My roommate smells

[LilyWDW]

Op, covering up the smell is not going to do anything in the long run. If it is indeed the roommate that is giving off the smell, then it will start to sink into most fabrics in the house. This means the sofa will smell, the carpet will smell, ect ect. The only way to fix the issue is to be upfront about it and SAY something.

I get it, I do. A friend of mine had a roommate that smelled... well... horrible. Only this was worse as it was in a single dorm room! Ugh! Finally my friend just had to tell her about it and that the roommate had to be at least making an effort to control it. I mean, it stank in there!

 

[cerrecal]

I couldn't think of any other title, so I figured I would just be blunt about it.

I have 2 roommates, one who I have lived with for a few years and the other just moved in in Sept. Well the one who just moved it has an odor issue. The only way I can describe it without being too gross is that she smells female BO. My other roommate and I just really aren't sure what to do. We know there is no tactful way to tell her that she (and her room) smell. I have no idea if she even realizes it. We can't really avoid the smell because in order to go to the bathroom we have to walk by her room and she always has her door open. We have tried lighting some Yankee Candles, which work a little and we have used Fabreeze, but it usually just ends up smelling like Fabreeze scented BO. I have noticed that other parts of the house are starting to smell right after she has been in them. For example the other night I went to do laundry and she had just finished hers, I had to hold off doing mine because I couldn't stand the smell in the laundry room. I had to wait for it to air out.

My question is more how do we handle/take care of the odor, not how do I tell her that she smells. We live in Boston so keeping the windows open during this time of year isn't an option. I'm not sure what other odor control options have worked for other people. Everything we have tried just really covers it up.

GUAUUU

 

[Imzadi]

She did say that she doesn't have a great sense of smell but she has started smelling something the past few days. She said that she was going to wash some of the clothes that came from her old apt just on case they did have mold on them from the flooding, she also went out and got new pillows thinking that maybe they had gotten wet and that was contributing to the smell. We'll see what happens.

THIS I can help you with. I have a thyroid problem and developed an extra funky odor for a time, untilIi got the meds straightened out.

These two suggestions were the ONLY things that worked to eliminate odors n clothes. Have her use Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator in the laundry. It's not the regular spray bottle that you spray on clothing. You add a couple of cap fulls (regardless of the directions saying to use one cap ful,) of this stuff to the washing machine. They also recommended soaking really stinky items overnite when possible. But, I do not have a top loading washer.

It's pricey, but it works! It is an odor eliminator. The Febreze chemists actually figured out a way to eliminate the odors, not just cover them up. She may have to add this to every load, and not just one time thing, as SHE is the actual culprit of the smells.

http://www.amazon.com/Febreze-Laundry-Odor-Eliminator-50-73/dp/B001KYWCQK


Second suggestion (instead of Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator): Use equal parts OxyClean and Borax (sold as Mule Team Borax.) One scoop of OxyClean & one scoop of Borax for one load. If you have hard water as I do, I have to boil water in order to dissolve the Oxyclean. Then I add the Borax and dissolve both. Then I add it to the wash.

It's a bit more work, but, both items together are less expensive alternative to the Febreze with Laundry. So far, it has been working well. Plus the OxyClean really brightens the wash.

For the mold issue, the laundry has to be washed in the hottest water possible. Use bleach, too, as it is a disinfectant. Do NOT use bleach with Oxyclean. So she'd have to use the Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator with bleach.

We really can't just kick her out unless she is in violation of the lease, she has a lease thru next Aug.

That is not true. She is creating an untenable living situation for the rest of you.

At worst, you have to tell her that you all gave it a few months, but the situation is not working out. Is she actually on the lease with the two of you? even if she is, does she really seem like the type to want to stay in a situation where she knows she is making two other people so uncomfortable?

If she's a bigger girl there may be nothing she can do about the odor. I know a few larger ladies and they all have the same strong "lady odor". If you use the bathroom after them there is a strong smell in the bathroom. I tend to think larger ladies have more hormones or something that makes that smell.

She could have a thyroid problem. Thyroid issues do cause excessive weight gain and sometimes body odor.

But, if it is a "female odor," then what other people suggested is the cause.

Depending on how overweight she is, she may just not be able to reach down there to wash fully, or lift up the skin folds.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

I've seen some weird threads here, but this just might be the weirdest!

And I don't think I need to eat lunch anymore.

 

[threeboysmom]

She seemed so normal when we met her. Our old roommate was moving out and we wanted to be very particular about who replaced her. We met with this girl 4-5 times, asked a TON of questions. She seemed so normal and that she would very much mesh with us.

Well, did she smell BEFORE she moved in? You said you met with her 4-5 times beforehand. If you didn't pick up on a smell then, I would say it has to be something in her room, i.e., mold in her clothes, that is causing this stink, not the gal herself.