Addressing Someone's Lack of Hygiene
- Thread starter Lynne
- Start date
It is 2 totally different smells...I met someone who suffered that affliction..
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Lynne
Master of Arts
That's what I was thinking. If he hears it from me or another student, he might just ignore us.
Either way in order to get it resolved will require making a move and taking some action. Either way you go I wish you lot's of luck!
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Lynne
Master of Arts
One way or the other, I believe we'll get it resolved. If the kid is spoken to and doesn't do as asked, he'll be dealing with Master R I'm sure. Actually, a requirement of our school is to keep our Doboks clean. They're even to be ironed at orange belt level.Either way in order to get it resolved will require making a move and taking some action. Either way you go I wish you lot's of luck!
The women have gone from disgust to anger.
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Lynne
Master of Arts
Mixed with Lysol...or bleach. And asking the guys to do some serious towel-popping in the men's locker room.Talk to the instructor. If that doesn't work, talk to him directly. And if that doesn't work, you might try a little something I like to call "Drive-by Fabrezing".
Em MacIntosh
3rd Black Belt
Sounds like the strongest student in the class!
It shouldn't be a big deal for anyone to discreetly mention something politely. If you tell him and he loses confidence, that's his problem. Hopefully he's a big boy and can handle a little (necessary) criticism and continue about his training (after improving his personal odour, that is.)
It shouldn't be a big deal for anyone to discreetly mention something politely. If you tell him and he loses confidence, that's his problem. Hopefully he's a big boy and can handle a little (necessary) criticism and continue about his training (after improving his personal odour, that is.)
stoneheart
Purple Belt
I haven't had the problem in my class yet, but I regularly tell my students their uniforms need to be clean and odor-free. Stained, ripped, or out-grown uniforms should be replaced as soon as feasibly possible. Good hygiene is a must and bad breath should be banished with mouthwash if needed. Finally, fingernails and toenails need to be trimmed regularly to avoid possible damage to others when practicing sparring or self-defense.
I do this at every "pre-test" class and whenever there are a large number of parents watching class, so not just the kids get the benefit of the lecture. So far, so good.
I do this at every "pre-test" class and whenever there are a large number of parents watching class, so not just the kids get the benefit of the lecture. So far, so good.
wow. lots of nice folks on this site. 
I've dealt with this issue at sci-fi cons. Our solutions weren't as nice.
- Soap on a Rope bola's
- SuperSoakers loaded with Fabreeze/soapy water/deodorant
- Car air fresheners on ropes, passed out like necklaces.
- "I'm not with stinky, I -am- Stinky" signs, taped onto people backs in lines.
- Over sized clothespins on our noses, and in 1 case a surplus gasmask only put on prior to talking to one particular person. (with dramatic flourish I might add).
Seriously though, the instructor needs to reinforce the need for proper hygiene in class, including trimming nails and toenails, deodorant and being clean on arrival. Good luck.
I've dealt with this issue at sci-fi cons. Our solutions weren't as nice.
- Soap on a Rope bola's
- SuperSoakers loaded with Fabreeze/soapy water/deodorant
- Car air fresheners on ropes, passed out like necklaces.
- "I'm not with stinky, I -am- Stinky" signs, taped onto people backs in lines.
- Over sized clothespins on our noses, and in 1 case a surplus gasmask only put on prior to talking to one particular person. (with dramatic flourish I might add).
Seriously though, the instructor needs to reinforce the need for proper hygiene in class, including trimming nails and toenails, deodorant and being clean on arrival. Good luck.
Too damn nice...
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Lynne
Master of Arts
Mr. Stinky is being dealt with. Here's what happened. He showed up Thursday night and he and I were warming up outside the training area. Other students were further down, not standing close to him.
I was practicing my new form and he offered to help me. I accepted his help. We were doing the form together and I got a whiff of him and then it seemed to intensify (maybe psychological). At any rate, I started gagging as we were doing the form.
He asked me if I was ok. I said I'd be fine and "excuse me." I was walking away fast and continued to gag. The senior instructor and another classmate were behind the desk. They asked me what was wrong; they thought I was choking. Ok. Not the way I'd planned on handling this. I told them "X needs to wash his dobok. It's really bad." I ran off toward the ladies locker room and headed for the toilet to vomit.
