7 Ways To Get Rid of That Old Lady Smell

7 Ways To Get Rid of That Old Lady Smell

#1. Open Your Windows and Let Fresh Air In!

   Older people are afraid that if they open windows they’ll forget to close them, making them vulnerable to intruders.
   Older people don’t like drafts and seem to always be cold.

   PROBLEM: No fresh air can be a breeding ground for bacteria and mold growth, which create smells.
   SOLUTION: Do a window and door check each night before going to bed. Wear a sweater and warm fuzzy slippers around the house if you’re chilly.

#2. Keep Your House Clean

   Physical limitations may keep older people from thoroughly cleaning, or from cleaning at all. They may be embarrassed to admit to family, spouse or friends that they aren’t able to keep up with housekeeping.

   PROBLEM: Smells from spoiled food in kitchen. Dust throughout house. Mildew|mold & urine in bathrooms. Unchanged bedsheets full of dead skin, urine dribble, sweat.
   SOLUTION: If it’s not possible for the homeowner to clean, hire someone to come in once a week. If hiring someone isn’t an option, admit you’re not able and ask a family member to help. It’s important!

#3. Don’t Re-Wear Your Clothing

   Older people aren’t as active and not as likely to break a sweat. Because of this, they feel that outfit they wore today is good for another couple days ‘because they didn’t get it dirty’.
   They are very thrifty. Doing laundry less saves on soap.

   PROBLEM: A closet full of dirty clothes smells. Skin oils and leaked urine can permeate clothing. There are probably also shoes in that closet that need airing out. Stale pee and dirty, sweaty feet stink – yuck. Mothballs don’t fix the smell.
   SOLUTION:  Wear clothes for one day only. Air out or replace old shoes. Hang a cedar strip in closet to freshen it up.

#4. Brush & Floss Your Teeth, or Check Dentures Regularly

   As we age, the mouth produces less saliva. Saliva cleans the mouth of food particles and bacteria. When your mouth gets dry, your breath gets bad. Older people tend to sleep with their mouths open, which also dries out the mouth.
   Older adults brush their teeth less often and not as thoroughly. Saving on toothpaste? Dentures, common in older people, if not taken care of or don’t fit correctly, trap food particles and can cause infection.
   Medical conditions such as acid reflux, common in older adults, brings bile and stomach acid into the esophagus creating a sour taste in the mouth.

   PROBLEM: BAD BREATH! Cozying up to grandma or grandpa for a kiss and getting assaulted with dragon breath is less than pleasant, and not something that’s looked forward to repeating.
   SOLUTION:  Make sure the teeth, tongue and gums are brushed thoroughly every day and night. Floss teeth. If wearing dentures, pay attention to the recommended oral care given by the dentist. Visit the dentist regularly for teeth cleaning and oral evaluation.

#5. Drink Lots and Lots of Water!

   Water keeps our fluids moving. When we don’t drink enough, all our fluids become more concentrated (like canned orange juice before you add water). Our pee turns dark yellow and its strong odor stinks to high heaven. Our skin loses it’s moisture and flakes and peels. If we’ve eaten smelly food, i.e. garlic and onion, it seeps out our pores.

   PROBLEM: If our pee is smelly and we leak, it makes our clothes smell. Our skin will smell strongly of whaterever we may have eaten. It will also flake onto our clothes, carpet, bedsheets, etc. and if those things aren’t cleaned regularly, they’ll smell.
   SOLUTION:  Well duh…DRINK A LOT OF WATER!

#6. Wash Your Body

   Older people, especially men, aren’t as interested in bathing. Those interviewed give several reasons. Some get anxious when getting in and out of the bath, and are afraid of falling in the shower. Especially those who live alone. Others seem to think of bathing as something you do only if you’re going out somewhere. Since they don’t go out as often, they think they can shower less. They justify this theory by explaining they don’t sweat much and don’t do activities that make them dirty. They feel that sponging off occasionallly does the trick.

   PROBLEM: The problem is obvious, right? Dead skin, leaked urine, the nonenal substance on the skin, inefficient toilet cleaning. Yeah. A sponge bath ain’t gonna cut it.
   SOLUTION:  It’s got to be frustrating for older people because the fear of falling is real. It is widely known that most falls occur in the bathroom. And if they’re frail and alone, there’s no-one there to help them get back up. If this is the case, find someone to come to the home to help with a good scrubbing a few times a week and have them fill in with sponge baths the other days.

#7. Pack and Store With Care

   Older people accumulate a lifetime of ‘things’. It’s hard for us to part with anything as most are associated with memories. Unless there’s an issue with storage space, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be allowed to hang on to those things.

   PROBLEM: Old clothing, books, papers, linens and memorabilia smell musty. Especially if they’ve been stored for a long time incorrectly. My mother-in-law saved old perfume bottles in a dresser drawer. The cloyingly sweet smell was nauseating.
   SOLUTION:  Repack. Wash clothing, then store between dryer sheets. Put dried lavender in breathable cotton or linen bags and add them to your storage containers. Set an open box of baking soda on closet floors, or hang a bag of cedar chips in closets.

Credits: Taken from an article by Patti, editor of https://www.womenoverfiftynetwork.com/