How many times have you had house guests who behaved in such a way as to be offensive? It happens to all of us. But remember this: sometimes it’s us. Sometimes we are the ones who cause offense to our hosts. We do so on lots of different ways, ranging from making thoughtless remarks about the décor to helping ourselves to food.
The good people behind the Zephyr Fresh HVAC aroma diffusion system say that sometimes house guests offend their hosts by bringing smelly odors with them. The thing is that the perpetrators do not even know what they are doing. They have become ‘nose blind’ to their own offensive fragrances.
You don’t want to be that kind of guest, do you? That being the case, here are three smelly offenses to avoid when you are visiting friends and family:
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1. Bringing Pungent Foods to a Party
Everybody loves a good party. Parties are a great excuse to get together, enjoy one another’s company, and share some great food and drinks. But some foods are less appropriate for parties than others. Some foods produce pungent odors that can make other guests uncomfortable – or even ill.
The first smelly offense to avoid is bringing pungent foods to a party. Foods like limburger cheese, anchovy pizza, and tuna automatically come to mind. You may enjoy some very unique recipes that no one else in your circle of friends can warm up to. Keep those recipes at home. Any foods you take to the party should be things that most people like and don’t smell bad.
2. Taking Off Your Shoes
This next smelly offense is a big one in as much as a lot of us are guilty of it. What is it? It is taking off your shoes in the presence of your hosts. If you are visiting only for a few hours, there’s no need to remove your shoes unless your hosts specifically ask you to do so. And if that’s the case, put on some clean socks and spray the inside of your shoes with air freshener before you leave home.
Staying overnight presents an entirely different scenario. If it’s possible, don’t remove your shoes until you are tucked away in the guest room for the night. If you must remove them when you first enter the house, follow the same recommendations regarding clean socks and air freshener.
As a side note, there are ways to combat chronic foot odors. Between medicated powders, prescription medications, and shoe inserts, you can combat mild to moderate foot odor with very little effort.
3. Not Bathing
Finally, be gracious to your hosts by practicing good hygiene. Understand that not bathing regularly results in offensive body odors you carry with you wherever you go. You can eliminate those orders simply by jumping in the shower before you leave home. Once out of the shower, apply some deodorant and put on clean clothes.
Also understand that this is one of the hardest offenses that hosts have to deal with. It’s one thing to address pungent foods or smelly shoes; it is an entirely different matter to have to address someone who has not recently bathed. Your best bet is to just not put your hosts in that position.
We all carry odors with us wherever we go. It is part of being human. Most the time, those odors are not a problem. Other times, they can be rather offensive. As a guest in someone else’s home, you owe it to your hosts to make sure you are not bringing offensive odors with you.