When a scent lingers too long in the sink

This has been affecting my wife lately.  She is blessed or cursed with an extremely sensitive sense of smell.  Strong scents can cause aggravation, even sinusitis-like reactions.  I think it may have been at least partly induced growing up in a home where both parents smoked 2+ packs per day.  I received a bunch of samples recently, and one that I thought would be okay just really made her time in the bathroom unpleasant.

Now, I am to blame, as 1) I know better, but got carried away with this traditional shaving hobby/obsession, and 2) I should have let her sniff test the scents, as I did with some others in the citrus category.

I could not smell a scent, at least not strongly, as I shaved. That night after work, I could smell it in the badger brush and on the face towel. So my sense of smell must have been overwhelmed or whatever the case that I don't smell it, whereas she had it sensitize her nose in a bad way.

What we have now is a mostly fixed issue, but she still detects some scent from the drain.  I have noticed myself that I can smell shaving soap smells in the sink after shaving that morning.  My best guess is that some for of soap scum has stuck in the drain.  I will be trying some cleaner, even though my wife insists that even though she can detect it, the odor is no longer making her run away.

Any thoughts or comments will be read and appreciated, but no snipes at my wife, please.  

She already thought I was nuts for using such a dangerous thing like a DE blade (she was teasing!).  It gave me the opportunity to explain how nicking myself with a DE is so much nicer than the multi-slit gill look of nicking with a 6-blade cartridge.    

How about unscented soaps when you shave and apply your aftershave or cologne before you leave for work for the day or even apply those in the car or at the office itself. Balms? They tend to be less potent than aftershave and or some soaps out there. Worst case scenario you just have to use unscented soaps and balms.

I think some of these scents can be very overwhelming for sure. I can understand, as a former smoker that hasn't touched a cigarette in 15 years, I can't be around cigarette smoke, it makes me sick.

Hopefully it gets better or go the unscented way, then you have an excuse to buy more colognes, lol.....

How about unscented soaps when you shave and apply your aftershave or cologne before you leave for work for the day or even apply those in the car or at the office itself. Balms? They tend to be less potent than aftershave and or some soaps out there. Worst case scenario you just have to use unscented soaps and balms.

I think some of these scents can be very overwhelming for sure. I can understand, as a former smoker that hasn't touched a cigarette in 15 years, I can't be around cigarette smoke, it makes me sick.

Hopefully it gets better or go the unscented way, then you have an excuse to buy more colognes, lol.....

Yes, I have gone almost entirely unscented, which is how I started this journey. I just got too carried away and assumed (I know, never assume!) that since I didn't smell anything then she wouldn't, either.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated!

Hi MaineYooper , my wife has an extremely keen and sensitive sense of smell as well. She finds some soaps that I use strong and will comment [Neumann 1911 for instance] as it does seem to linger so I typically only use during the work week, even if it dissipates quickly.

She also is very averse to cologne [I have never worn], strongly scented deodorants and some AS. She would honostly likely prefer that I use no AS but tolerates those she feels smell "clean". Clubman, etc. I only use during the work week for instance.

As to the sink, I rinse my razor in as hot a tap water as I have which must rinse the soap residue down the drain as she has never commented and I had never thought about it until now but you bring up a good point.

I do keep the sink clean as well with a regular scrub and use either Bar Keepers Friend or Scrubbing Bubbles which on rinsing down the drain may also help.

Good luck!

Thanks kwsher for the comments.  Our wives seem to have similar olfactory centers!  I do seem to have harder water, so I am thinking that I have some soap scum build up in the immediate sink drain pipe.  I found that most of the scum build up in the sink from shaving has been reduced when I add 1/4 tsp of citric acid to my basin of water.  

In the good news side, the unscented soaps have a nice natural smell, more to my liking than aftershaves or colognes.  Like you, I have never been a cologne wearer. And about ten years ago or so, I was having skin irritation on my face, with lots of redness, and was diagnosed with rosacea.  So certain things topically as well as some foods can trigger an outbreak of the redness with pimple-like bumps. What I found is that unscented stuff is best.  Normally I'd never bother with scented soap.  But some tallow based samples of shaving soaps were just leaving my skin feeling great so, like I said, I got carried away and ordered scented soaps.

Anyhow, I appreciate the helpful comments!

Hi MaineYooper, I'm sorry that your wife suffers because of your shaving products. Its rarely our intention to offend those around us. I have never been a cologne wearer and I've always used unscented deodorant but I distinguish between cologne and aftershave (which i do use) as the aftershave provides an antiseptic, soothing and conditioning role in addition to scent. In any case I've always believed in subtle and judicious use of scent but I realize that for people with sensitivities even subtle can be too much especially when it comes to certain classes of scent. I don't know what your living accommodations are but if there's a second bathroom in the house maybe that one should become yours for shaving purposes and you can keep scented products well away from the spaces your wife frequents. We renovated the second bathroom last year and while it still is technically the kids' bathroom, they're away at school 8 months of the year so it is slowly becoming my bathroom. There was a reason I installed electric heating mats under the tile floor Of course my wife wants the master bathroom done next. We'll put floor heating in there too.
Happy wife Happy life.
Mark

To deodorize your bathroom sink drain, have you tried putting a couple of handfuls of baking soda in the sink, pouring on some white vinegar and letting it fizz for a few minutes and then running the hot water (or pour some boiling water down the drain)?

To deodorize your bathroom sink drain, have you tried putting a couple of handfuls of baking soda in the sink, pouring on some white vinegar and letting it fizz for a few minutes and then running the hot water (or pour some boiling water down the drain)?

Great idea!  I used to teach high school chemistry, you'd think I'd remember the fun stuff!!!
Thanks for the tip,

My ability to smell is not very good now.

I wish that I could smell things better.