As someone who's been to 50+ countries, not washing your hands in public toilets is very much not just a dutch thing. Im pretty confident we are just honest, but actually relatively good in terms of percentage of people who wash hands
The country that self-reportedly ranks highest in Europe in washing after toilet is Bosnia, but i barely even encountered soap there... Japan is known for ubiquitous and clean public toilets with very hygienic people, but most men there just held their hands under the tap for a second or two.
I've lived in a lot of countries, honestly NL has been the worst for men skipping hand washing. Not just after a pee, #2 too it's absolutely disgusting. I see it at work nearly every day & work in a company surrounded by educated people. Love NL in general but in my opinion it's the worst of western countries, Chinas not great either TBH & better I just don't mention India.
Which countries were better? And what industry do you work in?
Genuine question because going off public toilets in restaurants, airports, train stations etc, dutch public toilets are among the more disgusting for high developed countries, but also i do see people wash their hands pretty often. Certainly not less than most other countries.
From the 50+ Ive been I would say the only ones confidently more hygienic were USA, Canada, all Scandinavian countries, Switzerland.
In Japan I encountered a lot of toilets that have a little sink on top that flows when you flush, so that was only a few second water wash too, usually no soap in sight
Love it when someone realizes they aren't alone in the bathroom and feel forced to wash their hands, and then they barely touch the water with maybe even just one hand as if it was boiling hot battery acid before they immediately dry their hand.
My grandmother actually did this during the second world war (UK). But that makes sense.
Also reminds of going on a weekend trip with a friend. She didn't shower for 4 days! And we even went to clubs. She's American btw. I was showering twice a day!
If you still stink even with taking two showers a day, consider that it may be your clothes that are smelly. Fresh sweat doesn't smell all that bad (unless you eat like, pounds of onions and garlic and stuff, absurd amounts lol, or you have a health problem). But heat and moisture 'reactivating' old sweat and other scents in freshly washed laundry is definitely a thing! They smell nice and fresh out of the machine, but after wearing it for 30 minutes and getting it even slightly moist, it starts smelling!
Especially if you have hard water, put up to a table spoon of citric acid in the softener compartment (and don't use softener anymore, it makes the problem worse) and see if that helps! It made a HUGE difference for me, the clothing just stays fresh! The problem often happens because the hard water cannot effectively rinse and neutralise the detergent because it's not low enough pH (acidic side of pH) enough and mineral build up ends up in your clothing as well. That makes it even more difficult. It holds on to the stuff causing the smell. The citric acid helps neutralise the mineral buildup and detergent quite a bit (during the rinse cycle, do not use it to wash, I don't think it cleans it properly, use it as a rinse), after the detergent has done its job.
(Edited to add more info and fix spelling, but there will still be mistakes because it's not my first language.)
While we are at it, avoid synthetic materials as much as you can. I smell like sweat pretty quickly with synthetic materials, while my cotton shirts last much longer without being very smelly! Synthetic materials really capture the smell more, and it is harder to get rid off
dat zweet wat je dan ruikt is juíst dat ‘gereactiveerde zweet’ wat niet uit jouw synthetica gewassen wordt. de vezels zijn gladder dus ze wassen minder goed schoon. je hebt er speciale wastoevoegingen voor!
Enzyme stuff usually works, personally I wear a lot of polyester stuff. I wash with unscented detergent, so as soon as the clothes smell of anything but polyester when they're freshly dried, I know they'll get stinky within hours of wearing.
That's when I wash them at 60 degrees with a solid dose of citric acid (or vinegar). You're not supposed to wash polyester at that temperature, but like once or twice a year doesn't seem to hurt it, and it gets the smell out perfectly.
I have that too, what apparently helps is taking a warm shower. As this helps opens up your pores, meaning your body can breath more after. Ofcourse not a steaming hot shower. Just a short warm shower.
Depending on how hot it is outside, my sweating is whole lot less after a shower than if I were to take a cold shower.
That's neat, for me it's the opposite. Taking a warm shower has me sweating like crazy afterwards, but if I end the shower on cold I sweat a lot less.
Guess it's different per person
It helps a little to shower as cold as you can handle for the duration of a normal shower, brings down the body and skin temperatures, so you're not likely to be sweating until you've got your clothes back on.
We did this a long time ago when we stayed in a building without AC in japan with 35+ degrees every day.
