Too much perfume!

[Country Girl]

I had a guest here for 4 days who wore really strong perfume. Every time she left the house I ran around and opened all the windows to air the place out. After she left I had to strip EVERYTHING to get it ready for the next guest but I can still smell her perfume. How would you have handled that? Should I have said something while she was here? Is there a good neutralizing spray that works?

 

[JBloggs]

There is nothing to be done. The combo on a woman of that sort would be deodorant scent, scented shower gel, hair spray, scented lotions, scented makeup, hair gel, fabric softener and perfume! It is a noxious cocktail!

 

[Pollyanna]

I am really sensitive to perfume, hair spray and the like and it drives me nuts too! I air out the room, turn on an ionic breeze machine overnight, and also spray vinegar water into the air (half white vinegar, half water) It neutralizes smells. I use all this when i burn something in the kitchen too which I sometimes do!

 

[Morticia]

I might have mentioned it if she were here for 4 days. Only because it would be toxic to me being near her. We did have that once when we first started out and we could smell the fumes for at least 3 weeks. It took forever to get the hair spray off the bathroom floor.
I had to strip the whole room as well, curtains and everything. It helped but only somewhat.
I've heard those ionizers work. If that's not something you have, you might try one of the air fresheners. Much as I hate them.

 

[gillumhouse]

The real vanilla in a custard cup took care of the odor when DH came home from the hospital last time and the aroma from his "problem" was gagging - trust me. It took well over a week to convince him he needed to eat yogurt - several of the kids and the doctor saying I thought you WERE eating yogurt to get that accomplished. I would have welcomed one of my "perfumed" guests at that point. I put 1/4 inch of vanilla in a custard cup on the mantle in our room. Solved the problem - the odoriferous part anyway.....

 

[Hangfive]

Why is it every time I have someone check in with chemical sensitivities, I have one of these perfume overload women in at the same time??? Murphy's law I guess.

 

[Country Girl]

I might have mentioned it if she were here for 4 days. Only because it would be toxic to me being near her. We did have that once when we first started out and we could smell the fumes for at least 3 weeks. It took forever to get the hair spray off the bathroom floor.
I had to strip the whole room as well, curtains and everything. It helped but only somewhat.
I've heard those ionizers work. If that's not something you have, you might try one of the air fresheners. Much as I hate them..

I might have mentioned it if she were here for 4 days. Only because it would be toxic to me being near her. We did have that once when we first started out and we could smell the fumes for at least 3 weeks. It took forever to get the hair spray off the bathroom floor.
I had to strip the whole room as well, curtains and everything. It helped but only somewhat.
I've heard those ionizers work. If that's not something you have, you might try one of the air fresheners. Much as I hate them.

So how would you have addressed it with her? That's the problem. I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't offend or embarrass her in some way.

 

[Morticia]

I might have mentioned it if she were here for 4 days. Only because it would be toxic to me being near her. We did have that once when we first started out and we could smell the fumes for at least 3 weeks. It took forever to get the hair spray off the bathroom floor.
I had to strip the whole room as well, curtains and everything. It helped but only somewhat.
I've heard those ionizers work. If that's not something you have, you might try one of the air fresheners. Much as I hate them..

I might have mentioned it if she were here for 4 days. Only because it would be toxic to me being near her. We did have that once when we first started out and we could smell the fumes for at least 3 weeks. It took forever to get the hair spray off the bathroom floor.
I had to strip the whole room as well, curtains and everything. It helped but only somewhat.
I've heard those ionizers work. If that's not something you have, you might try one of the air fresheners. Much as I hate them.

So how would you have addressed it with her? That's the problem. I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't offend or embarrass her in some way.
.

I might have mentioned it if she were here for 4 days. Only because it would be toxic to me being near her. We did have that once when we first started out and we could smell the fumes for at least 3 weeks. It took forever to get the hair spray off the bathroom floor.
I had to strip the whole room as well, curtains and everything. It helped but only somewhat.
I've heard those ionizers work. If that's not something you have, you might try one of the air fresheners. Much as I hate them.

So how would you have addressed it with her? That's the problem. I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't offend or embarrass her in some way.

