How to deal with people who STINK!

[NikkiLinkle]

Omg! I'm trying to eat my lunch and the man sitting across from me smells really bad. I think I might have to leave the room. Every bite of my sandwich has a nasty taste to it. Eww lol.

What's the best way to deal with smelly people? I don't plan on saying anything but I wish I could. I understand that some people just smell, but some people don't shower and it's gross.

[che]

Tighten, throw, run.

[Josh_R]

Best way to deal with em' is to just bring it to their attention that they feel bad. I dealt with this situation a few times in high school. Its as if some people didn't know what deodorant was. So I told they smelled bad, and that they should probably invest in some high quality deodorant.

[Clint]

If somebody stinks, I just beat the shit out of them.

[Tallulah]

If somebody stinks, I just beat the shit out of them.

We need you at my work, man! There is this one guy, whose personal hygeine leaves a lot to be desired. Ever since I've known him, he has been forever told by the managers to have a wash, and has been known to be the butt of jokes behind his back.

However, he doesn't need beating because he smells, he gets on everyone's nerves as well.

[motscroises]

Put some menthol under your nose.

[Cereal~Killer]

I just do my best to avoid someone who stinks. There really isn't always alot you can do about it. I temporarily worked with a guy who smells like armpits badly and I gagged anytime he walked past me. He was let go, so it's all good.

There was also this customer that came in a while back. I work in a grocery store and he was walking through the aisles and he smelled worse than anybody I've ever seen. Even worse than the homeless bums that used to come around my previous job. When he walked in an aisle, it would stink up badly and would smell for a good time even after he left the aisle. His stench just...stuck around. To make it worse, he walked slowly and he walked through every aisle, up and down. He was also with his wife and how any woman can tolerate going out in public with her man smelling like that is beyond me.

[Firefly]

There are a few people in my grade who stink pretty bad,and many a time has the smell gotten so bad that some of us Sophomores had to go to the councelor(mis-spelled ik) and have her talk to the stinky person about bathing and such. TBH,I don't (and won't) have the guts to go up to a person's face and be like," *insert name* You really really stink".

...I really don't have much advice to give except tell the person they stink or get used to the smell.. :/

[Pete]

You just have to be really subtle, like handing them a stick of deodorant and telling them that they "really need this." Put it in their hand and walk away.

Subtle like a sledgehammer, baby!

[Michael Swayne]

Being straightforward and blunt is one way to go about it. But I don't think it is the best way. You have to remember that these people may have conditions or be in a situation that doesn't allow them to clean up as often as the rest of us.

I mean, sure you can go up to someone, tell them they smell bad or give them deoderant and walk away. But what does this do to their self-esteem? In most cases, the people already know they don't smell the best, and their self-esteem is already hurting because of it. By being blunt (and in some cases, rude), that is just going to make the matter worse.

You have to ask yourself, and later the person, why they smell bad. Is it because they choose to not shower, or because they have no way to shower? Maybe they can't afford cleaning items. I believe that there are also some medical conditions in which a person just naturally gives off a bad odor, even though they constantly wash.

It is probably best to just pull them aside and tell them nicely that they smell bad. Being kind and understanding to their specific situation will encourage them to clean themselves up.

[Clint]

Maybe they can't afford cleaning items.

A generic bar of soap costs about a dollar. Even hobos have more then a dollar. You can dig around in trash cans for change, find a dollar, buy a bar of soap, and wash off the smell of trash.

If somebody's excuse for smelling like shit is "I don't have enough money to buy soap," then that person is an idiot and deserves my boot in his ass.

[Yoko]

You have to ask yourself, and later the person, why they smell bad. Is it because they choose to not shower, or because they have no way to shower? Maybe they can't afford cleaning items. I believe that there are also some medical conditions in which a person just naturally gives off a bad odor, even though they constantly wash.

I am going to have a totally honest moment and tell you that I do not have hot water in my house. This makes it really really hard to have a shower or even wash clothing. Also, our washer broke a couple months ago. You know what we do though? We work with what we have. Since electricity is just as good as having hot water, we boil our water. Not having means of a nice warm shower doesn't hold someone back. It might be hellishly annoying, but it's better then not showering at all. You would have to be homeless in order to not be able to shower. And The Clint Eastwood is right. Soap is really cheap. I just happen to like to spend my money on more expensive shampoo/conditioner because I'm worth it

So, this goes back to the original statement. How DO we deal with people that stink? I carry around a bottle of perfume. Honest to god, you have no idea how many smelly people i run into on the Subway in Toronto. It's disgusting. Since I'm the type of person who doesn't like confrontation, I tell people things pretty subtly. A perfume bottle usually does the trick. Other then that, I have nothing else for ya.

[Cyanist]

I am going to have a totally honest moment and tell you that I do not have hot water in my house. This makes it really really hard to have a shower or even wash clothing. Also, our washer broke a couple months ago. You know what we do though? We work with what we have. Since electricity is just as good as having hot water, we boil our water. Not having means of a nice warm shower doesn't hold someone back. It might be hellishly annoying, but it's better then not showering at all.

Absolutely! We used to have multiple problems like these before my brothers started proving their worth, but we always rolled with the punches. (I got used to washing dishes with boiling water rather quickly, and cold showers are said to be good for one's health anyway).
But still, there has got to be a sensitive way to bring something like that up in a conversation. Perhaps: "Hmm *sniff sniff* something smells. Is it me? I should be more considerate. I mean, it's not hard, it only takes a few extra minutes to shower..."

[dustinpro]

Being straightforward and blunt is one way to go about it. But I don't think it is the best way. You have to remember that these people may have conditions or be in a situation that doesn't allow them to clean up as often as the rest of us.

I mean, sure you can go up to someone, tell them they smell bad or give them deoderant and walk away. But what does this do to their self-esteem? In most cases, the people already know they don't smell the best, and their self-esteem is already hurting because of it. By being blunt (and in some cases, rude), that is just going to make the matter worse.

You have to ask yourself, and later the person, why they smell bad. Is it because they choose to not shower, or because they have no way to shower? Maybe they can't afford cleaning items. I believe that there are also some medical conditions in which a person just naturally gives off a bad odor, even though they constantly wash.

It is probably best to just pull them aside and tell them nicely that they smell bad. Being kind and understanding to their specific situation will encourage them to clean themselves up.

Nailed it.
I was the stinky kid in school. Me. That's right. Me.
To who said that shit about punchin' the stinky kid in the face,i've got some reality for you.There will be situations beyond your control that will put you in an awkward position and I hope for your sake that you have as many friends as I did who understood and supported me.
Don't take your financial situations for granted and get some perspective.

[Clint]

To who said that shit about punchin' the stinky kid in the face,i've got some reality for you.There will be situations beyond your control that will put you in an awkward position and I hope for your sake that you have as many friends as I did who understood and supported me.

I don't punch kids for smelling like shit. I punch grown ass adults who should know better then to smell like shit. And I punch the grown ass adults who don't bathe their kids. That's just bad parenting.