Why do some households stink? (sleep, ears, contact, kids)

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

There is a young man I've known for years who comes in the public library just about every morning. He smells bad. His older brother is a longtime friend who I used to visit when he lived here. I remember the house smelling bad, just like this young man. Why do some households stink? Some people say body odors are subjective, but I'm not the only one who finds this odor offensive.

[Charles]

Cats
Cooking
No cleaning
Windows not left open
Filthy carpets
Lots of pungent foods eaten (emits odors from skin)
Smokers

[Greenchili]

Dirty house,dirty stuff,dirty people..lol OH and by the way I LOVE your name...Moldy Old Schmo!!!!!! LOLOLOL

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Letting your dog(s) sleep on your bed or sofa, lying on the floor with them, being in close contact all the time (hugging). My house was clean but my son smelt musty due to the 2 dogs he let sleep with him.

[lawmom]

The first thing I would think of is the type of food they cook and eat.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

There is a young man I've known for years who comes in the public library just about every morning. He smells bad. His older brother is a longtime friend who I used to visit when he lived here. I remember the house smelling bad, just like this young man. Why do some households stink? Some people say body odors are subjective, but I'm not the only one who finds this odor offensive.

Maybe there's mouldy old schmoes living there?

[pekemom]

I knew a senior couple who didn't want their house to smell like "old people" so they put moth balls everywhere. (Why moth balls?)
Once you left you would have that smell on your clothes, in your hair, etc. It was overpowering.

[Zenstyle]

It's amazing how many people don't open their windows for a change of air. I have a friend like this, and she's always bemoaning her CPOD and need for inhalers. To make things worse, she uses fabric softener sheets in her laundry. Yeccchh!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by pekemom

I knew a senior couple who didn't want their house to smell like "old people" so they put moth balls everywhere. (Why moth balls?)
Once you left you would have that smell on your clothes, in your hair, etc. It was overpowering.

That's ironic because IMO moth balls smell like an old-people house.

[brokencrayola]

Yeah, moth ball remind me of old people, so that was a strange choice.

Also keep in mind that no matter what the reason is, these people probably don't have a clue that both them and their home stink. When you live in it and are around it all the time you don't smell anything. I watch those Hoarding shows and these house are the worse, beyond belief, and yet they do not smell it. My first thought was pets in the home. I am an animal lover but I know that pets can really cause some problems with odor. Litter boxes not cared for well, wet dog, animals never bathed, poor housekeeping in general and as related to pets.

This reminds me of when I was a child. I had a boy in my class that smelled really bad all the time, and it wasn't BO. I was never in his house but when you just walked by it the smell was terrible. As kids we would cross the street to avoid walking right past the front of the house. After years of this I found out that they did at-home taxidermy.