Can you smell but not be aware of it?

Cressy is absolutely right .
It is embarrassing .
But normal .

Apparently , drinking lots of green tea helps and so does soap containing pomegranate or persimmon .

Actually , the pong slowly begins after age 40 !

I visit some of my father's old friends and I have gagged as they stink - they smell greasy like an unwashed woolly jumper .

I'm completely neurotic about smelling :
my mother caused it by constantly telling me that I had period breath as a teenager .
So it's teeth scrubbing and flossing plus Listerine before going out .
I also bathe daily at least twice , shave under arms plus vary my deodorant and apply a lot of scent all over .

Even so last week , I had to try on an alteration and was mortified by my highly unpleasant armpit smell .

I think that my son and his partner both smell unpleasant .
They don't bathe daily . And neither is their house clean .
She admits to loving the stale smell of bodies !

Eeuuuww! I’ve never noticed any smells around the people I know. When we went to the UK we noticed it on the trains, buses and underground so much so that we didn’t want to go on them. I don’t think they had aircon when we went, probably that was the reason.

The majority of my friends qualify as 'old'. Non of them, or their homes have an unpleasant smell.
My sense of smell is still intact as I pick up a bad smell if there's one around.
However, hormone changes can be responsible for unpleasant body odour. Years ago a long standing friend took a high powered job. He worked away during the week, spending weekends at home. We would see him most weekends. After a few weeks I noticed the most unpleasant smell emanating from his body. I had to take a deep breath before hugging him. I didn't say anything to him, as I thought his wife was the appropriate person to talk to him. I put the smell down to stress and hormone change. Eventually the smell disappeared. I guess the stress eased and hormones returned to normal. Just wondering if OP could be suffering from stress?

Out of the mouth of babes - my 3 year old granddaughter recently said to me, Nanna your breath smells! I was horrified I can’t smell anything and I clean and floss daily, regularly see dentist and hygienist.
I have had problems in the past from using mouthwashes so only tend to use salt water when needed so hoping that helps.Also I have had a cold and blocked sinuses recently so this may be the cause.
The thing is if you have a problem and no one tells you - you can’t do anything about it if you don’t realise. So maybe asking is the only answer.

lemsip

I have worked with very elderly people and have not found any with the 'old person smell' some talk of. the people I've worked with were able to wash/shower themselves so I presume the 'old person smell' is people who cannot wash due to health reasons..

I've worked with elderly people too, but ones who had thorough washing everyday from staff.
There was often a smell in their rooms in the morning, different smells with different people.
I always thought it was a combination of their breath & skin and the windows being kept closed.
I didn't notice those smells when working with them during the day, tho.

I think that many of us now cook with garlic and that can be a strong smell for others to notice. I also very occasionally notice a dog owners’ smell (sorry - I know that this is not a popular thing to say and it’s rare that I would smell it). Smoking is the obvious smell to notice.

I think it’s mould 😂

I'm going with the possibility you might be using a scent (or scented soap, or even a detergent or fabric freshener) they dislike.

These can be 'throw windows open' triggers for me.

But really, the only way to be sure is to ask.

I am really sensitive to old lady smell. I rarely notice it on men, so for me I think it’s either stale perfume or talc combined with not bathing or showering enough. My son, when he’s with me, can’t smell it. Luckily for me! He’s an adult with ASD so will probably live with me until I pop my clogs. However I can’t smell it when people fart, unless it’s really, really bad. He can. I find it quite interesting.

My Mum used to smell of Steradent! I loathed it but never mentioned it.

I live in retirement flats with communal areas. I haven't noticed any particular smell apart from one chap who has occasional personal hygiene moments, and one woman who wears such strong perfume that you can smell it in a corridor she's walked along five minutes earlier.

Some flats smell pretty foisty but some people seem to be allergic to fresh air. Me, I have a gale blowing through mine daily, so perhaps I'm ok. Or nose blind. Or not old enough yet (68). 🌼

...and that is something else to worry about now...I have just ordered some of that Japanese soap from Amazon. (I hope I don't smell, it is precautionary...)

Seriously though, I have noticed that my oh smells different from the way he used to...I did wonder if it was due to his recent diagnosis of leukaemia (blood cancer) which was causing it. But I did also assume that he just needed a bath...

I lost my sense of smell several years ago. I have asked my husband to tell me if I ever smell bad.

I have lost my sense of smell and taste. I hope I don't smell too bad but I hope my daughter would tell me.

I thought old ladies naturally smelt of lavender and lily of the valley

I find some people dont wash jumpers often enough and then they dont dry them properly - they often smell fousty to me. I only wear clothes like tshirts blouses underwear etc once before washing them. They may not be dirty admittedly but i dont want to smell “old”. I wash my hair every day as i cant stand smelly hair. Towels tea towels too need to be washed and dried properly. My sense of smell is very strong pity my eyesight and hearing arent.

Im so grateful for all the comments. Im going to order the soap today. I am very stressed when I babysit and was extremely stressed at the time of the breath holding hug so I believe this might well be the cause of any pong as I can rule out all other suggested causes. Thank you all again, Ive learned a lot.

Some people fart a lot in their sleep. That could result in a smelly bedroom in the morning that would be much more noticeable to others than the person in question.
Sorry, just saying it's a other possibility! 😁

eddiecat78 Really what era are you from?

Thanks ladies. I have just purchased the soap.
I am 71 and swim every morning but still in the morning when I wake I think I can detect the dreaded OLS (old lady smell) so will try using this.

If we're sleeping at my son's house I make sure I open the window as I'm aware of the 'old people' smell. However, I believe my teenage grandsons' bedrooms can be pretty whiffy too!

Everybody smells, Different smells for different ages.
Just one thought, do you floss your teeth every day? As we age gums recede, bits of food get stuck and they can stink! I read about one study that said older people smell less, and more pleasant. I would be brave and ask your son - good luck! Let us know what happens, I'm sure you smell lovely!

Redhead56

eddiecat78 Really what era are you from?

Probably the same as you! I was attempting to be humerous. I obviously failed

I don’t agree that there’s an ‘old person smell’ most smells come from poor hygiene both body and hair, and from clothes I have an 87 year old friend and she smells perfectly fragrant I used to work in an old peoples home and the smells came mostly from poor toilet hygiene when we got them up and washed and dressed in the morning they were fine as the day wore on with a drip here or there they became less fragrant

It’s likely that nothing is going on Tennisnan and that you don’t smell at all. You’ve put together a couple of things and interpreted them as evidence that you smell, and convinced yourself that this is the case, but it ain’t necessarily so.

Not sure whether I do or don’t but definitely going to buy the soap