The senior instructor (lady) came in to the locker room after a bit. I was composed by then. I told her I had planned to email Master R (I remembered he had an email and decided direct contact was the best way to handle this, if the kid hadn't washed his dobok) but wanted to give him another chance. I told her I wasn't the only one, that we ladies had been discussing the situation and had gone from disgust to anger. I told her how we feared we'd have to bow out of class because of the smell. The senior instructor said they would talk to him after class. One of the other ladies said, "What are we going to do tonight though?!"
The senior instructor grabbed him before class and told him to wash his dobok. He told her he wased it every week. She told him he needed to hang it somewhere to dry then.
I cannot believe he is washing his dobok every week. If he is, he's putting it into a stinky duffle bag while it's still damp. He and I have the cheap 8 oz. doboks that can go in the dryer; they don't have to be drip-dried - they dry great in the dryer without shrinkage.
If the kid doesn't clean his dobok, I will contact Master R. Somehow, this thing has to be taken care of. I'm surprised the guys haven't said anything to him. How do the men handle the stench in the locker room? I guess guys are more tolerant.
I was practicing my new form and he offered to help me. I accepted his help. We were doing the form together and I got a whiff of him and then it seemed to intensify (maybe psychological). At any rate, I started gagging as we were doing the form.
He asked me if I was ok. I said I'd be fine and "excuse me." I was walking away fast and continued to gag. The senior instructor and another classmate were behind the desk. They asked me what was wrong; they thought I was choking. Ok. Not the way I'd planned on handling this. I told them "X needs to wash his dobok. It's really bad." I ran off toward the ladies locker room and headed for the toilet to vomit.
The senior instructor (lady) came in to the locker room after a bit. I was composed by then. I told her I had planned to email Master R (I remembered he had an email and decided direct contact was the best way to handle this, if the kid hadn't washed his dobok) but wanted to give him another chance. I told her I wasn't the only one, that we ladies had been discussing the situation and had gone from disgust to anger. I told her how we feared we'd have to bow out of class because of the smell. The senior instructor said they would talk to him after class. One of the other ladies said, "What are we going to do tonight though?!"
The senior instructor grabbed him before class and told him to wash his dobok. He told her he wased it every week. She told him he needed to hang it somewhere to dry then.
I cannot believe he is washing his dobok every week. If he is, he's putting it into a stinky duffle bag while it's still damp. He and I have the cheap 8 oz. doboks that can go in the dryer; they don't have to be drip-dried - they dry great in the dryer without shrinkage.
If the kid doesn't clean his dobok, I will contact Master R. Somehow, this thing has to be taken care of. I'm surprised the guys haven't said anything to him. How do the men handle the stench in the locker room? I guess guys are more tolerant.
How we chaps would handle it woud depend on how long we had known the smelly miscreant in question. If there had been a fairly lengthy association then something fairly straightforward would be said, without a doubt.
If it was a first meeting then I guess how things would occur would depend on how plain spoken the 'victim' was. A lot would depend on relative rank too.
For me, I would say nothing the first week - after all, everyone gets a stink on once in a while. If it continued tho', I'd certainly try a tangential tack first, such as suggesting that the fellow might find his kit got a little less fragrant if he did such-and-such. That way you get the point across without directly insulting the man to his face.
If that didn't work and the weeks went by then something less subtle would need to be applied.
EDIT: However, if the offender is so bad as to make you physically sick then forget subtle and polite because that's a sign of deep hygiene problems that need immediately addressing.
If it was a first meeting then I guess how things would occur would depend on how plain spoken the 'victim' was. A lot would depend on relative rank too.
For me, I would say nothing the first week - after all, everyone gets a stink on once in a while. If it continued tho', I'd certainly try a tangential tack first, such as suggesting that the fellow might find his kit got a little less fragrant if he did such-and-such. That way you get the point across without directly insulting the man to his face.
If that didn't work and the weeks went by then something less subtle would need to be applied.
EDIT: However, if the offender is so bad as to make you physically sick then forget subtle and polite because that's a sign of deep hygiene problems that need immediately addressing.
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Lynne
Master of Arts
Right on. I'm not the only lady who has gagged. This wasn't just a little natural BO. It was very sour and cheesey smelling. I found the other ladies have been putting up with it for over a year. The smell has been getting worse which means he was lying about washing his dobok every week.
