“I’m Being Kept From My Grandchild”: Grandma Gets A Reality Check After Laundry Soap Drama
Interview With Expert
Smells are incredibly powerful! They can invigorate us, put us at ease, make us nostalgic for the good old days, or even repulse us. People also have different preferences. Something that we might find pleasant might put someone else off.
An anonymous grandma recently turned to ‘Dear Prudence,’ Slate Magazine’s advice column, looking for help with a sensitive situation in her family. She shared how people usually love the laundry soap she uses. However, her own family has an issue with how strong it smells. Scroll down for the story in full.
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about the psychology behind smells, so we got in touch with Michael E. W. Varnum, Ph.D, an associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University and the author of the insightful ‘Unserious Psychology’ blog on ‘Psychology Today.’ He was kind enough to answer our questions.
Some scents can be slightly divisive: some people enjoy them while others have strong negative reactions
Image credits: burzum / reddit (not the actual photo)
One anonymous grandma turned to an online advice column for help after butting heads with her family over her laundry soap
Image credits: nikolast1 / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: slate.com
The information encoded in odors was likely incredibly important for our ancestors’ survival and success
Bored Panda asked Varnum why people tend to have such strong reactions to specific smells. He shed some light on this and noted that there are likely a couple of reasons for this.
“We probably evolved to use scent, like other sources of sensory information, to detect recurrent threats and opportunities in our environment that had consequences for our evolutionary fitness and to respond to them in adaptive ways,” he explained to us in an email.
“Certain odors might be cues of pathogens or predators, for example. Others might signal mating opportunities, or food sources, or that people around us are scared,” Varnum said. “Attending to these cues and responding appropriately would have increased the odds of our ancestors’ survival and success.”
He continued: “Another reason is that scents can become associated with other feelings, events, and concepts through learning processes like classical and operant conditioning.”
We were also curious why certain scents might be so divisive, where some people absolutely adore them while others deeply detest them.
Varnum suggested that this may have to do with our personal differences in taste. “Just as there are individual differences in taste, it would make sense that there is also some idiosyncrasy in scent preferences aside from certain fairly universal likes and dislikes shaped by evolutionary forces,” he told Bored Panda.
“Some of this may be due to individual learning history, some perhaps just to the inherent variability in our physiologies or temperament.”
Exposure therapy can help someone get used to unpleasant smells, but it’s a question of whether it’s worth the time and effort
There are two main issues at play here. The first is the actual smell of the laundry soap. Meanwhile, the second one has to do with communicating about unpleasant topics, as well as accepting or pushing back against loved ones’ boundaries.
To start off, we can’t really do much if someone is put off by a particular smell. They might have negative associations with it due to past experiences. Or they might have a deep gut instinct that forces them to react in a negative way.
Exposure therapy or seeing a mental health specialist can help someone get over (a part of) their revulsion to a particular smell. However, this will take a very long time. It’s also going to eat up a lot of energy and even finances.
Getting used to a specific smell only makes sense if it’s going to play a major role in your life and a neutral or even positive reaction is a must in your line of work.
Off the top of our heads, let’s say that you hypothetically hate the smell of coffee. You then get the opportunity to work at a company that produces and sells coffee products. It would make sense for you to get used to the smell of coffee because it will be an integral part of your life.
Now apply the same logic to any other smell, whether that’s petrol, vanilla, roses, cooking oil, meat, etc. At the same time, it would be ridiculously time-consuming to demand a whole group of people to get used to a smell they only encounter very rarely but feel very put off by.
Talking about how someone smells might be incredibly awkward, however, in some cases it’s unavoidable
The right to do was to bring up the issue instead of silently grinning and bearing it. Telling somebody that you do not like how they smell is an incredibly awkward conversation to have. If it’s affecting you and your loved ones, it’s not something that you should avoid.
However, it’s important to consider how you broach the topic. Giving someone an ultimatum about how they won’t be able to babysit their grandkids again may be taking things a bit too far if we’re talking about laundry soap and not egregious body odor. Ultimatums leave very little wiggle room for compromise.
