Old person Smell

I have noticed that as I get older the scent of my skin and therefore my perspiration has changed. Not in a smelly way but i can certainly tell there is a difference. With this in mind, I am especially careful when I shower and now use an antibacterial soap.

As long as you air the house with windows open, have a good shower/bath daily clean underwear and clothes daily keep your bedding clean then there is little chance that even when older you should smell and certainly not be described "as smelling like an old person"

I was going to start a thread about a programme on T.V on Saturday evening called" the greatest dancer" anyway there was an inspiring older lady on it who I believe they said was 95 or 98 years old and she had been dancing all her life and she danced on the show she was brilliant and the audience loved her lets stop putting ourselves down as we age and lets be proud we have reached the ages we have hopefully without smelling.

I think it’s partly that things don’t get moved around often. ie older people do less, occupy less space, clean less etc . When I go into my spare room after some weeks I notice it smells a bit stale so I fluff up the bed, open the windows etc. It’s the energy moving in a room that keeps it fresh and lived in. Moving things around a bit can make a huge difference

I used to notice an omd person smell when I visited my Nan and aunt who lived together but it wasnt so much them but the house had a musty smell and my aunt used a very old fashioned cologne. My Mum lived with is for the last 11 years of her life and never smelt but her perfume was L'Aimant which to me is an old lady perfume. Using Tena pads and pants she never smelt of urine but one day I caught her spraying a pair of Tena pants with Febreze because she thought they were expensive and that would make they last longer. Bless her but I assured her that it was best to throw them away and took the Febreze away. She was so anxious not to smell. Having cancer I worry that I smell especially when having chemo. My husband assures me that I don't smell. The way my cleaner attacks the house each week it's not likely to smell musty plus not having carpets helps. I am sure all GNers smell clean and fragrant.

I was in my middle to late 40s when I had some major surgery as it seemed that I had advanced ovarian cancer. Ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, truncated vagina and a growth the size of a six month pregnancy all removed. I was very lucky that that the growth was a huge fibroid growing on an ovary and I lived to tell the tale. Obviously I had an overnight menopause. I noticed very quickly in my recovery that I actually smelled like an old person. I am sure it must have been something to do with the hormonal upheaval. I shower every day and as I go to aquarobics three times a week , even though I shower when I come out of the pool (my second shower of the morning) I smell vaguely of chlorine. I think the old lady smell gradually settled as I am not aware of it now and I often say to my husband that we have to be careful not to smell like old people as we inevitably age. We are very keen that our house should always smell fresh but I'm pretty sure our daughter would mention it if it didn't. My son would not dare to say anything so personal. The amazing thing is that once when my husband and I were asking that thing about what would you miss most about me. He said "Your smell". So I don't think it is an old lady smell. I would guess it's a mixture of chlorine and bodywash.

The biggest issue is lack of fresh air. I have noticed older people tend to overheat their homes, and rarely open windows, so house becomes stale. Add to that less than frequent washing of laundry, dried in tumble drier (or worse - on a clothes horse that allows clothes to become impregnated with cooking smells), disposed incontinence pads sitting in indoor bins for days at a time ... it all adds up! I have to say that I usually feel my elderly mother smells of soup - she is always cooking and her clothes pick up the cooking smells even when freshly washed because she dries them indoors. air fresheners aren't the answer - they just add another layer of smell. The only remedy is fresh air.

Everybody has there own odour . As long a you use deodorant and and a strong perfume . You shouldn't have to much to worry about .

As the mother of sons, although now grown men, absolutely nothing compares to the smell of a teenage boys room.

There's an article in Huffpost about a cure for old person smell. As others have said it's called nonenal and due to hormonal changes as we age. The Japanese call it kareishu. More noticeable in confined environment & on pillowcases, shirt collars etc. Ordinary soaps don't neutralise it. They say a company called Mirai Clinical have a range of soaps containing persimmon extract (tannin) which is effective & shiseido have a specific perfume. Mind you that article was dated 2017 so one would expect modern products would have caught up - especially as there are so many of us potential smellies - what a market opportunity!!

Have you noticed that charity shops always have this 'old' smell too - I'm fairly sure it's to do with the age of the clothes and other possessions. My mother died a few months ago, age 95, and I have been clearing out all her clothes. Most of them clean, but just stored in cupboards, drawers etc for years, to give them all a musty smell. My father, 95, still lives in the house, and their house still smells a bit like an Oxfam shop, but not quite as bad now that I have cleared out so many clothes.

