# Cubicle neighbor is stinky...or his clothes are. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937 "2013-06-13T23:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smaje1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@smaje1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaje1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/1 "2013-06-13T23:00:34Z")
I’m getting hit by waves of _blech_ from the general vicinity of my very nice cubicle neighbor. At first, I wasn’t sure if he was actually stinky, or if my ultra-sensitive pregnancy nose was just getting jumpy. But when he stepped away for lunch yesterday, I snuck over to his cube to do a sniff test. Lo and behold, it’s his motorcycle-riding hear – helmet and jacket. They stink. And he hangs them up on a peg that’s directly in my line of scent. I have a feeling my manager would prefer that I speak with him about this first, without approaching my cube-mate. Anyone else ever have an awkward conversation like that with a co-worker, or did you go straight to management or HR? Ugh, it stinks. And we’re not allowed to have candles or scented things on our desks; otherwise, I would just try to cover up the smell. And it seems to be getting worse as the days get warmer… ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/2 "2013-06-14T03:04:35Z")
Best is to get him to clean them himself. Next time you step over there while he’s away for lunch, bring some deer lure scent with you. Or male cat piss. Apply liberally, then retreat. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/3 "2013-06-14T03:08:42Z")
You have a built in excuse, since you mentioned your ultra-sensitive pregnancy nose. “Hey, coworker? I have a favor to ask. I’ve been having trouble with my sense of smell going incredibly wonky on me, and for some reason, your motorcycle leathers are setting it off. Pretty please, could you hang them on the other side? I’d really appreciate it.” ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/4 "2013-06-14T05:08:02Z")
As a biker, I didn’t know how much my leathers stunk until someone mentioned it to me. I happen to think that the smell of old leather and oil is a good smell, but that’s just me. When my coworker said something about the smell, I took steps to prevent it. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/5 "2013-06-15T04:14:44Z")
Most motorcyclists _know_ that their helmets and leathers get stinky. I certainly do. Especially helmets. Anyway, you can handle this. Don’t go to management. That’s pretty aggressive. Just tell him you can smell his gear. You’re not telling him that _he_ stinks, just his protective gear. Based on experience, the helmet might be worse than the leather jacket. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/6 "2013-06-15T13:35:42Z")
I don’t think your going to damage his ego by telling him his leather stinks. I can’t imagine anyone who would be offended by that. It’s like gym shoes, you expect them to stink. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubicle-neighbor-is-stinky-or-his-clothes-are/660937/7 "2013-06-15T13:54:30Z")
Yes, it’s not like saying HE stinks, so I doubt he’d be terribly offended. Putting them in a trash bag with a baking soda-filled sachet may be a temporary solution, or maybe you could give him a big Rubbermaid-type container to seal them into.