Tough one. I would have explained my severe allergies (altho my sneezing all over her would have given that away!) and would have asked her if she could put her perfume on in the car, where it would have a chance to dissipate before she came back into the house.
Not sure what I would have done had she decided that was not her problem!
It doesn't happen often here and it's usually a one-nighter so by the time I know I'm in trouble they've already had a seat at the table and I start wheezing.
I've had to leave a guest room without cleaning it when the scent has been too strong. Then I have to go back in after the windows have been opened for an hour or so (even in the winter). It's a pain. And you know every last one of them knows they have too much on and have probably been told that a million times before.

 

[Highlands John]

I have a similar problem (see my recent post), although I'd happily swap !!!!

 

[EmptyNest]

OH that reminds me of one of our "regular" guests...an older woman.
She wreaked of perfume...one day I didn't know she was upstairs in our guest lounge. I came home and of couse opened my big mouth to my husband....something like...OMG...that perfume is smelling up the entire house! She heard me....after that day..she cut back on the perfume. Never said a thing. I was soooo embarrassed...it took me a week to get rid of the stench...I think it was Evening in Paris or one of those old time ones that really smelled..Maybe White SHoulders???? Can't remember now. But the big joke around here was every time I came in, I would say "is MIlle gone yet?"
Not funny at the time..but sure brings back the memories now

 

[Proud Texan]

May be we should introduce the Perfume Lady to Highland John's odoriferous guests. Maybe the two would cancel each other out.

 

[JBloggs]

My eyes are burning just thinking about it P.T.

 

[One Day]

My mom was like that.......
Remember back when women had their hair done.......ok, some still do......but you know......those old fashioned hairdos....and all that hair spray.
Well.......they didn't wash their hair daily........
So I guess......ragther than stinky hair.......perfume was the answer..
And they carried it with them where ever they went so they could reload the perfume during the day and or evening.

 

[Samster]

My mom was like that.......
Remember back when women had their hair done.......ok, some still do......but you know......those old fashioned hairdos....and all that hair spray.
Well.......they didn't wash their hair daily........
So I guess......ragther than stinky hair.......perfume was the answer..
And they carried it with them where ever they went so they could reload the perfume during the day and or evening..

All the elderly white haired/blue haired ladies here have their cotton candy hair done every week. It's a ritual. They also have their favorite bottles of perfume.
But I live in a time warp.......

 

[Highlands John]

May be we should introduce the Perfume Lady to Highland John's odoriferous guests. Maybe the two would cancel each other out..

May be we should introduce the Perfume Lady to Highland John's odoriferous guests. Maybe the two would cancel each other out.

I say Get the Avon Lady round here now!!!!! Before I pass out.

 

[Copperhead]

My mom was like that.......
Remember back when women had their hair done.......ok, some still do......but you know......those old fashioned hairdos....and all that hair spray.
Well.......they didn't wash their hair daily........
So I guess......ragther than stinky hair.......perfume was the answer..
And they carried it with them where ever they went so they could reload the perfume during the day and or evening..

All the elderly white haired/blue haired ladies here have their cotton candy hair done every week. It's a ritual. They also have their favorite bottles of perfume.
But I live in a time warp.......
.

All the elderly white haired/blue haired ladies here have their cotton candy hair done every week. It's a ritual. They also have their favorite bottles of perfume.
But I live in a time warp.......

HaHaHa - Yes, I know you do.

 

[One Day]

Always wondered.......how in heck do they sleep, and is it all restfull......
I had no intention of being insulting to any with my above comment.
I apologize to those that were offended.

 

[Proud Texan]

My mom was like that.......
Remember back when women had their hair done.......ok, some still do......but you know......those old fashioned hairdos....and all that hair spray.
Well.......they didn't wash their hair daily........
So I guess......ragther than stinky hair.......perfume was the answer..
And they carried it with them where ever they went so they could reload the perfume during the day and or evening..

All the elderly white haired/blue haired ladies here have their cotton candy hair done every week. It's a ritual. They also have their favorite bottles of perfume.
But I live in a time warp.......
.

All the elderly white haired/blue haired ladies here have their cotton candy hair done every week. It's a ritual. They also have their favorite bottles of perfume.
But I live in a time warp.......

I think part of it is that our sense of smell, like everything else, declines with age. I honestly don't think they know that they're using too much perfume.