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Does Your House Smell Like “Old People?”
It turns out there are reasons beyond our control.
Old has a smell. I distinctly remember walking into my grandmother’s house as a child and making a face because of it. Now it’s my turn. My wife has cousins with small kids who come over from time to time, and you can tell they can smell it the moment they walk in.
The big question is why? What smells do we acquire as a senior that we didn’t have when we were in our 20’s?
Let’s examine the options, shall we?
Over time our body changes. It turns out that around the age of 40, fatty acids on our skin develop a difference in smell, and it’s called nonenal. You can’t shower it off because it’s not water-soluble, and eventually it permeates our clothing and bedding. Science is currently hypothesizing it’s caused by a change in our hormonal balance.
Can it be reduced? One way is a healthier lifestyle. Plenty of water, a cleaner diet, exercise, and less smoking and drinking can all help. But if that means less fun in your life, then a Japanese cosmetics company called The Shiseido Group has developed a perfume that’s meant to target and neutralize this smell.
Are there other things that may contribute to how our homes smell?
Topical medications. Bengay still reeks, just like it did back then, although they changed the spelling from Ben-Gay in 1995. As seniors we do use it or another topical analgesic for muscle and joint pain a lot more than in the past. It seems like every day something hurts, and not always the same thing that hurt the day before. The odor from these are strong.
Old paper items. Since we grew up in a time when digital barely existed, we have a lot of old newspaper clippings, documents, and even physical books. These develop a musty smell over time, and if you have these things strewn around your house, they will contribute their odor to your home.
Flatulence. I wish I was kidding about this one. Between going back to foods like oatmeal, plus the changes in our gastric system, we seem to become gassier than we used to be. Between the constant tooting and the use of Fabreze, I have no doubt smells linger. By the way, the smell of Fabreze is as bad as the smell…