It’s in everyone’s best interests that you’re friendly but firm when you tackle the issue. Be clear about how the other person’s BO is affecting you. However, do consider acknowledging that it might be difficult to talk about. Some people are not aware that they smell ‘bad,’ and all it takes is a gentle nudge to help them.
This might mean replacing their current brand of laundry detergent, deodorant, or perfume/cologne with something that complements them better. It might mean changing their diets, drinking more water, or seeing a doctor. Or, it may mean that they need to wash themselves more frequently and more attentively and take better care of their clothes.
According to Dr. Valerie Curtis, who led a study conducted at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, some things universally provoke our disgust. Among them are smelly things like rotting meat and bodily excretions, the BBC reports.
Though not all researchers agree that disgust is “hard-wired into our genes,” Dr. Curtis’ research supported the theory that we’ve evolved the response of disgust to protect us against infection.
Here’s what some internet users had to say about the woman’s anonymous post
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
You May Also Like
Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk
Do you think childless individuals should be expected to chip in for group babysitting costs during friend gatherings?
17 Y.O. Is Done Sharing Her Birthday With Her Late Twin, Parents Are Not Having It
Do you think the girl should be allowed to celebrate her birthday without the remembrance of her deceased twin?
If someone walking past the house stops because they can smell you doing the washing you're using way too much. Sounds like her sense of smell has suffered over the years (maybe a smoker?) and she just doesn't realise how potent it is. Doesn't matter how nice a smell is, too much and it becomes overwhelming and annoying.
This ! If it smells from outside the house, she must use load of it no matter what she says.
Load More Replies...
ZUM soaps have a very strong, heavy, pervasive smell. The only solution for this grandma is to start using scent-free laundry detergent and not use the strong-smelling soap for at least 2 days before she visits her son's family.
Getting rid of the scent entirely will take much longer than two days. As grandma washes her clothing, she will probably put them.in the same drawers/hang them next to the clothes that smell strongly, which will rub the smell back onto the clothes. I have dealt with this before but it wasnt laundry detergent that was the issue, it was the house smell and after moving out it took months to be rid of the smell entirely. I even had to burn some clothing due to the mold smell not going away.
Load More Replies...
I have chronic daily migraine headaches and certain scents can make them so much worse. Dryer sheets are one culprit.
If it's patchouli that's always very strong and many people really really don't like it. Whatever it is it sounds like she can't smell it much herself. Leaving strong smells on furniture is never acceptable.
Patchouli is... a little bit goes a loooooong way. I like it and I use it v. sparingly.
Load More Replies...
This is not about "like/dislike"... it's about sick or not. Essential oils cause migraines, allergies, asthma etc. x 100.... And to get rid of it... it is easier with new close, new machines etc... for the clearing will take month/years if succesfull!! But some people don't know they stink... and scented detergent is the worse...
Whenever people smell very strongly of perfume or detergent you have to wonder if they are covering up bad hygiene or are hoarders. The people I know well who smell strongly of laundry detergent all fit that category.
The simplest solutoion would be to get a non-toxic, unscented laundry soap. And it will take quite a while, possibly months, before the scent in the clothes dissipates. It lingers in the closet, the drawers, on the clothes. I have a lovely shirt I was given 2 years ago, and no matter how many times I wash it, it still holds the scent of the original laundry detergent used on it. Scents in detergents, even essential oils, can linger for months, and, as shown by my shirt, years. Many people can get asthma attacks, breathing difficulties, or migraines from what others consider a lovely smell.
I've dealt with this so much working in customer service. I try to be sympathetic because it's usually older ladies who may have a diminished sense of smell, and sometimes they may be trying to cover up the smell of incontinence. But dang, sometimes it feels like olfactory assault should be a crime. OP can mix washing soda and grated castile soap for her laundry if she wants to be natural while also being considerate of other people.
I found it ironic how she tried to play into her sister had a health issue so she became more aware to use better products. The first thing you should be eliminating in a health situation is Any scents or dyes from product. They are completely unnecessary. Also if her son had said it was a perfume she was wearing and could she not I'm sure she wouldn't mind skipping that.
Having had cancer myself, I can tell you essential oils are contra-indicated by medicos. So that's misinformation right there.