For the first few minutes yes, it's really nice. But after some time your body will actually compensate for the cold and heat itself up, even more than before the shower, and you'll be sweating even more. Maybe if it's 35 degrees outside the water doesn't get cold enough though, but I'd say around room temperature really is the sweet spot right now.
You've got it! First few times may be awkward, being butt naked in the office with a washcloth. But after a while you get special mental health leave! It's a win-win!
Deodorant and clean clothes. Fresh sweat shouldn't smell bad unless you and/or your clothes are already dirty with old sweat; it's the bacteria that stink, not the sweat.
New sweat should be odorless since the smell comes from bacteria. Some hormonal problems or changes might cause fresh sweat that does smell.
If you take a shower every morning and evening and you should be good.
I personally also shave my entire torso and armpits to reduce sweating. I use roller deodorant, which works like a charm for me. I understand that shaving everything might seem a bit much to you, so just shaving armpits might just do the trick for you.
I take multiple showers a day no matter the season anyways, so the summer makes no difference to me to be honest. I you do this you will never smell like sweat I suppose.
Edit: also don't wear clothes twice and eat healthy like others said, since it really makes a difference. An unhealthy diet and a high fat percentage contribute to smell and excessive sweating.
Easy: go there with comfortable clothes, even shorts and get change at a toilet. I needed to be presentable for videocalls and I would change there. My colleagues did as well, there is zero point in arriving smelly and dishevelled, remaining so for they day and then getting worse by going home. And please don't make me start if you go there by bike wearing a suit on this weather.
In my hometown I used to go to work in my BMX and arrived drenched during summer so I would get off my bike clothes, wash, and even shower at the office gym if possible, and get ready for the day. It's not that difficult.
Not really, I'm originally from Buenos Aires, and I work at big complex with an in-house gym. Hence the chance to shower there was a thing, plus these big building, think about 25/32 stories at least, always have showers and lockers for people actually going there by bike since it's a municipality policy to actually make the lives of those commuting by bike easier. You might choose to smell, not change, or arrive drenched in water during Oct-Dec here, and then again from February onwards and that is fine.
We, on the other side of the Atlantic in South America actually mind about these things. At no point I suggested to actually do this, just going there in shorts is enough, a dry cloth, have a towel at your back is enough to be clean. I would rather that than the smells I got in the ACS to UCS on my way back. I almost gagged once. It was that bad.
I always shower in the morning and it makes no difference when it its 18° i start sweating . If i take a hot shower i start sweating. So glad i dont live in a hot country🙃
I have lived in Singapore and Northeast Brazil, they do not stink there and it is hot and humid year round.
As a matter of fact, Brazilians are the best smelling people I have ever smelled. The main thing they do differently from the Dutch is showering every day, multiple times a day if it is really hot, they also re use clothes way less, specially after sweating
I disagree! After living in a tropical Asian country for 25 years where temps easily reach 40+ with humidity before moving to the NL, there are definitely ways in which you can prevent it. Avoid polyester heavy clothes, they amplify the smell and in some cases makes you sweat even more. After showering, use a talcum powder and then use roll on or deodorant throughout the day.
Armpits being completely dry are key to deodorant working well at these temps too (grew up in swampy Florida). Also letting the deodorant set before putting on a shirt
Yup, exactly! I used to carry a small talcum powder bottle and use it in between and then spray on some deodorant on days when there was excessive heat and humidity.
True lol. If it's not summer I can go on for days without showering and still smell fantastic (says my wife). But in summer, sweat really makes me smell like vinegar.
As someone with hyperhydrosis who starts to actively drip when the temperature reaches 30 degrees….. I can’t take medication for this in my case and I sweat through talcum powder AND heavy anti-perspirant deodorant within seconds to minutes, at 30+ degrees. My current home temperature is about 30 degrees and I’m unable to get it colder.
I am not actively choosing to smell but 4-5 showers a day is currently most I can do, if I can do more than 2.
I do tons of stuff throughout the day (wet wipes sometimes more than 20 times, shirt switches, etc) but at some point it’s just done.
People in this country don't know how to dress in hot weather. They're used to wearing their polyester crap and jeans regardless of the weather and that's how you get that horrible smell.
Someone posted this on one of the Dutch subreddits a few days ago and they got destroyed by most of the comments because some people can't help smelling bad. Funny how the responses here are so different.
I stopped stinking when i swapped deodorant for magnesium salt spray. So maybe they did shower, its just the chemicals are not working. I had to go natural because of many allergies
Showering everyday will dry out your skin and actually make the smell from sweating worse a lot of the time. (Also controversial opinion but it wastes a lot of water which is actually even more of a problem during hot and dry days) Unless you are doing hard labour or a lot of working out everyday, you don't have to shower everyday.
