Body odour at Work but not at home

Diesel001 · 15 April 2015 at 9:13AM

Good morning,

I work in a hotel as a receptionist, since I have started this job I always had bad body odour. At the begining I thought I sweat because of the white Primark Shirts, I bought 100% cotton ones from burton, that did not help at all. I have tried all deodorants that will stop sweating, Trust, perrspirex, certain dri, Gilette (I love this one as it has a fresh smell), perspirex does keep me dry, so where is the BO coming from?????. In my day to day life i can stay 3 days without having a shower and I will not smell at all, its really depresing me at work, my body would just randomly heat up and I will start to smell of BO. I have tried Talcum powder, lemon and i still smell of Bo. I have an apointment with the GP on thursday, I will see what he will say. Now that i think of it, i start to smell when i panic, my body heats up. Any recomendations??

Fluff15 · 15 April 2015 at 9:28AM

Are you wearing the same shirts?

It's likely some smell got in the fabric, and smells nice once it's washed but then when you get warm again the fabric releases the odours and you smell again. I've had this before, don't worry it's normal!

Soak the armpits of your work shirts/any other shirts you notice it happening in in white vinegar. Then, give the armpits of the shirts a scrub with a paste of bicarb and water, then wash in the wash. You can use the white vinegar as the conditioner too - it'll make the clothes soft still and really rinse out any last parts.

Try using Mitchum, it's the only deodorant that's worked for me. Also, make sure your deodrant is completely dry before putting on your shirts. A quick blast of the hairdryer on cool works if you're short of time.

Good luck!

Anoneemoose · 15 April 2015 at 9:49AM

Do you often go 3 days without a shower? And if so, do you get washed instead. I know some people might not have a shower or bath every day but I would have thought most people that don't at least get an all over wash. Or am I in the minority?!!

If you are going this long, it will almost certainly contribute.

Rummer · 15 April 2015 at 10:03AM

I had a similar issue many years ago and I started using the sure stick and have had no problems since. I tried every brand out including a number of specialist ones but sure has stopped the sweating and there has been no odour either since I started using it.

Diesel001 · 15 April 2015 at 10:27AM

I was just saying that I can stay 3 days unwashed and not smell at all (at home), I take a shower in the evening and one in the morning.

I wear one shirt sometimes 2 in a10 hour shift.

Fluff, sometimes i also think thT it's the fabric of the shirt who smells, after i change in my day to day clothes i dont smell any more.

Anoneemoose · 15 April 2015 at 10:38AM

Diesel001 wrote: »

I was just saying that I can stay 3 days unwashed and not smell at all (at home), I take a shower in the evening and one in the morning.

I wear one shirt sometimes 2 in a10 hour shift.

Fluff, sometimes i also think thT it's the fabric of the shirt who smells, after i change in my day to day clothes i dont smell any more.

Ah, I see! Apologies for misunderstanding!

It certainly seems a mystery. Is it possible you could be reacting to something at work? Is it stressful? That could cause sweating.

Diesel001 · 15 April 2015 at 10:52AM

To be honest its not stresfull at all, I work as a receptionist, most of the time im on the internet doing nothing, getting bored. Even my colegues say '"something stinks here" and then i think its me and i start to heat up. I'm thinking its Anxiety??

Now im going to go to the gym, run from 3 miles, do some workout and i will not smell a bit. Its really depresing me, i hide all the time, go to the toilet sniff myself etc.

Fluff15 · 15 April 2015 at 12:17PM

Diesel001 wrote: »

Fluff, sometimes i also think thT it's the fabric of the shirt who smells, after i change in my day to day clothes i dont smell any more.

It's definitely the fabric - I had a few shirts like it myself. It also gets rid of the yellowing stains/deodorant marks if you get those. Give them the white vinegar treatment as above and come back in a week and let us know how you got on

somethingcorporate · 15 April 2015 at 12:21PM

After running/going to the gym yourself you may not think you smell but you probably do.

I've come back from marathons/halfs thinking I smell fine and my wife won't come within ten feet of me. Maybe worth checking with someone else whether you smell at these other times and just cannot tell...

fairy_lights · 15 April 2015 at 12:53PM

What temperature do you normally wash the shirts on? if you're doing a 30/40 degree wash that might not be hot enough to kill the bacteria. Deodorants can leave a residue on clothes that can be difficult to wash out. There's a Dettol laundry fluid that I use on my OH's work clothes, combined with a hot wash manages to get smells out.

theoretica · 15 April 2015 at 8:14PM

Do you wear your work shirts at home? It might be worth doing this as an experiment. Do you use biological or non-bio washing powder? Why not try the other sort?