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>people who refused to use deodorant What is it with people in our field that this is so commonplace? There are few things worse than a room full of IT people

>people who refused to use deodorant What is it with people in our field that this is so commonplace? There are few things worse than a room full of IT people with the windows closed. "It's the smell" as Agent Smith said.

house9-2 5y ago
There is no deodorant that can suppress my BO, I just end up smelling like BO with a hint of deodorant. Luckily for my coworkers I am usually remote.
- valdiorn 5y ago
  btw, you may not be the problem, it's more likely it's your clothes. I had this problem for years, I was basically smelly 30 minutes after a shower and a fresh set of clothes. I then learnt several tricks on how to wash my clothes properly, and the problem has gone away completely. Butyric acid stays in your clothes for a long, long time unless you use the right chemicals. I went from horribly smelly guy to no odour overnight. I now soak all my T-shirts in a bucket with baking soda, rinse them and then put them in another bucket with diluted vinegar, then finally, normal wash. If you have white "pit stains" from deodorant, you want to clean that stuff off. There are special cleaners for that. I do this once every 6 months, and it's enough to keep it all fresh. Being smelly all the time is a major knock to your self confidence and self image, it's worth the 30 minute hassle twice a year!
Tabular-Iceberg 5y ago
I stopped using deodorant years ago because I just didn't see the point. If it did what it said on the bottle I'd be fine with it, but it doesn't actually deodorise anything. If you or your clothes are dirty the only way that takes away the smell is to wash, adding another smell on top of it is not a solution. If they want to make a deodorant they should sell bottles of chlorine gas instead, but then they'd have to answer to the OPCW, never mind the FDA.
- valdiorn 5y ago
  you want anti-perspirant, not deodorant. Try Mitchum Unscented (It's for "women" but it's completely odourless, so who fucking cares). It's BY FAR the best deodorant I've ever found. As someone who used to suffer from serious BO; find a product that works, and learn to wash your clothes properly. Butyric acid is the enemy.
  - Tabular-Iceberg 5y ago
    Yeah, I suspect what makes people smell bad is not so much the sweat as organisms that spring to life in their clothing when exposed to sweat, or just plain water for that matter. Before the pandemic I worked with a lot of lycra biker types who would bike in and then shower at the office, and their wet towels made the whole office reek to high heaven. I mostly don't care about people's actual BO, but I suspect that I'm very sensitive to certain fungal VOCs. They give me migraine-like symptoms. I know some hoarders who haven't taken a shower in years, there's a kind of penile and scrotal aura in the air around them. It's not pleasant, but it's not even on the same scale as mouldy towels and clothes.

house9-2 5y ago

There is no deodorant that can suppress my BO, I just end up smelling like BO with a hint of deodorant. Luckily for my coworkers I am usually remote.

valdiorn 5y ago
btw, you may not be the problem, it's more likely it's your clothes. I had this problem for years, I was basically smelly 30 minutes after a shower and a fresh set of clothes. I then learnt several tricks on how to wash my clothes properly, and the problem has gone away completely. Butyric acid stays in your clothes for a long, long time unless you use the right chemicals. I went from horribly smelly guy to no odour overnight. I now soak all my T-shirts in a bucket with baking soda, rinse them and then put them in another bucket with diluted vinegar, then finally, normal wash. If you have white "pit stains" from deodorant, you want to clean that stuff off. There are special cleaners for that. I do this once every 6 months, and it's enough to keep it all fresh. Being smelly all the time is a major knock to your self confidence and self image, it's worth the 30 minute hassle twice a year!

Tabular-Iceberg 5y ago

I stopped using deodorant years ago because I just didn't see the point. If it did what it said on the bottle I'd be fine with it, but it doesn't actually deodorise anything. If you or your clothes are dirty the only way that takes away the smell is to wash, adding another smell on top of it is not a solution. If they want to make a deodorant they should sell bottles of chlorine gas instead, but then they'd have to answer to the OPCW, never mind the FDA.

valdiorn 5y ago
you want anti-perspirant, not deodorant. Try Mitchum Unscented (It's for "women" but it's completely odourless, so who fucking cares). It's BY FAR the best deodorant I've ever found. As someone who used to suffer from serious BO; find a product that works, and learn to wash your clothes properly. Butyric acid is the enemy.
- Tabular-Iceberg 5y ago
  Yeah, I suspect what makes people smell bad is not so much the sweat as organisms that spring to life in their clothing when exposed to sweat, or just plain water for that matter. Before the pandemic I worked with a lot of lycra biker types who would bike in and then shower at the office, and their wet towels made the whole office reek to high heaven. I mostly don't care about people's actual BO, but I suspect that I'm very sensitive to certain fungal VOCs. They give me migraine-like symptoms. I know some hoarders who haven't taken a shower in years, there's a kind of penile and scrotal aura in the air around them. It's not pleasant, but it's not even on the same scale as mouldy towels and clothes.