My dad’s hygiene is unbearable and my mom and I can’t take it anymore
My dad smells so bad and it’s not even regular BO. It’s this sharp, sour, “outside” smell that sticks to everything. It’s like a mix of old sweat, dirt, and that stale outdoor scent. It’s so strong that I can literally tell where he’s been in the house if he was there within the last 10 minutes.
He’ll go on a run outside, get all sweaty, then not shower or change his clothes. Sometimes he’ll go multiple days like that and when he finally does shower, he either puts his old dirty clothes right back on or he puts clean clothes on without actually showering. So the smell never goes away.
He only showers maybe once every 3 days, doesn’t brush his teeth, doesn’t wash his hands, and just reuses the same gross clothes. One time he brought me a drink from the gas station and the lid smelled so bad from his hands that I had to spray it with rubbing alcohol before I could even drink it.
To make it worse, he sweats in his sleep and his sweat is literally brown. He only drinks diet soda and eats microwaved food no water, no real meals. When he comes home from work, he still stinks even if he claims he showered. It’s honestly unbearable.
My mom and I are both completely done. We clean, light candles, spray air freshener and nothing helps. The smell lingers no matter what we do. But if we try to say anything, he gets furious and defensive.
We don’t know what to do anymore. It’s disgusting and uncomfortable to live like this, but confronting him makes him angry. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? How do you handle it when someone refuses basic hygiene?
Posted Nov 5, 2025, 11:54 PM UTC