Kacey had mentioned the lack of hygiene probably equals a bacteria problem, too. I believe that could be a definite possibility. In fact, I wonder if washing the thing will even kill all the bacteria. His dobok should probably be burned and I am not joking. OF course that won't happen. I can only fantasize about it.
As far as the other men addressing the issue, in truth, no one really talks to the kid as far as I can tell. And that is probably because of the lack of hygiene although there could be something else going on that I don't know about.
Taking the kid at his word...
I see three possibilities.
1) I had a buddy in high school who was negligent about laundry... When someone finally "helped" him (meaning washed it for him), it took several runs through a commercial heavy duty machine to get some of his clothes clean. Sometimes, the mistreatment of the clothes ends up permeating the fabric too throroughly to really get clean... The kid may need to buy a new dobok.
2) It ain't the clothes, it's the kid. Maybe he's got some issues with personal hygiene...
3) It's not hygiene. It's illness. There are some illnesses and disorders that cause powerful body odors...
But the school's instructional staff should have put their foot down long before it came to this point. If I had a student coming to class who stank so bad, I'd find out why, and solve it. If need be, I'd take the kid to a laundromat and teach him how to do laundry. Or, if it was really something he can't control -- at least I'd know, and we'd work together to minimize it. It's just basic courtesy to arrive for any martial arts class reasonably clean...
I see three possibilities.
1) I had a buddy in high school who was negligent about laundry... When someone finally "helped" him (meaning washed it for him), it took several runs through a commercial heavy duty machine to get some of his clothes clean. Sometimes, the mistreatment of the clothes ends up permeating the fabric too throroughly to really get clean... The kid may need to buy a new dobok.
2) It ain't the clothes, it's the kid. Maybe he's got some issues with personal hygiene...
3) It's not hygiene. It's illness. There are some illnesses and disorders that cause powerful body odors...
But the school's instructional staff should have put their foot down long before it came to this point. If I had a student coming to class who stank so bad, I'd find out why, and solve it. If need be, I'd take the kid to a laundromat and teach him how to do laundry. Or, if it was really something he can't control -- at least I'd know, and we'd work together to minimize it. It's just basic courtesy to arrive for any martial arts class reasonably clean...
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Lynne
Master of Arts
You know, because of some of the odors, I am thinking he hasn't been bathing. It could be a combination of not bathing and not being able to get the smell out of the dobok. I agree that washing may not work (or isn't working) in this case. In fact, I don't see how washing could work. A dry cleaner might be able to steam the stench out, I don't know.
I don't know if the instructional staff knew of the situation. To be honest, how could they not know? But we didn't complain to them and they might have let it ride. I do believe that if Master R (the onwer) got a whiff he would have sent the kid home immediately; Master R isn't on the floor every evening. I am sure he will know about the situation soon if he doesn't already. I can tell you one thing, I'm not going to keep silent about this sort of thing again - not something that's unreasonable. We students don't want to thought of as a troublemaker or whiner but we suffered too long with this one.
Darth F.Takeda
Blue Belt
Just be straight forward and tell the boy he stinks and needs to show more respect for his classmates and keep his Gi and body clean, nails trimed and breath delt with before training.
People have this dumb sitcomish "Three's Company" way of scirting around issues wich leads to bigger problems down the line.
Speak up and speak strait.
People have this dumb sitcomish "Three's Company" way of scirting around issues wich leads to bigger problems down the line.
Speak up and speak strait.
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Lynne
Master of Arts
I agree with you on this and wish I'd spoken up earlier. I can say I won't pussyfoot around next time. Really, it was a ridiculous situation.
The young man did not return this week. I'm not sure if he decided to not come back after the issue was addressed.
blackxpress
Green Belt
I'm surprised anyone would have to ask a Sensei to address a situation like this. Neither of the Senseis I've trained under would tolerate such a thing. It's disprespectful to the art and to the dojo. My old Sensei wouldn't allow us on the floor if our gi was wrinkled. He had an ironing board and steam iron in the changing room and insisted that everyone's gi be clean and freshly pressed before stepping onto the floor. He was a real stickler for tradition. Part of the tradition included folding your gi into a nice neat little square before leaving the dojo. If he ever saw someone pull a wadded up gi out of a gym bag that student would have gotten a scathing sermon on the subject of respect. I guess I've lived a sheltered existence but I just assumed that was the way of the dojo.
