# Sweaty Men.



## wyf (Apr 20, 2012)

Having been in the presence of builders recently, and generally, somebody please explain to me why the people who do pphysical work for a living are the ones least likely to use deodorant, while the ones who sit behind desks and never break into a sweat smell like they've been baptised in Chanel?

I have nothing against sweat - fresh, sweaty men (and women) smell quite stimulating! but stale, havent had a shower for a few days sweat... that makes me want to vomit.


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## Cefor (Apr 20, 2012)

Because they can't afford a shower? C'mon, have a heart... 

I wonder exactly the same thing, sometimes. Though, not all builders are the same... my stepdad was a labourer for a while and he showered pretty much every day 

I think that these white-collar Chanel bathers are equally annoying though, especially when you're in close confines with them. I get headaches from some colognes/perfumes, so I hate people dowsing themselves in the stuff.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Apr 20, 2012)

My guess would be it's because that even deodorants advertising "24-hour protection" or whatever don't come anywhere close if you're sweating a lot.  People in offices put on deodorant and never sweat, so you smell the deodorant.  People working in construction put on deodorant and sweat for hours, so you smell them after the deodorant has failed.


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## Industrial (Apr 20, 2012)

First off don't state that people are less likely to use deodorants because of their profession. That's a stereotype. People are going to smell bad because of sweat. It's a fact of life that no deodorant can solve. So what you really should be asking is: Why do some people sweat more than others?

Think of humans as computers. If a computer is running several programs at once it is going to heat up. Just like someone that is doing backbreaking labor is going to use more muscles and energy than someone sitting at a desk. If the computer keeps heating up one of the internal pieces is going to overheat, become broken, and then the computer wont work at all. So how do we prevent this? We use a fan. Think of the fan as sweat. It's going to regulate the temperature so that work can continue to be done. Yet we don't want the fan on all the time because that's just wasteful.

Speaking of wasteful maybe people who sweat more choose not to wear deodorant or shower since it's only going to be a matter of time before they smell bad again.


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## wyf (Apr 20, 2012)

Yes I'm serious, and don't patronise me, I'm not stupid.

I know it's a generalisation. But 24 hour protection or not, when builders arrive at my house at 8am smelling like they haven't washed for a week, it's got nothing to do with computers it's about poor hygiene. 

And yes, over-cologned men in offices can be equally unpleasant, but at least they're making the effort.


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## Industrial (Apr 20, 2012)

Hey

I apologize about what I first said. I didn't read your question correctly. So I had to edit my response. Check it out. It might answer your question. The last line especially.


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## wyf (Apr 20, 2012)

Not really. Like I said, fresh sweat can be sexy. Days old sweat makes my stomach turn.


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## Industrial (Apr 20, 2012)

You must have the nose of a hound if you can determine how fresh sweat is. Have you ever considered that people may have worse body odor than others so that it seems like its days old?


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## wyf (Apr 20, 2012)

Really? You can't tell fresh sweat from stale? It's not hard.


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## Industrial (Apr 20, 2012)

lol?!? well maybe my nose is fucked up... sue me!


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## Jon M (Apr 20, 2012)

wyf said:


> Having been in the presence of builders recently, and generally, somebody please explain to me why the people who do pphysical work for a living are the ones least likely to use deodorant, while the ones who sit behind desks and never break into a sweat smell like they've been baptised in Chanel?


It's kind of like going to the store to pick up a gallon of milk and eggs unshaved, with bedhead, in your pajamas or worse. After a while you just don't give a shit.


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## wyf (Apr 20, 2012)

Industrial said:


> lol?!? well maybe my nose is fucked up... sue me!



Maybe you just need to get out more?


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## Rustgold (Apr 20, 2012)

wyf said:


> Really? You can't tell fresh sweat from stale? It's not hard.



Actually it's not the sweat you're smelling, it's the bacteria which feeds off body sweat.  This bacteria takes time to increase to these smelly levels, giving the horrible stale smell.  So unless it's a special unrelated medical condition, the foul smell is from an old unwashed bacteria covered body.


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## wyf (Apr 21, 2012)

I know, Rusty, thats how I can tell fresh from foul!

A man who's just been working out and needs a shower smells good. A man who worked out yesterday and skipped the shower... you can smell that bacteria!


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## JosephB (Apr 21, 2012)

I worked on a landscape crew one summer. Riding in the van, it was pretty bad. But I don’t remember ever thinking about it much or mentioning it to anyone. I mean -- is this really a problem? Life is filled with minor annoyances. You shrug and move on.


