Dear Freshmen: Please shower

Dear Freshmen,

It’s that time of year again, the time that an unpleasant topic needs to be addressed. For many of you, this is the longest you’ve gone without parental supervision; however, this is still no excuse for poor hygiene.

You can’t make a good impression if the thing someone remembers most is the way you smelled. It is also very unfair to other students who want to be able to listen to lecture without distracting and unpleasant smells from the person next to them.

Every dorm and apartment on campus has access to showers and there are coin-operated laundries in many places. Standing in the line in the Hangar or Union Market, we should be able to smell the food and not the person standing in front of us. So, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind.

1) Carpet Fresh® and Febreze® are not bath/body products. Really. It does not hide B.O. and only makes it more obnoxiously noticeable. A general rule of thumb: cologne and perfume should only be strong enough that someone will smell it when hugging you or standing very close. If you need more than that, you may want to rethink whether you need more cologne or a few minutes with some soap and water.

2) If you are walking fast and far between classes or from dorms, put a small travel-sized deodorant/antiperspirant in your backpack so you can use it during the day if needed. A small pack of baby-wipes is also great to keep in your backpack for the same reasons.

3) If budget is the issue, bar soaps are more economical than gels so they will save you a lot of money over time, especially if you store them so that they air dry quickly after use. They work just as well as the gels and last longer

4) No matter how clean you are, if your clothes smell then you will too.  There are many tips that can help keep your clothes fresh between washings so check out next week’s article for laundry tips.