But keep in mind your bra is basically wedged in your pits all day long, so it collects sweat and bacteria — and that can cause a stink and break down the fabric. Dr. Gupta suggests rotating between a few bras each week so they have the chance to air out. Take your bra off at night, and wash it after a few wears.
You can try spritzing smelly spots with vodka or diluted vinegar, and then letting the bra air-dry. If that doesn't do the trick, cleaning expert Jolie Kerr (of Ask A Clean Person fame) recommends Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap for nixing really stubborn smells.
In addition to sweat, apocrine glands release substances like fat and proteins that can lead to body odor when sweat mixes with the normal bacteria found on the skin. Apocrine glands are mainly located in the groin, armpits, and around the nipples, so these areas may have an odor.
If you have diabetes, a change in body odor could be a sign of diabetes-related ketoacidosis. High ketone levels cause your blood to become acidic and your body odor to be fruity. In the case of liver or kidney disease, your odor may give off a bleach-like smell due to toxin buildup in your body.
If your breath smells like acetone -- the same fruity scent as nail polish remover -- it may be a sign of high levels of ketones (acids your liver makes) in your blood. It's a problem mainly of type 1 diabetes but also can happen with type 2 if you get a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
Your belly button is home to many types of bacteria. You may also have fungi (like the yeast called Candida) and other germs in there. Combine that with dead skin cells and the natural oils from your skin and you've got the recipe for an unpleasant odor. Infection.
Protein breaks down into amino acids, which the body converts into ammonia. The body then releases this ammonia through urine and sweat, which may produce an odor. Dehydration can also make the sweat smell like ammonia. This is because the body needs water to get rid of ammonia through sweat.
While sweat itself doesn't smell, you may develop body odor when there is the presence of bacteria on your skin. This is particularly why sweaty breasts smell sour or musky. Body odor comes from bacteria on the skin, which breaks down sweat produced by the apocrine glands.
"The 'rule' is that a bra should be washed after every wear, since it's directly in contact with the body," laundry expert Mary Marlowe Leverette told PureWow. "Body oils, perspiration, and bacteria are transferred to the fabric and if left in the fibers will begin to break down the fabric—especially elastic fibers."
How often you need to wash your bras isn't an exact science. But dermatologist Alok Vij, MD, says that as a general rule, you should wash them after every two to three wears.
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncommon condition that causes an unpleasant, fishy smell. It's also called "fish odour syndrome". Sometimes it's caused by faulty genes that a person inherits from their parents, but this isn't always the case. There's currently no cure, but there are things that can help.
Vaginal odor can be caused by diet, sweating, menstruation, or pregnancy. It can sometimes also be caused by infections like bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis.
Because skin folds are warm and moist, they provide ideal conditions for Candida albicans (yeast), other fungi, or bacteria to take hold.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to urine that smells sweet or fruity. What does pre-diabetic urine smell like? In most cases, prediabetes won't cause changes to urine smells.
Skin conditions
Internal health issues may result in unpleasant body odors (BO), as well, such as liver and kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, which can lead to excessive sweat and increased BO. Stagg recommends talking with your doctor if you notice a strong smell from your skin.
Many people with diabetes will describe themselves as feeling tired, lethargic or fatigued at times. It could be a result of stress, hard work or a lack of a decent night's sleep but it could also be related to having too high or too low blood glucose levels.
The symptoms you experience won't exactly match those of another person. However, the most common diabetes symptoms experienced by many people with diabetes are increased thirst, increased urination, feeling tired and losing weight. To find out more about common diabetes symptoms and what causes them, watch our video.
The main symptoms of diabetes are: feeling very thirsty. urinating more frequently than usual, particularly at night. feeling very tired.
How Often You Should Wash Your Sheets (And How to Get Them Really Clean) Experts recommend washing or changing sheets once a week.
As a general rule of thumb, it's important to have a healthy rotation of bras at the ready so that you're never left blindsided — and bare chested. All things considered, we'd suggest owning 11 bras in total in a couple of distinctive styles that range from everyday to on-occasion.