Yes cause that smell is often in charity shops- so its definitely the 'old clothes& books' etc as its similar when you go to library too- and old antique shops from the old wooden furniture- its nothing to do with the old persons body odour,its from the items they've kept for years!

And yes i agree some teenage boys rooms are sweaty! My youngest(16) is same! My elder 1 never was though he showers once,sometimes twice a day!

When we were young most "old" people didn't use deodorant or perfume, many only had a bath once a week, making do with a flannel wash for the rest of the time. These days we shower or bathe every day, use deodorant and perfume so I think this "old people smell" is less prevalent. I certainly haven't noticed it amongst my friends

What a revelation, reading this thread! I don’t think the ‘old people’ smell is as prevalent today as it used to be from childhood memory. My mum is 92 and doesn’t smell old. She airs the house, whisks round the bathroom, bathes every day and changes the bed at least once a week. She has a cleaner for two hours a week to do the heavy stuff. She doesn’t use any air fresheners or anything as she doesn’t like them. My dad was almost 92 when he died and he was always fragrant, too.

I’m pretty sure Dh and I don’t smell, either. When we return from holiday, the house always smells fine so I hope that means we are fine too.

I have noticed when out and about, though, that there are more people who smell of urine. It’s often younger people who, at a quick glance, look as though they might be self-neglecting, which is very sad.

I’ve spent the morning with nine women aged between 72 and 94. I honestly can’t say that any smelled in any way unpleasantly. It seems there is hope for us .

Just reading this thread makes me want to strip off all my clothes and throw them in the washer!

I am forever walking our large dog in the rain. So no doubt I and my home smell of wet dog!!

It whiffs of a marketing scheme by the Japanese company(and Amazon) to sell the very expensive persimmon soap to me! maybe incorporating eating actual persimmon into the diet would help then? Ive seen them on market stalls and supermarket fruit& veg aisles.

Me too 4timesagran three dogs here.

The smell of wet dog is best counteracted by the delicious smell of a bacon sandwich.

My father and stepmum are 84 and 82 respectively.
They definitely DON'T smell - my father would be horrified if he ever did!

I don't care if I get old and smelly, and I'm sure I probably will.
At least it will keep teenagers away.

Might this soap help if anyone is worried? Family persimmon soap 2 Kopakku www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003C2RQLE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_quifEb6T8Q3HW?tag=gransnetforum-21
There are loads of different things that affect how you smell, as well as basics such as washing self and clothes. Diet, illnesses, there are medical detection dogs that can pick up illnesses on people, and smells of a home, if clothes go away unwashed they have a distinctive smell, and if even if you put away bedding after being washed and dried if left long enough it needs rewashing if you go into an old church that often has a distinctive musty smell, some people who have dogs have houses with a very doggy smell, that makes you gag, but others you'd hardly know that a dog lived there. Neither mum nor dad had the old person smell, and their wardrobes didn't have the charity shop smell, and again not all shops have it, just a few. I read recently that many mediaeval people just smelt of wood smoke, they sat at a wood fire and cooked over it too. The smell of cigarette smoke lingers on clothes and hair too, I remember how horrible it was when my husband came back after an evening in the pub, pre ban and it clung to his hair. Babies smell lovely though, don't they

Buy strong expensive perfume I say. Clearing out a very glamorous rellies home 10 years ago, I was saddened to discover her beautiful clothes smelt of BO because she had not the energy to wash them nor take them to the dry cleaners.

In my area some older citizens still believe in the Saturday night bath.

Buy easily washable clothes, wash them and yourself regularly, I say. Air your home with windows wide open at least once a week, I’d say.

My late father in law did not wash his outer clothing very often so his shirts trousers and woollens would smell a bit fousty as well as coats& jackets. His towels &bedding were always washed and changed frequently by the family but he couldn’t see the point in washing clothes for the sake of it. His sofa and curtains were a little smelly too as he had the heating on like the tropics and hardly opened windows. He would fry lots of food too so that used to permeate through the house and on his clothing. My own mother is almost 80 and I have never smelled anything unpleasant on her as her own house is spotless and she is very hygienic personally. She has nothing wrong with her sense of smell either & would comment should anyone else smell unpleasant, like her teenage next door neighbour who smells badly of body odour.