Can you smell but not be aware of it?

pinkquartz

too late amazon sold out

but i do like green tea

The multi pack has sold out, but you can still get single bars 🧼

Have to say, this made me laugh! I sent off for some of the soap, but as I can react badly to scented products, I hope I don’t end up covered in eczema as a result of paranoia about smelling!

Hopefully, regular showering and washing clothes should take care of any drift towards becoming smelly!

The only smelly people I have noticed have been some clients at our advice centre, who don’t wash, maybe because they are homeless, but more probably because of mental health problems.

CrazyH, everyone else is in the same boat in this weather, so we can all out-smell each other! 🫢

Yes - we’re getting paranoid now. I was in line this morning to collect my prescription. I usually go out only after a daily shower. But this morning, I decided to go before the sun got too hot. I was sweating and I was glad there was no one behind me 😂

Delila

This thread is an absolute study in paranoia!

I completely agree. I go to my local U3A which is usually packed into a large underground room with no windows and even though I have a very good sense of smell there is no elderly smell. Very often on the crowded buses here there is an unpleasant smell but that is poor hygiene and not limited to older people.

I agree that there are particular smells associated with illness and knew a male nurse who could smell cancer..

This thread is an absolute study in paranoia!

The OP came back ages ago to say she thinks she knows what the problem might be caused by. She also eliminated all other suggestions.

Sorry Lemsip - i just posted at random after seeing the thread heading. Didn't have time to read the thread.

..........this thread is just repeating what's already been said..
posters should read through threads before posting same.!

A friend of mine smells musty and i think it's because she dries her washing indoors. It surely takes longer for the washing to dry than it would if dried outdoors.

I am also very aware of people's smell VenusDeVillendorf - not just Nonenal.

I have noticed my own body changes at different stages in my life too and also raised a change in body smell with my GP when I started on a particular medication. Needless to say, this isn't listed as a side-effect! But I know it has happened. My husband and daughter can't smell it and it's not particularly unpleasant - just different. It was quite upsetting at first but as I have to take this medication I have accepted it now as a new "normal" for me.

Years ago when I worked in a nursing home I noticed this smell. The ladies all had showers everyday but still this smell lingered.
Some of the ladies had heavy perfumes (red door for example) sent in by their children but that only made the problem worse, as the perfume was not light and fresh.
A citrus cologne is a better option, and I agree with a previous poster, washing hair everyday witha lemony shampoo also is essential.

Some of the patients I helped had a very particular smell from their breath, and they usually died soon after.

I meet an elderly family friend once in the street and he has the same particular smell on his breath. I wasn’t surprised to hear he had dropped dead soon after.

My sisters father in law smelled very odd to me when meeting up for a meal, he seemed healthy but very soon after was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s has a very particular smell also.

People who have insulin resistance always have a sweet Pear drop smell to me.

Maybe I should volunteer as a ‘nose’ in a hospital to help doctors diagnose staff, patients, and visitors

Just thought I'd post this link.
It talks about Nonenal-2 in relation to aging.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.agingcare.com/articles/amp/174839

There are studies about this on Google Scholar if interested.

It is not a matter of washing etc.

My Indian friend once told me that her hairdresser told her that her hair smelled of curry ….

My Mum lived to almost 97 and did have a gentle scent about her but it was lovely. After she died I passed on some crochet throws and a knitted nativity set to my niece. She says when she feels sad or just low she gets her Nan’s throw out and smells it. Likewise at Christmas she undoes the box with the nativity set in and always rings me up and says it still smells of Nanny.

My Mum grew and dried lavender, she was scrupulously clean and tidy, she never smoked or drank and she had better bladder control than me!! She loved showering and was always washing her hands. Everything she packed away as the season changed she would sprinkle a tiny bit of lavender in and seal the bag. She used rose petals too.

I would just ask your sons outright if there is a problem. My lot would soon tell me I can assure you!

That nasty smell in old clothes (the 'charity shop' pong) is often fabric conditioner that's gone off. A lot of it contains animal fat (so can have a 'use by' date). I'm vegan and allergic anyway but I really can't imagine why people would want to coat their clothes in animal fat. i suppose they don't know?:

www.chooseveganism.org/best-vegan-fabric-softener-uk/

@Hetty and Bijou, a lot of people, in an effort to be greener, wash their clothes at too low a a temperature. 30 degrees is not hot enough to get rid of germs in most things. I prefer 40 degrees for most things but wash towels, pants, handkerchiefs, dishcloths and bedding at 60 degrees (not all together, of course, as this is the temperature needed to kill off germs and allergies.

Bijou, yes, apparently 'clean' laundry is full of bacteria - and we're supposed to wash our hands after hanging it to dry. I use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner and all seems well. Maybe we should be using laundry disinfectant - but I bet I'd be allergic to it.

I asked my help if I smelt but she assured me that I didn’t.. I have never perspired very much at all and now never.

I think a lot of older people are inclined to wear thicker or more clothes and don’t change them so frequently. Also some materials retain smell more than others

too late amazon sold out

but i do like green tea

As we get older,our feet somtimes beyond washing get neglected,fungal,thick,long toenails,but also we tend to wear same shoes/ trainers because they are confortable everyday without airing properly,or in the case of trainers washing if possible in the washing machine.
I have an older friend who has feet that can be a bit funky and transferred to trainers worn evertday for comfort.

I’d ask. I’d rather ask family members if I have a problem than find I’m being avoided by strangers or colleagues.
Lots of suggestions on here already, but you could run yourself dizzy trying them and in the meantime, continue feeling awkward when visiting.

I’ve often wondered whether my breath smells as I always have a foul taste in my mouth. I have a hiatus hernia so maybe that contributes to it? I tend to suck Gaviscon chewable tablets a lot.

Breath smells awful after drinking tea or coffee, do you drink much of either?