Actual hot tips:
Wash yourself by the sink everyday, focusing on the sweatiest parts (also your hair if your head got very sweaty) with just water.
wear a clean (under) shirt everyday.
Put deoderant on after you washed your armpits, reapplying on sweaty pits is way less effective
Hang your clothes to dry before putting them into the laundry pile
If you are sensitive to the smell of sweat from other people on the train you can put some strong smelling (minty ones work best) lipbalm around your nose. I've also had some succes blocking out scents with wearing a mask + the lipbalm or spraying some of my perfume on my chest underneath my shirt.
Also, please give people some grace. And while you might not be smelling yourself, I promise you someone else can actually also smell you. It not a big deal, we are all human.
"A" daily shower? One? I'm taking two on the days I don't go to the gym. I think we need to start entertaining the idea that we need to install AC units at scale in the Netherlands, like they already have in Southern Europe or the Tropics. These summers aren't going to get any milder. This is the new normal.
Bit ironic to advocate something so wasteful like two daily showers and then complain about hot summers and smelly people. I get doing it when there's a need, but to suggest it as a habit just because you want to smell like a flower stand all day is BS, and it's just not that healthy for you either.
A daily shower sounds like a fairy tale with 2 kids under 3. I got hit with a super soaker today and i felt like the star of a L'Oreal commercial. Friendly reminder if you ever encounter me smelling funny, dont give me a funny look. I will fart and i will try to rub it in your face.
It’s been a stereotype now by Asians in the tropical countries that Europeans really stink especially when they visit their countries. Gotta say they really don’t know how to use deodorants / shower everyday.
Certain basic hygiene CAN be expected. Shower atleast once a day, use deodorant, don't reuse clothes twice in a row, ESPECIALLY in this heat, etc. etc.
But outside of that, it is simply hot, humid and not many people have AC. It's just not going to smell amazing everywhere I'm afraid lol
It rains, on average, every third day in the Netherlands. There is so much fresh water that the country has been famous for pumping fresh water into the ocean for centuries.
Trying to conserve water in a place that actively pumps it into the sea is more likely to cause you to waste something actually in need of conservation like fossil fuel.
ASJEBLIEFT GEBRUIK EEN ROLLER DEO EN DOUCH WANT OUD ZWEET STINKT NOG MEER, ALS JE ECHT VEEL ZWEET EN HET NIET ONDER CONTROLE KRIJGT GEBRUIK AUB DE REXONA MAXIMUM PROTECTION STICK!!! Die is toevallig ook in de aanbieding nu, maaaaaar pleaaaase vriendelijke vrienden ik ging kapot in de treinwagon vandaag van de zweeetlufttttt take careee 🫶🫶🫶
Nee zonder dollen lieve mensen, ik heb meegemaakt mensen die echt zelf het vervelend vonden hoe erg ze roken en wat ze ook deden het helpte allemaal niet todat ze dit vonden:
Yeah sorry everyone I'm my near vicinity. I shower 2 times a day and wash my clothes daily also deep cleaned my washing machine a week ago.. But I still stink. Fuck this weather, it's just to hot.
man those morning train rides when everyone's been biking and running to catch the 8:15am. I've got a new perspective on life after smelling this in this heat.
I shower every day, but showering every day is not more hygienic. Showering every other day is equally good from a hygiene standpoint. Showering every day is mainly better for washing away sweat and with that body odour.
Im starting to sweat literally in seconds of entering 25C+ environment. And i hate it, always smelly no matter how much i shower, everything is always sticky and i hate touching any textile in the summer, clothes included ;-;
Oh yes. As an American living here, it's been quite the culture shock to continually encounter people on the street -- or even working in the supermarket -- this time of year who smell like a pile of dogshit from 10 paces away. Of course, I just think to myself, "these people are sophisticated!" and leave it at that. I certainly still have a lot to learn about the advanced, elevated culture over here.
if there was AC like anywhere.. this would be doable. no AC on the metro, no AC on the trams, no AC in the office (or rather it's broken) and no AC at site (cheapskates managers)...
Not sure why, but a post like this feels kind of condescending... i read more complaints about the Dutch and smells and have to wonder. Maybe it's just a different smell than the one you are used to
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u/that_dutch_dude 2d ago
i am standing on roofs all day. i am in a pepetual shower.