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## DouglasMB (Apr 21, 2012)

Just to add... i have been on both sides... i worked on bridges, and erection crew ( i know that will get comments), and general construction, boat yards, to boat building, to now working in an office and a lab. 

  i would have to say that probably 85% of what your getting is unwashed clothes... when i was single working  16 hours a day and had a 45 min drive one way... there were times when i was out on top a a building working that i was a foul foul man... there were time getting out of bed my whole body hurt and i had not had time to wash my clothes i just threw on the set that was the least dirty. Does that make it any better? no not really... but you asked why... alot of builders or construction guys are doing back breaking jobs, unlike sitting in an office where you hind parts get numb... they go to bed in pain and wake up in pain and a lot of times just don't care what anyone thinks. they just want to get the job done


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## shadowwalker (Apr 21, 2012)

I've worked physically demanding jobs many times - not as bad as construction, thank God - but there were definitely days when I sprayed Fabreze on my clothes and hoped for the best, just because, as DMB says, I just couldn't stand to do anything but go to bed and force myself up when it was time for work. And frankly, when you know you're going to smell rank within an hour of getting to work anyway, who gives a rat's behind?


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## DouglasMB (Apr 21, 2012)

I will say this though... all of my construction jobs were outside or in empty houses... if i had a job where the home owner was there or i was around people like office workers and not just fellow workers, they should clean themselves up a bit more to not make the company look bad.

 But also as the home owner... you hired the guys that put in the lowest bid lol and sometimes we get exactly what we pay for lol


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## Industrial (Apr 21, 2012)

JosephB said:


> I worked on a landscape crew one summer. Riding in the van, it was pretty bad. But I don’t remember ever thinking about it much or mentioning it to anyone. I mean -- is this really a problem? Life is filled with minor annoyances. You shrug and move on.



That's what I'm saying. Bad odor is a fact of life. Isn't there something more important to rant about?


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## DouglasMB (Apr 21, 2012)

Industrial said:


> That's what I'm saying. Bad odor is a fact of life. Isn't there something more important to rant about?


 
 More important to whom? lol it seems the moderation gods behind the scenes took out the rest of what you wrote and legalizing a plant the can be used in many ways lol I also find that humorous... but the importance of the rant is valid normally moreso to the person ranting... as they are more or less looking for solstice or validity in their thoughts. Maybe you do not agree... but i think the original point may have been lost and or overlooked even by myself for a moment. these people it seems are in her home... she is paying them... she has the right to expect a bit of cuth from them. 

  That is just my thought... on to your other point about making thing legal or illeagal lol where they may be a priority for you... it really is not for all... so the "importance" of the matter is much like beauty.... in the eye of the beholder.


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Apr 21, 2012)

Industrial said:


> That's what I'm saying. Bad odor is a fact of life. Isn't there something more important to rant about?


 She didn't start up a "rant" until you came along. She simply asked for someone to explain why construction workers tended to smell so bad, and seeing as how the builders are at her house, she has the right to ask that question because it is a constant experience. You are rude and unhelpful.


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## Rustgold (Apr 21, 2012)

Industrial said:


> That's what I'm saying. Bad odor is a fact of life. Isn't there something more important to rant about?



I don't know why, but I keep seeing this semi-clothed tatted man every second post in this unimportant topic.  Am I getting delusional at 4am?
Must be, I'm also seeing cats wearing glasses.  Maybe I need more sleep.


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Apr 21, 2012)

Rustgold said:


> I don't know why, but I keep seeing this semi-clothed tatted man every second post in this unimportant topic.  Am I getting delusional at 4am?
> Must be, I'm also seeing cats wearing glasses.  Maybe I need more sleep.


 I honestly wonder why you are so rude sometimes, but I stopped wondering and started ignoring.


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## JosephB (Apr 21, 2012)

I going to start a thread on plumber's crack. Who's up for it?


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Apr 21, 2012)

JosephB said:


> I going to start a thread on plumber's crack. Who's up for it?


Why not?


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## Patrick (Apr 21, 2012)

It's the clothes, in all likelihood. Wearing the same shirt for a few days in a row when your job involves physical labour it's obviously going to start smelling. Because hard physical labour tends to destroy good clothes, I should imagine a lot of builders only have a few shirts and jeans set aside for work as they don't want to destroy their whole wardrobe and that's why you can smell the old sweat on their clothes.


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## Rustgold (Apr 21, 2012)

S.M. grimbldoo said:


> I honestly wonder why you are so rude sometimes, but I stopped wondering and started ignoring.



Rude???  Maybe I should quote your post above (#21) where you excessively ranted against Industrial.  You might find it useful to remove something or the other from your eyesight mate.


