Even if you’re not (and people DO do that), your hands and arms will brush right past that area when you put it on.
@MotherOfDragons look, no matter where in your hoodie you spray you’re still gonna get it on your skin
lysol is a spray, it’s a gas, it expands, its molecules travel. when you put on a jacket or coat or hoodie it’s gonna touch your face and your arms and hands, and you’re practically going to be wearing a layer of those particles on your person. you dont have to be naked underneath to have contact with your skin. breathing in those particles at such close range may trigger allergies and asthma. spraying aerosols and scented sprays causes people’s asthmas and allergies to act up sometimes, even if they’re not in the same room. it’s not just about direct contact. exact same thing goes for the mattress and pillow thing. i know people who are allergic to bleach and when they go to hotels they end up getting hives. next you’re going to say “i didnt say anything about bleach” but pillows go in direct contact with your face and again you dont know the other person’s medical information, they might use a different detergent than the roommate, they might not use softner for that very reason, ect. ect.
saying “it doesn’t DIRECTLY touch your skin” is a weak cop-out
the idea was bad, no need to get overly defensive. own it, move on. dont try to defend a sinking ship with ridiculous particularities. you keep changing your tune everytime someone brings up a setback to your solution with “well didn’t i say this? well technically this and this and this” just drop it, the whole idea is bad.
imagine someone putting grease oil on your jackets and hoodies while you’re not around. are you going to say “it’s not directly touching my skin, im not naked underneath” and be okay with it? or doing the same to your mattress and “well you have sheets on top so it doesn’t matter right”
It’s ok, @otoribashi, we still love you even if you’re stinky.
Was that really an appropriate and necessary response?
OP, your RA is kind of being a jerk. This issue has been coming up in dorms forever, and RAs should discretely deal with communicating with your roommate and not implicating you. Sorry you have a lemon of an RA. Honestly, given that, I’d bring it up prior to the meeting. She will likely be embarrassed, and it just will be worse in front of the RA.
“What are outdoor scents? Isn’t that a scent that we all WANT to smell?”
Ooh, no. For me ‘outside scents’ are the smell of dog, or pigeon. Oh, my god. The smell of pigeon on skin is the nastiest thing next to plain old, unadulterated funk of I-don’t-wash-or-wear-deodorant-at-any-time-because-it-is-part-of-a-philosophy-on-natural-living.
Gagging right now.
@mamag2855 If it were a washing machine issue / clothes, I would think the young lady would notice the smell as well so unlikely to be that.
@nattynat2 It’s apparent you don’t want to offend your roommate and are being thoughtful about not being rude about the situation which is making your own living situation unpleasant. It would have been better if the RA spoke to her alone so that she doesn’t have to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed around her roommate but since it doesn’t appear the RA is going to address the situation head on, be prepared to do so at this meeting. It’s awkward but when the discussion of hygiene comes up, let her know that you you don’t want to offend her but there is an odor that you have been experiencing in the room that is unpleasant and has to be addressed. Do not let this meeting end without at least the conversation being started with some suggestions on how to resolve the issue being raised. If she is receptive to trying to address the situation, be supportive and let the RA know (in roommates presence) that you will both meet with the RA again in 2 weeks to let her know how things are going. You need a check-in point scheduled. If roomie is not receptive, contact housing and see what can be done.
Ok, inquiring minds want to know how you discovered what pigeon smells like? Homing pigeons?
I doubt the roommate is cozying up to pigeons.
You could say 'there’s a bad smell in our room and it makes me very nauseous, we need to hunt it down together. My idea is to spray Lysol everywhere and wash all our bedding and see if it goes away."
This way you don’t confront your roommate directly and don’t embarrass her.
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To do list for today:
- Go sniff a pigeon.
I’d enlist your roommate’s help by telling her the room “has a smell” and asking for her help to find out what’s causing it. The sooner after you return from break, the better because you can blame it on an unknown event that happened while you were gone. Take a whiff of all your toiletries, perfumes, and detergents to make sure none carry an odor. Check the dates on them too. Sometimes products that are too old can carry a smell. Clean every surface of your room and suggest washing all your clothes & linens weekly in case they did pick up an odor from a machine. And keep the RA out of it. She’ll only embarrass your roommate.
It’s possible your roomie has a glandular problem or chemical imbalance that’s causing the smell. If she’s showering everyday, I don’t think hygiene is the issue, so you have to tread carefully. If all else fails to eradicate the smell, I’d continue the frequent cleanings and wait until right before spring break to gently suggest she check with her doctor to see if she has a chemical imbalance because you worry that it might be coming from her. If this is the case, it’s important that you downplay how badly your room smells now – just say it has “a smell,” not that it reeks. Good luck. Let us know what happens.
Already confronted her about with my room advisor. She still smells often, but does a better job of keeping it under control sometimes and uses a really nice smelling glade spray she kept hidden since the beginning of the semester.
Well, I hope you give her credit for her efforts and being receptive to the message. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy thing to hear.
You can invite a friend to your room for some discussion when your roommate is there and let the friend announce aloud that your roommate stinks. You should take your roommate side in that situation so that she has an emotional connect with you and can understand your concern.
yes, but only if the friend is a pigeon.
I have read that some people develop an odd/ strong/ sweet-rotten smell when they eat food in the broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts family…just their natural body chemistry. (Too bad, because those foods are so good for you.) Wonder if she has that going on? Oh, guess not, you said she only eats ramen? Who knows, maybe there’s something in the ramen (garlic flavor?) Well, glad she’s keeping it somewhat under control…does she appear to be washing her sheets/clothes more often?
Carnies. Circus folk. Small hands. Smell like cabbage.
@STEM2017 oh behave!
I would first maybe talk to her and say:
Our room is starting to smell pretty funky…a few people have mentioned it to me. Let’s clean out all the garbage and wash our towels, sheets and clothes and see if that helps.
I’ll take a load of towels and sheets down now if you like.
THis way you are not blaming her directly…if she refuses, then talk to the RA and invite them to check out the situation themselves.
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this thread stinks