I don't know what to suggest about your husband - the awful thing is that deep rooted obsessions/aversions to cleaning are probably very difficult to overcome. I am a clean freak to silly proportions, but there is no moral victory in that, and in fact it's a bloody pain in the arse, and pisses DP and DD off no end tbh. I think very very small steps with his personal hygiene would be best.

If you dont already use it get some Soda Crystals and run a hot wash through your machine. They can also be used for sinks, drains in your washing and they are very cheap

Thank you so much. The windows are open, fresh air blowing through and I can hear birds singing!

Just in response to those who question using dehumidifiers - I have a dryer but it's expensive to run (70+p a load) and needs an open window so it gets cold. I can hang a load of washing on airers in my bathroom and shut the dehumidifier in there with them overnight, and it's usually dry by morning. For 30p. Plus it takes away the condensation which is a huge problem in winter here, at -10 degrees when you'd rather not open the windows for ages!

I got the sports wash in the washing powder section of the supermarket (Tesco). It is a liquid and in a bottle. I think it was with the more specialist stuff like the stain removers but I couldn't promise that.

I have been putting it in the drawer instead of conditioner with a tiny amount of washing powder in the normal powder section.

It was a lovely mumsnetter in the Goodhousekeeping Section who told me about the Halo and vinegar. I will look for the thread as there were lots of useful suggestions.

That makes sense if the drier is expensive to run - mine is really cheap so is on a lot.

fresher washing thread here

ohbugrit
"I have a dryer ...needs an open window"

sounds to me like it needs a catflap or a hole in the wall to poke the trunk out of.

Would have cost more than a dehumidifier John!

Glad things are being sorted OP. I hope your husband has taken any of your comments on board. SOmetimes whilst we cannot smell it because we get used to it, others can and its offensive to them. Before I stopped smoking my house stank like a rank old ashtray.

You can get condenser boxes for tumble dryers. I'd have a dryer over a dehumidifier any day. I genuinely don't know how you cope without one.

I must admit in the winter I dont always open the windows fully but we have vents on our windows and they are always open