Agony Aunt Angela: Pungent partners

“Hi, I live in a 2 bed flat with a girl and her boyfriend. I’ll be frank, something in her room absolutely stinks and I think it’s her and her boyfriend. It’s so bad to the point where if you walk past her room, there’s just a lingering stench in the air. I think it’s coming from them because sometimes if I use the bathroom after them I physically gag from the body odour smell. They do take showers occasionally, but I don’t think they wash their clothes or their bedding regularly – I’ve only seen her wash her bedding once in the three months I’ve been here…

I don’t really know how to approach this because we’re not friends (I got my room from the previous tenant). I was wondering if I should ask the landlord to approach the conversation. There was recently a viewing so they must have smelt it. I’ve tried all the air fresheners and reed diffusers possible and nothing is working!”

–Via Manchester Girl, Facebook

Yikes … that’s a tricky one, especially if you’re not friends. I’d definitely get the landlord to be the messenger in this scenario. If there are issues with the tenants, particularly in regards to hygiene, it’s their responsibility to address them. Plus, if the landlord is conducting viewings, they’ll want the place to look (and smell) spotless – otherwise, people won’t want to rent that property. I’d shoot your landlord an email, but be sure to address the smell issue as a ‘concern’ rather than a complaint. Hopefully, this will get them to the awkward conversation sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, LUSH bath bombs are a good way to cover odours. You can hide one in the bathroom or near their room. The smell lasts for weeks and you can obviously use it after. My mum uses it in her classroom, effectively shielding the odours of 30 children! That or offer to wash her bedding. Use the excuse that you’re about to wash yours and are just offering to lighten the domestic load. It’s a subtle way of saying “I think it needs a wash”. If all else fails, throw all your useless air fresheners and diffusers at her and start being the smelly one! Become the problem you want to solve.

Hope that helps!

Kisses, Aunt Angela x

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