Load More Replies...
Giggling to myself. I can’t use any normal detergent, makes me itch to the point I draw blood. So, yeah, it’s the non-scented, “sensitive” versions I have to use. Patchouli is the most vile aroma I have ever experienced. Confession time: I was very jealous of an older cousin, so one Christmas I bought her patchouli oil. The joke was on me. She loved it.
Same here(well about the detergent that is.) Whole family is super sensitive to different things in different detergents and there's only one that we can all safely use
Load More Replies...
No one should smell you coming or going, let alone long after you leave. Gross.
I rather smell a load of perfume on someone than sweat from weeks. I think they're quite harsh to grandma. If they didn't have her mother to babysit I bet he would talk a bit nicer.
Load More Replies...
Zum is not all natural as it contains fragrance. (I am allergic to fragrance mix I and II and would probably have trouble breathing near this woman). In fact I have had trouble sitting near overly smelly/perfumed woman at a theater that caused me to sneeze, have itchy eyes and coughing (throat irritation due to the fragrance)... So, if they are complaining this woman absolutely should change her product. I recommend a brand called attitude (as well as changing her attitude)
The "fragrance" are essential oils, which are natural. (I'm not defending them, just defending that essential oils are plant-based. I'm not a crazy oils person, I swear!) I hate strong scents, especially jasmine and lily-based natural scents. My throat just nopes itself shut.
Load More Replies...
It sounds like she's gone nose-blind. You get used to your own scent, even though others can smell it strongly. I used to share an office with a woman who squirted fresh doses of perfume every half hour because she could no longer smell it on herself. The rest of us could-it was Opium, one of those huge, in your face 1980s scents that most of us got headaches from. This grandma needs to stop being so selfish-inflicting unwanted smells can be intrusive and annoying, it's as bad as watching videos or listening to music online in a public space, another assault on the senses.
I had a construction job near a house that always smelled of dragons breath incense, which is my favorite. It was so obnoxiously smelly from houses away, I do not understand how that person breathes. I can only assume they have incense burning in every room and it is filled with the smoke at all times.
I used to work with a woman who you could smell, quite literally, when she walked into a room next to our large studio. And the smell lingered for HOURS. Gag-inducing to be in a small room with her, or if she entered your desk area.
As someone with asthma who has had to work around the holidays in a closed space with TONS of people, you don't smell as good as you think you do. If you want a little dab of perfume that's one thing. But if it creats a scent cloud for 50' around you, you are using too damn much!!! And trust me when I say, even the most lovely smells become horrid when you get 25 people who all think they smell lovely in a crowded lobby together. 25 different kinds of overpowering scents all in the same 50' square foot space is a NIGHTMARE!!!!
YTA, granny. They're not "hurting you", you're intentionally making their home smell to make yourself the centre of attention and their lives. Another stinking narcissist.
I had a relative who was into patchouli essential oils. I didn't know that; all I knew is that whenever the relative was visiting, I was having a deep, visceral "get away" reaction. I knew it had something to do with smell but couldn't quite place it. I finally had the hard convo with my relative who asked me, "Are you smelling mould? I am wearing patchouli and it smells like mould to some people." That was it! I was smelling mould which triggers a DANGER! signal to many people and prompts a strong, emotional reaction. So, yeah, that might be what is going on here for the OP and her son's strong feelings, especially if she is just drowning herself in the stuff. Oh, and my relative stopped with the patchouli (because she was sensitive to the needs of others, grandma!).
It “has no harsh chemicals “ but is heavily fragranced and uses essential oils, which can be irritating and some are even toxic. Yeah sounds great.
My mom is exactly like this woman. She is using less or different detergent when we visit her and probably using less when she is about to visit us. She has clothes at our house that I was with our baby detergent. Me and my husband are very sensitive to smells and my nose hurts when a smell is too strong.
