A delicate problem

Sorry, but recently and what kind of smell please?
Forgotten to use deoderant smell or had and accident smell?

Can you identify the whiffiness?

Then it might be easier to suggest something.

I mean is it coming from clothes or person? Men particularly seem to be quite clean in their person(ash and shave) but not wear the same clothes for weeks.
Whereas women’s clothes are more inclined to have that left in the wardrobe for years smell.

It really depends how close you are to them too. I have asked my daughter to tell me if I smell and I’m pretty sure she would.

I think it depends on your relationship to the person.

I guess it depends how close you are to the person as to if you should mention it.You don't tell us if it's a distant family member .
If it's like a sister or something perhaps you could jokingly say something to take the sting out of it.
Also , was this person previously spick and span ? Could it be to do with illness?

Also is it a woman or a man?

It's hard to describe the smell. The clothes looked clean enough so maybe it's a personal hygiene issue. Also possibly the hair. Maybe sweaty unwashed hair full of product? I'm reluctant to say how close a family member it is!

I suppose it’s possible we might all small a bit in the weather we’ve been having, especially if it’s a hormonal time of life one way or the other.

It could be product of one kind or another too. Gone stale in the bottle?

Unwashed hair does smell, I agree.

Blame the product and you?

“Is that a new mousse your using in your hair? Do you know, I don’t really like the smell of that”

Difficult.

Good suggestion but not sure I've got the nerve to actually do it. The person might never speak to me again and I'd hate that. I'll keep thinking.

Don’t say anything, just leave it. You may offend and imo it’s just not worth it.

I think it needs to be more subtle if it’s a woman, you can start a conversation about hair products, shower gel or whatever, and rave about something you like, then say how often you feel the need to wash your hair, shower or whatever so hopefully she will realise what you’re driving at.

In my experience men are hopeless at picking up hints though, and if it was somebody I was close to, brother, dad, son etc. I’d come straight out with it and say you need to take a shower, I can smell you from here.

Do you know an enfant terrible who could spend some time alone in an enclosed space with this person?

Don't stand down wind, seriously I wouldn't bother,let someone else have their head bitten off, it might be temporary, illness, washing machine suddenly packing up, who knows

I know. I think I'll have to just leave it and try not to be in a confined space with the person. Just thought I'd try asking in case anyone had had a similar situation.

Unless it’s truly bothering you and others have commented, I’d say nothing.

However, if it’s someone very close and you’re worried about potential illness, I’d simply ask, “can you smell anything peculiar, I thought I did”

Btw, how ever embarrassing it is, I’d far rather someone actually told me than just let it continue.

I think you’ve got to put yourself in the position of the person who smells. If it were me who smelt, I’d be mortified if I thought people close to me hadn’t said something, and I was out and about, meeting other people too. It’s a cop out not to mention it if you’ve noticed it on more than one occasion I think, sorry.

I was reading about a lady who had such a keen sense of smell that she could pick out people who have parkinson’s and cancer. She was tested over and over in rooms with people who had parkinson’s and those who had not and the results were amazingly accurate.

Maybe your family person is not well. If it were me and a family member of mine I would tactfully suggest a GP visit.

It depends on how close you are. I have a close friend who announced that she didn't bother using deodorant anymore "I don't sweat the way I used to". I joked and said "I'll be the judge of that." Ok She said. She didn't smell so maybe there's some truth in that. My housebound sister with COPD needs help with showering etc. If she's feeling very tired she says does my hair smell and if it does I say it's a bit whiffy. She'll let me wash her her the. So really depends on how well you get on with them.

slightly damp clothes?

There is such a thing as Old persons Smell
I’ve known about it for some years.

www.verywellhealth.com/old-people-smell-11922651