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## Writ (Apr 21, 2012)

wyf said:


> but stale, havent had a shower for a few days sweat...  that makes me want to vomit.



Agreed.



Industrial said:


> Speaking of wasteful maybe people who sweat more choose not to wear deodorant or shower since it's only going to be a matter of time before they smell bad again.



I think wearing deodorant if you're going to be doing hard, physical labor, especially in a residential setting, is just being considerate.

Some men just have worse hygiene habits than others. 

I see no reason a guy doing construction can't shower once or more a day and apply aftershave or even cologne to themselves. I state this from personal experience - I wore deodorant and aftershave and/or cologne when I was a residential and commercial painter climbing up and down ladders all day and carrying 50 gallon paint buckets up and down flights of stairs on new construction site in 90+ degree weather.

Our expectations today for hygiene and groom in construction are not very strict. Back during the 1950's in Wisconsin, I'm told union apprenticeship and union shops (and their schools) had mandatory hair cut and length requirements. 

As a general rule of thumb - at least for me in my mind - if you can smell yourself than chances are others can smell you too. 

It's not a bad thing to try and cut an impressive image. Or at minimum try not to give off a very bad impression. 

That's my two cents.


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## Writ (Apr 21, 2012)

Addendum^^


I think the best I ever was was when I was doing barracks duty in the Marine Corps as a E-4.

My uniforms were always pressed, boots spit shined, I showered 3 times a day, had my hair cut twice a week, always applied before I came on post, deodorant, aftershave, cologne, and hair perfume. But I was would be checking posts on a compound that was staffed by FBI and generals and admirals of the various branches of the military.


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## shadowwalker (Apr 21, 2012)

Writ said:


> deodorant, aftershave, cologne, and hair perfume



All that would drive me out of the building.


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## Writ (Apr 21, 2012)

shadowwalker said:


> All that would drive me out of the building.



:lol: I don't think it was that bad. _Think _being the operative word here. I'll admit that over time I've come to learn to apply smaller amounts of cologne (depending on both its scent and strength) than what I once did. 

It's possible with the combined hair perfume, aftershave, and cologne that the quantities I wore were too much and overpowering to the nose. But I never got any complaints, so, to my knowledge it was never too much. 

I'll tell you... I had a Marine in my command that had some sort of medical condition that gave him foul body odor. Very much so too. And I felt so bad for the guy. His self esteem was shot. His room mates kept complaining - understandably so - so my Sergent made me ensure the Marine cleaned out his entire room, wash all his clothing, shower, and stand before me in towel for inspection like what was typical every night back when Marines go through boot camp.

I had to make the guy shower 2 or 3 times that evening and stand for inspection for me each time, because he still had the foul odor! It was then I knew he had a medical condition. And I felt like such a jackass for having to put him through such humiliation. But I had my orders. :culpability:


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## Industrial (Apr 21, 2012)

S.M. grimbldoo said:


> She didn't start up a "rant" until you came along. She simply asked for someone to explain why construction workers tended to smell so bad, and seeing as how the builders are at her house, she has the right to ask that question because it is a constant experience. You are rude and unhelpful.



Huh?

I am not rude. I am not attacking her as an individual. I'm responding to her in a satirical manner. I am not unhelpful. I answered her question didn't I? If I didn't, it was because of her grammar, which came off as rant-like to me. 



Writ said:


> I think wearing deodorant if you're going to be doing hard, physical  labor, especially in a residential setting, is just being  considerate.



I didn't know being considerate was in the job description. lol.


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## Writ (Apr 21, 2012)

Industrial said:


> I didn't know being considerate was in the job description. lol.



Naw, probably not, but I think it's just a good way to be, Ind. At least, not a bad practice to have. Can't be the worst thing you could do.

Maybe think of it like brushing your teeth regularly as opposed to talking up close to people while you have bad breath. Probably not in the job description to brush your teeth before you come to work for the day but it can't really hurt you to do it. And it can't be the worst extra-occupational choice you could make.





As a sidebar... as I've gotten older I've developed a greater need to air my feet more often. My feet stuck in shoes all day has become increasingly problematic for the health of my feet. Aside from foot powder and athletes foot cream... I'm not entirely sure how to approach and mitigate the problem. Well... actually I'll take my feet out of my shoes to air my feet once or more a day. Even at school in a student lounge area of the union or outdoors on campus. 

But I'm considering that I might have try and wash my feet 2 to 3 times a day and maybe place fresh, clean socks on my feet twice or three times a day. I don't know... wish there was a easier and more clear and obvious approach to my dilemma. 