Strangers stop outside her house on laundry day?? Holy fk! Just how much is she using??? Fragrance sensitivity is a real issue for many, there's a specific headache and face ache that goes with it and I have to be so careful because of this for myself. I strongly think that the grandma is noseblind as well as playing the martyr. I feel sorry for how the family have proceeded to address this but she doesn't sound in the least bit interested in learning. There are so many different eco friendly, chemical friendly and fragrance friendly laundry washes out there. I use the laundry egg. Grandma seriously needs to be reeducated in fragrance sensitivity and her nose blind condition 😒
I hate strong smells - they give me migraines. Lavender and that cloying thyme smells also make me vomit. If you want to use a smell great, but if the people you love say "too much!" Maybe it's too much! There are loads of no harsh chemicals, scent free laundry soaps. Even good old Lux flakes!
People are missing the mark a ,little here. She offered to use different products when she visits them abandoned they said it wasn't enough. What WOULD be enough?
She offered to use different products for the clothes for babysitting, but if the clothes are stored in the house, it won't make much difference. Also I suspect she's made this promise before and not followed through.
Load More Replies...
As soon as I read "essential oils" my eyes started watering and my nose running. Most essential oils are so overpowering that I can't be within 50 feet of someone wearing them or I get an allergic reaction. Knock it off, Grandma. Start using scent-free products or lose your babysitting job.
I'm EXTREMELY scent sensative and I've said it a million times CLEAN SHOULDN"T HAVE A SCENT, especially not one so strong it stays around for days.
Clean actually does have a scent. Its the absence of smell and its gorgeous
Load More Replies...
I've never encountered this product, but it sounds awful! I add essential oils to my own laundry and house cleaning products, and have never had this issue of being smelled for days. I live in the same house as my sister-in-law, and we both get migraines that are sometimes triggered by scent; but only ONCE have I ever accidentally triggered a migraine in either of us. I never used that scent (bergamot) again. Maybe I've just been lucky or maybe it has something to do with using citrus scents more than anything else, but it's never been hard to keep it pleasant instead of overbearing.
Some older people just don't have a decent sense of smell anymore. I brought home a throw blanket I had left at my mom's and she washed it for me. The next day, my husband said when he came to bed, it felt like he was getting punched in the face with a floral stench. He thought I fabreezed the pillows or something. So I have to wash the blanket my mom just washed so his eyes don't water from the smell.
True, but in this case she brags the whole way through about being fragrant - she clearly both knows and prefers that people can smell her coming.
Load More Replies...
Oh, I bet strangers are actively stopping her in public to tell her she smells good. What a weird claim to make. My sister in law uses Scentsy dryer beads in their laundry. The wall of smell that smacks you the instant she and her family step in your doorway? Woof.
Mam, ,Zum makes a lavender laundry soap that is subtle, also sweet orange. They also make an unscented laundry soap. As an avid Zum user, I am aware at how overpowering it can be to other people. If you are using any of the Patchouli scents, you should switch to a milder scent.
Lavender is a really common migraine trigger. But the bottom line is if people can smell you without leaning in for hug, you're too aggressive with your scent.
Load More Replies...
I have allergic reactions to many chemical aromas. I have been subjected to laundry odor that is meant to linger from wash to wash. We would watch our grandson 10 hours/day when he was tiny. I would wash his clothes in a clear with no perfume detergent and keep quite a selection at our house. When he would come in the morning, the first thing we did was change his clothes put the stuff he was wearing into a plastic bag, and hide it in the diaper bag. People say essential oils like they are necessary for life or something. They are not! They are merely made from the essence of whatever plant. Grandma can use whatever she wants, but actions have consequences!
I've told a colleague she was taking my breath away, literally. She stopped wearing that perfume for two days but it was her gavorite scent (that she re applied every hour, yeah...) and I had to live with it. She also accused me of being ill tempered and I tried in vain to explain that she wearing heavy perfumes did not help. I do.have asthma but unfortunately, I don't "wheez" unless it is very vety bad already and that makes it difficult to convince people (including doctors).
I wasn't sure if this was an ad for Zum laundry detergent or an actual post. Regardless, if using a certain brand of soap is more important to this woman than being in her grandchild's life, then she needs to re-think her priorities.
If someone stops in front of a house that smells like patchouli . They are wondering where the weed is
I used to work in a retail store that sold this brand of cleaning and personal care products. I thought they were overpowering.
