Smells sink into our brain and memory and association in a way almost nothing else does. If it is a power trip/mean girl thing, as several commenters have suggested (and I agree) it might just set her off again, and I would lose my bargaining piece of No, seriously, Im not wearing anything, shes just being a jerk.. Gym stories. Perhaps he has the scent-free version that my two cents mentioned. I much prefer that someone blows their nose. * Shes a jerk. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Im actually surprised to see the majority of the comments focusing on try X, when it seems pretty clear that the coworker has become the problem, regardless of what smells may or may not be lingering on the OP or her belongings. Then again, here the people rocking the strong scents tend to be older and more senior in the organization. Youve done your fair share in this situation, she is the one lacking. Yesterday your breath smelled and that's going to hinder talking to customers. I would second Allisons advice to talk to your manager if this was happening to one of my employees I would want to know about it. If so youve gone above & beyond & youre under no obligation to do more. I've already encountered six this morning and didn't even get public transport to work (the worst danger zone). I agree with Alisons advice all around, I just had one other scent-source to consider do you perhaps use any home air fresheners or diffusers? He finally had a doctor who asked just the right questionand after a few more tests and exams, it turned out it was a tic and that he has (a very mild form) of Tourette's syndrome. Its not bad, its just hey, you smell like your mom. Curiously enough, the first symptom I get is irritability. If the sound or smell persists after you've kindly spoken with your colleague, you have two options, says Rossi. Im going to ask that we stop with those suggestions now and instead focus on how she should deal with the coworker, which I think will be more helpful to her. Ive never had anyone else mention my scent unless I specifically ask, and even then its usually so faint that they have to sniff the crook of my elbow or whatever to smell it. It's reached the point where it feels like juvenile bullying and I honestly don't know what to do. Brownie batter? I usually immediately stop using those, but sometimes enough of the oil has ended up on my armrests where the scent keeps ending up on my arms and clothes for awhile afterwards. Thats a good idea! OK, thats fine and I can handle that. I suffer from phantom scents (associated with seizures). It seems to help get the scents out, but it still takes several washings to get the scent out. I switched to unscented laundry stuff, shampoo, body wash and antiperspirant but the complaints continued. A friend of mine had always had the sniffles. This. I cant hear what my sons saying if hes sitting next to me but facing the other direction, but cant not hear him eating popcorn from the other room. That last bit of your post is the trouble I always have with scent-free initiatives. I would imagine it must smell much different to those that like patchouli because I would never call the scent I smell pleasant. Unrelated to any sort of sickness, but I loathe the taste of chicken and always have. The brain is, if youll pardon the expression, at the heart of a lot of this. This is so true. yeah, Ive always associated with stoner culture more than hippies or POC to be honest. This person took a fan ad pointed it st me daily. Be clear that you took her complaints seriously & youve done all you can reasonably do, then suggest that she look for other causes that arent you. Well, only kind of. All stimulants make the problem worse. Morning all. From what Ive read, it seems that if this happened to me I would have to spend several hundred dollars replacing every toiletry and all laundering supplies in my home, wash everything I own multiple times and most likely get all coats and heavy fabrics dry cleaned, and even THEN the coworker may still not be happy with my potential scent. This isnt because OP has done anything wrongin fact, shes done everything right and has gone It is amazing how difficult it can be to shake that incensey smell if you commonly use incense or oils or other such products at home. I would also say they need to go to their manager or HR. That usually means they are fooling around or are a snitch. Maybe she got it confused with lemongrass? Ive always had it and its bananas impossible to explain to anyone without coming off as a jerk when Id suddenly fume or snap a pencil under the table or run away from the dinner table. Youre talking about general, being-in-the-world sounds and scents. But not always. Learn how we can help. I really feel for you. Why dont men want to be with me? and I wanted to scream at her you want to know why no one wants to date you? This exact thing happened to me with Hersheys chocolate and a stomach bug when I was a kid. Agreed. The Rooster is always quick to assign blame. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. Being told I smell when I know I dont would make me feel a tad insane and like I couldnt trust my senses. For the people who dislike it or for whom it is an unexpected smell, it is hated. Even though a difficult or annoying coworker can really grind your gears, you should always control your emotions and refrain from losing your temper. I remember wanting to scoop my eyeballs out in classes or long, multi-hour exams with chronic snifflers, even though I have a chronic low-grade sinus infection Ive struggled to treat my entire life. Its super easy to become immune to a constant smell. as a manager, should I not wear a childless shirt in my off-hours? Dont even know if it was the pecan pie, but havent been able to eat it since (19 years on!). If you have a fabric chair it could have residual scents. Otherwise, theres a whole other layer of gross here. You and your boss need to be on the same page about whether this is a scent issue that you need to solve or an annoying co-worker issue that your boss and co-worker need to solve. putting an end to your runny nose. You can put on a puzzled/pitying face and rotate in comments like, Wow, thats rude, and What a strange thing to say.. It can be super effective for getting odors out, although certain perfumes and oil-based scents get so embedded in clothes that they may not come out at all :(. But scented deodorant? I know you cant do it, because itd be hard to make it fly, but Id love to blindfold that coworker and have them walk around and see what they smell where. . As I said, I dont think she has one. Yep, I worked at a Panda Express for a few months almost 10 years ago. If co-worker said that the scented oils give her migraines or make her feel like shes going to vomit, I think thats a different level than just saying I dont like that scent. Although such handbooks often outline appropriate