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30 August 2009

What to do?

Duane has a very good friend, "A," whom he has known for a number of years. The truth is, i'm not very comfortable with A, & while i'm very happy for him to be Duane's friend, i prefer not to be a threesome to dinner or errands very often.

Duane & A do some activities together, & usually A drives & Duane helps with gas money. Last week (when i was home, not in OC) they went to an activity together & Duane drove. Later that evening Duane & i went to town together & when we got in the car i kept smelling something funny. After about a
minute i said, "You drove when you went with A to the pre-event set up, didn't you?" Duane rather grimaced.

You see, i don't think A showers in water. I'm sure he showers in cologne.

I've not been to town in a couple of days now, but we went in this afternoon to get a light fixture for the kitchen. And, still, the car smells very heavily of that cologne. In fact, i can't rest my head back against the head rest because the smell is so strong. Both times after i've ridden in the car i've had to change my shirt when we've gotten home.

Neither Duane nor i use scent of any kind. Unscented almost everything that is product. We don't do candles or air fresheners (except sometimes i'll run a lemon thru the garbage disposal). Incense give both of us asthma. Air fresheners come close. When i used to still use chemical products & would go to Bath & Bodyworks Duane waited for me outside because it would make him ill to be in there.

These days, after so long of not using products with a lot of chemicals & scent, i have a hard time walking down the laundry isle at the grocery. (I am only on that isle to get 20 mule team borax.)
I doubt i could go into Bath & Bodyworks these days. I do use a Thieve's Oil blend made for cleaning, but in general i don't even use essential oils very much.

Yada, yada. I don't really know what to do. Because of spiders & dust & leaves & other issues, leaving the car open to air isn't really an option. I guess we'll be driving with the windows open for a while. I was thinking i'd attach a box of baking soda to the headrest. ???

I'll take pics of the light fixtures & post them soon.


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5 comments:

Linda said...

That's a tough situation. We're not quite as scent free as you are, but with two sensitive skinned red headed kids, I've had to cut out a lot. I find that I'm much more sensitive to perfumes and colognes than I used to be. Having the car smell like that would drive me nuts. Maybe the upholstery needs to be washed, or at least wiped down with a damp cloth. I don't know, but good luck.

Rosemary said...

eeeewww, that was my first response and honey, I feel your pain, that's awful!

I would suggested trying the wipe down route as well - maybe with a mild vinegar and water solution. I would also suggest a little charcoal left in the car to try and absorb some of the odor.

Patsy said...

Kathryn, the problem to me seems like more than just cologne in the air from “A.” It's that your husband has a dear friend that probably in most ways rubs you the wrong way.

If he is not involved in anything illegal or immoral (it doesn't sound like he is), then you have a tough situation.

What does your husband say about this? How much of your feelings and thoughts have you expressed to him?

Meanwhile: Maybe for Christmas you and your husband can give him a light, light scent to wear. You can go all ga-ga over it and say how manly and wonderful it smells. :-)

~Lorna
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Celeste said...

When you said Yada Yada, it reminded me of the Seinfeld Episode when a Valet Stinks up the car.

Scents make my father ill and so they were always banned at home. Even here after a year at my own, I rarely put on anything. I put on insence for the nice smell but it can give me a bad headache!

Land of shimp said...

I was going to suggest the same thing Rosemary did, put some vinegar and water in a spray bottle and give it a good spritzing. Vinegar tends to evaporate well, and not only will it likely cover up the cologne a bit, it will help it evaporate from the car more quickly.