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Saw this in 7 Days Yeah right. As if they would do this.

In fact thinking about it, they ought to evict themselves first, as they are the biggest culprits! This goes for Dubai taxi's as well. So, who would drive the taxi? hahahahahahahahahahahaha

yep, the taxi drivers smell very bad and its very nasueating when all the doors r closed and there is no fresh air ... wonder how often they will take bath ...

That's the first thing that came to my mind, that it's not the passengers that smell, but the drivers.

Smell like they've spent the night in a skip with a family of badgers and drive like Michael Schumacher... wearing a blindfold

I feel very sorry for the drivers that smell, because the smell very often is unwashed hair. And I think the reason for this is often the extremely long shifts they do - 18 hours in a lot of cases.

Most people feel fairly unfresh after 8 hours in an air-conditioned office, imagine 18 in a cramped little cab, having to constantly open the door and waft the heat and pollution in.

bad experience with taxis too.

they close the windows, with no AC or put it on WARM !!! i get crazy, and the smell is
i had to open the window and put my head out for a 60 minutes ride, then i informed my company and they gave hard time to the taxi company they contracted.

Next day i got a nice-smell taxi

now i got my car, no need for this.

Good luck

Secretdubai

I feel very sorry for the drivers that smell, because the smell very often is unwashed hair.

You seem to have looked into this very closely!!

Smell like they've spent the night in a skip with a family of badgers and drive like Michael Schumacher... wearing a blindfold

Goodbai-that is hysterical!!

My observation...

It's not just the taxi drivers who stink in this place...oh my, even ladies from certain parts of asia (i guess i don't have to mention it...and i mean certain parts of asia because they're geographically/culturally related) do stink big time...so how much more the men. Here in our office I have 2 officemates (both ladies) who smell really bad..problem is I don't know how to tell them as they may be offended. Is it because of the food they take (as what most of them claim) or plain hygiene problems? Your guess is as good as mine.

Have you experienced being inside a lift (on a hot sticky summer day)and you're surrounded by a lot of them?...ARGH...

For the life of me I still can't get it why would they smell like that. It only takes a daily bath, a regular change of clean clothes and to some extent spray of deodorant to smell good.....even if you eat a lot of food with different kinds of spices.

nature_trip - Because not everyone uses deodorant, let alone antiperspirant. It's not because they're "unclean", it's just not part of everyone's culture.

Also it is very difficult to smell garlic/booze/spices on yourself (regrettably). People get used to their own smells quite easily, the aroma presumably builds up gradually over the day, it's other people that get hit with.

However, this doesn't solve your problem. You have three options:

1. As politely as possible, bring the subject up with them (if and only if you are female)

2. Mention it to a supervisor whom you trust, and have them send round a tactful memo to the whole office to remind people that hygiene is important, and perhaps to use perfume/antiperspirant deodorant if they feel a bit sticky/stale by the end of the long office day.

3. Mask the smell by using strong scents yourself, or a little aromatherapy burner if you are allowed it. If not, just rubbing essential oil on a lightbulb, or even a warm part of your computer cage, may do the trick. Or rub it onto your hair and under your nose. I do this on aeroplanes a lot, especially if I'm anywhere in line of the godawful "toilet aroma waft".

GAB - I just know what unwashed hair smells like. Sometimes you can smell BO, but more often than not it is just this rank, fetid smell that comes from a stale body and unwashed hair. Not the sharp, unpleasant tang of sweat/BO but a more sickly, fusty smell.

secretdubai,

I never knew it was possible to do a Masters in Unpleasant Bodily Odours... you learn something new on here every day

GoodBai wrote:secretdubai,

I never knew it was possible to do a Masters in Unpleasant Bodily Odours... you learn something new on here every day

Possibly because I've never smoked, I think my nostrils may be a bit more sensitive than average. Or maybe I'm just hyper-perceptive-fussy

secretdubai wrote:

GoodBai wrote:secretdubai,

I never knew it was possible to do a Masters in Unpleasant Bodily Odours... you learn something new on here every day

Possibly because I've never smoked

WHAT ! NO SHISHA !?!?!?

MaaaD wrote:

secretdubai wrote:

GoodBai wrote:secretdubai,

I never knew it was possible to do a Masters in Unpleasant Bodily Odours... you learn something new on here every day

Possibly because I've never smoked

WHAT ! NO SHISHA !?!?!?

Nope, never. Though (flavoured) shisha smoke and pipe tobacco smoke are the only kinds of smoke I can bear to be around.

Secretdubai- Your knowledge in this area is supreme. Can't wait for a get together-you'll be smelling us before we get through the door and giving us a score out of 10!

Tell me about it, there's this woman at work and I swear I can't get within 10 feet of her as I'll just pass out from the BO! What gets me is some of these people spray copious amounts of scent on their clothes under their arms - .

Here's my science lesson - sweat doesn't actually smell, it only starts to smell when it comes in contact with bacteria on the skin and starts to fester - eeewwwww!

So even if you don't use deoderant or an anti-perspirant, if you're clean and have a daily shower or bath and can avoid getting too hot then you shouldn't have too much of an issue. But for some people it's like being the great unwashed, maybe they only have an annual bath!

It is however ironic that the world's best deodorant, Mitchums (mega strong but bizarrely gentle on sensitive/shaved skin) is about the only international brand not available in the UAE. I found a couple of bottles once at Dubai Airport, but that's pretty much it.

I bring it in by the dozen, whenever I travel overseas.

Tell me about it, there's this woman at work and I swear I can't get within 10 feet of her as I'll just pass out from the BO! What gets me is some of these people spray copious amounts of scent on their clothes under their arms

No kidding but I saw a guy in Union Coop do this! He walked down the aisle and sprayed himself for 5 minutes flat out!! My kids wanted to know what he was doing but I wasn't sure. Then he left.

secretdubai wrote:It is however ironic that the world's best deodorant, Mitchums (mega strong but bizarrely gentle on sensitive/shaved skin) is about the only international brand not available in the UAE. I found a couple of bottles once at Dubai Airport, but that's pretty much it.

I bring it in by the dozen, whenever I travel overseas.

Er dude you can buy it in Spinneys, because that's what I use! The girly stick version though, but it's there.

Chocoholic wrote:

secretdubai wrote:It is however ironic that the world's best deodorant, Mitchums (mega strong but bizarrely gentle on sensitive/shaved skin) is about the only international brand not available in the UAE. I found a couple of bottles once at Dubai Airport, but that's pretty much it.

I bring it in by the dozen, whenever I travel overseas.

Er dude you can buy it in Spinneys, because that's what I use! The girly stick version though, but it's there.

Really - wow - I've never seen it. I generally prefer the roll on, but I'll have a look out for the stick.

First thought was along the same lines as all others here - taxi drivers are the stinkers...

But it dawned on me... they must be so used to their own stench and hence the smell of deodorant, perfumes and colognes (that passengers wear)must be rather offensive to them as it kills their stink glands. So the only recourse is to throw us out - simple!

taxi drivers throwing out passengers? maybe the passengers are throwing themselves out, i guess u havent tried the "sharing taxi" experience, youll know what i mean when u get there