Makes me wonder if athletes foot (that's a fungal problem right? Or is it strictly bacterial?) was a problem for mankind only when mankind moved to wearing closed footwear? 

I often have to use medicated cream on my groin region during the humid summers of Milwaukee too. Clothing becomes both a curse and a blessing. I think some of these problems would not exist if I (we) were running around naked in the open sunlight and fresh air with wind. I think both the sun and wind have anti-bacterial effects - at least on surfaces like cloth and skin. Actually, we were taught in the military to sun bathe our socks and underwear we had just worn, while camped in the field, and would wear again the next day or several days later. It works. Not as good as washing your clothes, but as long as you wash your feet (and groin, face, and underarms) it works decently, at least given the circumstances. 

By the way... spot washing is extremely important in the field. A Marine or soldier can quickly become a casualty from poor hygiene. This is especially so with the feet. Of course, I would wear cologne or aftershave in the field. I wouldn't bring pressed and starched cammies either.


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## Industrial (Apr 22, 2012)

Writ said:


> Makes me wonder if athletes foot (that's a fungal problem right? Or is it strictly bacterial?) was a problem for mankind only when mankind moved to wearing closed footwear?



Basically!


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## Kevin (Apr 22, 2012)

Could be your diet. Too much of something. 'Af' is an imbalance. It's like one plant taking over the forrest. It helps temporarily, if you 'dry out' the soil, or spray it with defoliant, but the spores are always there. Everyone has them. Now if you could more or less, permanently alter the soil conditions...


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## alanmt (Apr 22, 2012)

So wyf, you're saying you don't want to see pictures of me all sweaty cause it will gross you out?


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## Kevin (Apr 22, 2012)

I think she said as long as the picture doesn't smell stale, she'd be good with it. You could include some props, like a bar of "irish spring"and a bright white terry cloth towel, in the foreground to give it that fresh, healthy and clean sweat, feel..


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## JosephB (Apr 22, 2012)

alanmt said:


> So wyf, you're saying you don't want to see pictures of me all sweaty cause it will gross you out?



Only if it's scratch n' sniff -- apparently.


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## Writ (Apr 22, 2012)

Kevin said:


> Could be your diet. Too much of something. 'Af' is an imbalance. It's like one plant taking over the forrest. It helps temporarily, if you 'dry out' the soil, or spray it with defoliant, but the spores are always there. Everyone has them. Now if you could more or less, permanently alter the soil conditions...



I don't want to give the idea my feet look all crazy and gross. Admittedly there are times I let the situation progress further than I should but other than it's more an issue for me of keeping things in "check." That can be difficult when your feet are in shoes all day.


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## Kevin (Apr 22, 2012)

Writ said:


> I don't want to give the idea my feet look all crazy and gross. Admittedly there are times I let the situation progress further than I should but other than it's more an issue for me of keeping things in "check." That can be difficult when your feet are in shoes all day.


Oh, I've had it. I don't know how it compares to yours but it was a nightmare. The itching drove me crazy.


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## wyf (Apr 22, 2012)

S.M. grimbldoo said:


> She didn't start up a "rant" until you came along. She simply asked for someone to explain why construction workers tended to smell so bad, and seeing as how the builders are at her house, she has the right to ask that question because it is a constant experience. You are rude and unhelpful.



Thank you! It certainly wasn't a rant. I wasn't really even asking for an ecxplanation, it was more of a rhetorical observation.

I understand all the whys and wherefores. I don't really care about them. I had (thankfully finished now) working on my house. 2 smelled clean, or at least deodorised. The third I could still smell an hour after he left.


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## wyf (Apr 22, 2012)

alanmt said:


> So wyf, you're saying you don't want to see pictures of me all sweaty cause it will gross you out?



I'm willing to risk it. Try me.


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## KangTheMad (Apr 22, 2012)

wyf said:


> Having been in the presence of builders recently, and generally, somebody please explain to me why the people who do pphysical work for a living are the ones least likely to use deodorant, while the ones who sit behind desks and never break into a sweat smell like they've been baptised in Chanel?
> 
> I have nothing against sweat - fresh, sweaty men (and women) smell quite stimulating! but stale, havent had a shower for a few days sweat... that makes me want to vomit.




A multitude of reasons

Uniforms get washed once a week, the atmosphere in their office/trucks leaves much to be desired, then latches onto them.


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## wyf (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks kang but i think we already covered that.


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## JosephB (Apr 23, 2012)

What have we learned? That not showering, wearing dirty clothes and not applying deodorant can cause people to smell. So if someone smells, he or she is likely not doing one or some combination of those things. Did I miss anything?


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