and inappropriate behavior, it's common knowledge that a bodily function such as loud burping is inappropriate. She sounds truly awful. This was my second reaction (after the first, which was sympathy for OP!). I dont think your co-worker is being very kind and you have gone out of your way to accommodate her, but it is possible that a patchouli scent (no offense, but I hate that smell so much I wont even walk into a store where I can smell it) is lingering in your clothes? This is on her coworker to figure out now, with the help of the company. Agreed. Youve taken all reasonable steps mitigate this and shes being extraordinarily inappropriate with you. Really!). People often turn to over-the-counter nasal sprays to clear a stuffed-up nose. Its pretty frustrating to scroll through. I bought a bottle of Caress body wash when I was in college because it was on sale. Another thought that just occurred to me is a cloth car seat, so maybe while the clothing items were washed, perhaps its being transferred from other places. Its easy to say to OP to be bold and confront her directly but if youre like me and just dont have that type of personality, sometimes other solutions can be helpful. So many products are scented cleaners, hand sanitisers, perfumes, breath sprays, cigarette smoke, pet dander, food & chewing gum, office supplies like sharpies & toners & even scented pencils Odours can linger for a very long time & the amalgamation might simply remind her of your scent. I spent the rest of the conference in an anti-histamine induced haze. And laundry care routines arent always simple either my mom has allergic reactions to many common brands of detergent, so finding a new unscented brand that doesnt make her break out in hives would be, again, a trial and error process that could get expensive fast. I was an intern and during a slow period, my supervisor told me to wipe down some shelves with some kind of cleaner. I think this is an important point too. If that doesn't do it, HR or headphones. If someone else wants to wear it, thats their prerogative. That is a very specific smell that many associate with granola hippie types. Its possible that its lingering in a way that you dont realize. Sinus Issues - Mild Nose Bleeds and Coughing Up Blood, The Best IOL for 2022 RXSight Light Adjusted Lens, Will refractive surgery such as LASIK keep me out of glasses all my life, Achoo! Its really hard to find an average drug store might have one type of unscented shampoo for babies. They offered her a new seat not situated in the middle of the office. I think this can have a lot to do with body chemistry, too I have one essential oil blend made for me that has a lot of layers, but the one that lasts the longest is kind of a candle-smoke scent. You can always go to HR on the day she complains about your scent, and point blank ask them if they smell it. Office politics are a tricky business. In the regions I have lived in, dirty hippy meant white, pretty much every time. Its possible were dealing less with a misidentified scent and more with a clumsy insult. But as I would have liked to tell some otherwise lovely people I encountered during my time in Santa Cruz, it is NOT a substitute for a shower. Most wearers would recognize such disgust like the OP did and stop wearing it but I can see others loving it so much that they would not give it up. Ask Fergus, Does this scarf smell offensive to you? (No, sorry, people reading this, your grandmothers literally award winning fried chicken is still going to make me gag.). Dolores found other things to pick on, but she stopped going after me for phantom scents and basic hygiene. If Im being charitable to the coworker, I think this may be happening; shes having a real reaction to a non-existent smell because she assumes its there. OP could also ask the HR person if they can smell anything on them. If a coworker takes your idea and uses it as though they came up with it, without . There's a new guy at work, he's been here for about a month, he sits opposite me and is driving me insane already. OP should do what she can to avoid being overly fragrant at work, but she doesnt need to cut anything and everything that smells from her life. Im aware of it even if its barely an element of the scent. Agreed. I got wicked food poisoning from Italian wedding soup with kale. And that smell near OP could be interpreted that way by the co-worker. Also, I cant deal with the smell of Febreeze. Your nose remembers stuff your brain just doesnt and makes huge amounts of connections. There was actually a study done a while ago that found that a lot of people with sensitivities to fragrance actually had psychosomatic sensitivities. I once tried to get a stain out for her which required washing and drying the same garment 4 times in a row.and yep, perfume was still there, almost as strong as before. Your box of tissues has become your closest companion (and admit it your sleeve has been called in to pinch hit on a couple of terrible occasions). Thank you, Ill suggest that to my manager! Therefore, I only bring it up to people if I cant avoid the person and just deal with it because I feel that I shouldnt dictate how others live their own lives. BINGO. OP has done put in a ton of effort to alleviate the smell. I apologized and stopped. OP, it sounds like your coworker is just a jerk. When I mentioned it to the host, she looked baffled and said she couldnt smell anything. Its not ultra cheap, but is around $10 for 32 oz. On a related note, my ex-boss smelled pretty strongly of second hand smoke. At this point, the issue is that she has a coworker whos being rude and snarky to her, not that she should just stop using bubble bath on weekends or so forth. There are people who believe very strongly in this initiative, so it wouldnt surprise me to encounter that sentiment here or elsewhere. Patchouli is a STRONG scent. Maybe that really is whats going on here. I'm actively looking for a new position elsewhere. . The rest of the visit I could not be in the same room, even though she stopped using it. Problem is, no one around you sees the flames or senses the heat, so they have no sense of urgency to bolt for the doors. . If a colleague burps frequently after drinking soda, suggest that she consume a non-carbonated beverage. My 20th high school reunion is coming up and some of my old friends were teasing me that we should do shots and it was just like *gag*. Please follow Alisons advise, and let us know what happens. Your nose is a faucet, and there's no way to turn it off. This was just a suggestion for if OP is not comfortable with that as a sort of hey Ive done all I can to prove its not me, now Im done entertaining your rudeness. Heres an analogy I came up with: Imagine you are in a burning building and if you dont get out immediately, you will pass out from the smoke and/or get burned. 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