I have sensory issues, and... yeah. OP is being ridic and needs to dilute that stuff or change detergents.
Not sure where commenters are reading "patchouli", but I believe Zum comes in more than one scent. However, she could try Dreft or Ivory Snow, they're both intended for use with baby clothes and are very mild. Or, look for an unscented organic soap, they do make fragrance-free ones.
I get it ever since I had radiotherapy my sense of smell is so hightened i can't even wear perfume anymore as it just makes me all weezy so weird even when we had a plumber in his aftershave/Spray was so strong to me I had to open all the windows and doors to air out the smell
Astroturfing: the deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public.
If someone walking past the house stops because they can smell you doing the washing you're using way too much. Sounds like her sense of smell has suffered over the years (maybe a smoker?) and she just doesn't realise how potent it is. Doesn't matter how nice a smell is, too much and it becomes overwhelming and annoying.
This ! If it smells from outside the house, she must use load of it no matter what she says.
Load More Replies... ZUM soaps have a very strong, heavy, pervasive smell. The only solution for this grandma is to start using scent-free laundry detergent and not use the strong-smelling soap for at least 2 days before she visits her son's family.
Getting rid of the scent entirely will take much longer than two days. As grandma washes her clothing, she will probably put them.in the same drawers/hang them next to the clothes that smell strongly, which will rub the smell back onto the clothes. I have dealt with this before but it wasnt laundry detergent that was the issue, it was the house smell and after moving out it took months to be rid of the smell entirely. I even had to burn some clothing due to the mold smell not going away.
Load More Replies... I have chronic daily migraine headaches and certain scents can make them so much worse. Dryer sheets are one culprit.
If it's patchouli that's always very strong and many people really really don't like it. Whatever it is it sounds like she can't smell it much herself. Leaving strong smells on furniture is never acceptable.
Patchouli is... a little bit goes a loooooong way. I like it and I use it v. sparingly.
Load More Replies... This is not about "like/dislike"... it's about sick or not. Essential oils cause migraines, allergies, asthma etc. x 100.... And to get rid of it... it is easier with new close, new machines etc... for the clearing will take month/years if succesfull!! But some people don't know they stink... and scented detergent is the worse...
Whenever people smell very strongly of perfume or detergent you have to wonder if they are covering up bad hygiene or are hoarders. The people I know well who smell strongly of laundry detergent all fit that category.
The simplest solutoion would be to get a non-toxic, unscented laundry soap. And it will take quite a while, possibly months, before the scent in the clothes dissipates. It lingers in the closet, the drawers, on the clothes. I have a lovely shirt I was given 2 years ago, and no matter how many times I wash it, it still holds the scent of the original laundry detergent used on it. Scents in detergents, even essential oils, can linger for months, and, as shown by my shirt, years. Many people can get asthma attacks, breathing difficulties, or migraines from what others consider a lovely smell.
I've dealt with this so much working in customer service. I try to be sympathetic because it's usually older ladies who may have a diminished sense of smell, and sometimes they may be trying to cover up the smell of incontinence. But dang, sometimes it feels like olfactory assault should be a crime. OP can mix washing soda and grated castile soap for her laundry if she wants to be natural while also being considerate of other people.
I found it ironic how she tried to play into her sister had a health issue so she became more aware to use better products. The first thing you should be eliminating in a health situation is Any scents or dyes from product. They are completely unnecessary. Also if her son had said it was a perfume she was wearing and could she not I'm sure she wouldn't mind skipping that.
Having had cancer myself, I can tell you essential oils are contra-indicated by medicos. So that's misinformation right there.
Load More Replies... Giggling to myself. I can’t use any normal detergent, makes me itch to the point I draw blood. So, yeah, it’s the non-scented, “sensitive” versions I have to use. Patchouli is the most vile aroma I have ever experienced. Confession time: I was very jealous of an older cousin, so one Christmas I bought her patchouli oil. The joke was on me. She loved it.
Same here(well about the detergent that is.) Whole family is super sensitive to different things in different detergents and there's only one that we can all safely use
Load More Replies... No one should smell you coming or going, let alone long after you leave. Gross.
I rather smell a load of perfume on someone than sweat from weeks. I think they're quite harsh to grandma. If they didn't have her mother to babysit I bet he would talk a bit nicer.
Load More Replies... Zum is not all natural as it contains fragrance. (I am allergic to fragrance mix I and II and would probably have trouble breathing near this woman). In fact I have had trouble sitting near overly smelly/perfumed woman at a theater that caused me to sneeze, have itchy eyes and coughing (throat irritation due to the fragrance)... So, if they are complaining this woman absolutely should change her product. I recommend a brand called attitude (as well as changing her attitude)
The "fragrance" are essential oils, which are natural. (I'm not defending them, just defending that essential oils are plant-based. I'm not a crazy oils person, I swear!) I hate strong scents, especially jasmine and lily-based natural scents. My throat just nopes itself shut.
Load More Replies... It sounds like she's gone nose-blind. You get used to your own scent, even though others can smell it strongly. I used to share an office with a woman who squirted fresh doses of perfume every half hour because she could no longer smell it on herself. The rest of us could-it was Opium, one of those huge, in your face 1980s scents that most of us got headaches from. This grandma needs to stop being so selfish-inflicting unwanted smells can be intrusive and annoying, it's as bad as watching videos or listening to music online in a public space, another assault on the senses.
I had a construction job near a house that always smelled of dragons breath incense, which is my favorite. It was so obnoxiously smelly from houses away, I do not understand how that person breathes. I can only assume they have incense burning in every room and it is filled with the smoke at all times.
I used to work with a woman who you could smell, quite literally, when she walked into a room next to our large studio. And the smell lingered for HOURS. Gag-inducing to be in a small room with her, or if she entered your desk area.
As someone with asthma who has had to work around the holidays in a closed space with TONS of people, you don't smell as good as you think you do. If you want a little dab of perfume that's one thing. But if it creats a scent cloud for 50' around you, you are using too damn much!!! And trust me when I say, even the most lovely smells become horrid when you get 25 people who all think they smell lovely in a crowded lobby together. 25 different kinds of overpowering scents all in the same 50' square foot space is a NIGHTMARE!!!!
YTA, granny. They're not "hurting you", you're intentionally making their home smell to make yourself the centre of attention and their lives. Another stinking narcissist.
I had a relative who was into patchouli essential oils. I didn't know that; all I knew is that whenever the relative was visiting, I was having a deep, visceral "get away" reaction. I knew it had something to do with smell but couldn't quite place it. I finally had the hard convo with my relative who asked me, "Are you smelling mould? I am wearing patchouli and it smells like mould to some people." That was it! I was smelling mould which triggers a DANGER! signal to many people and prompts a strong, emotional reaction. So, yeah, that might be what is going on here for the OP and her son's strong feelings, especially if she is just drowning herself in the stuff. Oh, and my relative stopped with the patchouli (because she was sensitive to the needs of others, grandma!).
It “has no harsh chemicals “ but is heavily fragranced and uses essential oils, which can be irritating and some are even toxic. Yeah sounds great.
My mom is exactly like this woman. She is using less or different detergent when we visit her and probably using less when she is about to visit us. She has clothes at our house that I was with our baby detergent. Me and my husband are very sensitive to smells and my nose hurts when a smell is too strong.
Strangers stop outside her house on laundry day?? Holy fk! Just how much is she using??? Fragrance sensitivity is a real issue for many, there's a specific headache and face ache that goes with it and I have to be so careful because of this for myself. I strongly think that the grandma is noseblind as well as playing the martyr. I feel sorry for how the family have proceeded to address this but she doesn't sound in the least bit interested in learning. There are so many different eco friendly, chemical friendly and fragrance friendly laundry washes out there. I use the laundry egg. Grandma seriously needs to be reeducated in fragrance sensitivity and her nose blind condition 😒
I hate strong smells - they give me migraines. Lavender and that cloying thyme smells also make me vomit. If you want to use a smell great, but if the people you love say "too much!" Maybe it's too much! There are loads of no harsh chemicals, scent free laundry soaps. Even good old Lux flakes!
People are missing the mark a ,little here. She offered to use different products when she visits them abandoned they said it wasn't enough. What WOULD be enough?
She offered to use different products for the clothes for babysitting, but if the clothes are stored in the house, it won't make much difference. Also I suspect she's made this promise before and not followed through.
Load More Replies... As soon as I read "essential oils" my eyes started watering and my nose running. Most essential oils are so overpowering that I can't be within 50 feet of someone wearing them or I get an allergic reaction. Knock it off, Grandma. Start using scent-free products or lose your babysitting job.
I'm EXTREMELY scent sensative and I've said it a million times CLEAN SHOULDN"T HAVE A SCENT, especially not one so strong it stays around for days.
Clean actually does have a scent. Its the absence of smell and its gorgeous
Load More Replies... I've never encountered this product, but it sounds awful! I add essential oils to my own laundry and house cleaning products, and have never had this issue of being smelled for days. I live in the same house as my sister-in-law, and we both get migraines that are sometimes triggered by scent; but only ONCE have I ever accidentally triggered a migraine in either of us. I never used that scent (bergamot) again. Maybe I've just been lucky or maybe it has something to do with using citrus scents more than anything else, but it's never been hard to keep it pleasant instead of overbearing.
Some older people just don't have a decent sense of smell anymore. I brought home a throw blanket I had left at my mom's and she washed it for me. The next day, my husband said when he came to bed, it felt like he was getting punched in the face with a floral stench. He thought I fabreezed the pillows or something. So I have to wash the blanket my mom just washed so his eyes don't water from the smell.
True, but in this case she brags the whole way through about being fragrant - she clearly both knows and prefers that people can smell her coming.
Load More Replies... Oh, I bet strangers are actively stopping her in public to tell her she smells good. What a weird claim to make. My sister in law uses Scentsy dryer beads in their laundry. The wall of smell that smacks you the instant she and her family step in your doorway? Woof.
Mam, ,Zum makes a lavender laundry soap that is subtle, also sweet orange. They also make an unscented laundry soap. As an avid Zum user, I am aware at how overpowering it can be to other people. If you are using any of the Patchouli scents, you should switch to a milder scent.
Lavender is a really common migraine trigger. But the bottom line is if people can smell you without leaning in for hug, you're too aggressive with your scent.
Load More Replies... I have allergic reactions to many chemical aromas. I have been subjected to laundry odor that is meant to linger from wash to wash. We would watch our grandson 10 hours/day when he was tiny. I would wash his clothes in a clear with no perfume detergent and keep quite a selection at our house. When he would come in the morning, the first thing we did was change his clothes put the stuff he was wearing into a plastic bag, and hide it in the diaper bag. People say essential oils like they are necessary for life or something. They are not! They are merely made from the essence of whatever plant. Grandma can use whatever she wants, but actions have consequences!
I've told a colleague she was taking my breath away, literally. She stopped wearing that perfume for two days but it was her gavorite scent (that she re applied every hour, yeah...) and I had to live with it. She also accused me of being ill tempered and I tried in vain to explain that she wearing heavy perfumes did not help. I do.have asthma but unfortunately, I don't "wheez" unless it is very vety bad already and that makes it difficult to convince people (including doctors).
I wasn't sure if this was an ad for Zum laundry detergent or an actual post. Regardless, if using a certain brand of soap is more important to this woman than being in her grandchild's life, then she needs to re-think her priorities.
If someone stops in front of a house that smells like patchouli . They are wondering where the weed is
I used to work in a retail store that sold this brand of cleaning and personal care products. I thought they were overpowering.
I have sensory issues, and... yeah. OP is being ridic and needs to dilute that stuff or change detergents.
Not sure where commenters are reading "patchouli", but I believe Zum comes in more than one scent. However, she could try Dreft or Ivory Snow, they're both intended for use with baby clothes and are very mild. Or, look for an unscented organic soap, they do make fragrance-free ones.
I get it ever since I had radiotherapy my sense of smell is so hightened i can't even wear perfume anymore as it just makes me all weezy so weird even when we had a plumber in his aftershave/Spray was so strong to me I had to open all the windows and doors to air out the smell
Astroturfing: the deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public.
51
79