Strange habits you have

[kphoger]

It's especially interesting for her, because she cooks dinner for a family of five–without really being able to check how it tastes along the way.  Every so often, she has to call someone else into the kitchen to taste-test the food.

[hbelkins]

Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed.

Why are you keeping your clean clothes and your dirty clothes together? Clean clothes should be folded and go in a closet or drawer. Dirty clothes go in a hamper, a basket, or on the floor.

[tolbs17]

I wake up late and forget to dress appropriately.

[Scott5114]

Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed.

Why are you keeping your clean clothes and your dirty clothes together? Clean clothes should be folded and go in a closet or drawer. Dirty clothes go in a hamper, a basket, or on the floor.

Occasionally there's a case where a garment is not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty. For example, say I put on a pair of shorts to go check the mail and wear them for an hour, then take a shower. Are the shorts dirty or not?

[kphoger]

Occasionally there's a case where a garment is not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty.

Yes, and the temporary staging area for those articles of clothing is... on the floor next to my bed.  Some stuff has been there for days, some for weeks, some for probably months.  The Lord only know how clean or dirty it was when I first put it down there.

Not clean enough to put back in the drawer/closet, not dirty enough to put in the basket.  But also possibly the wrong season to wear it...

[webny99]

Yikes. If there's any ambiguity as to whether something is clean or dirty, I decide right then and there whether I'd wear it again or not and it goes either back in the drawer or in the laundry.

On the subject of smell, I certainly don't smell clothes to decide their status, but I do have a habit of smelling new foods before tasting them.

[kphoger]

Yikes. If there's any ambiguity as to whether something is clean or dirty, I decide right then and there whether I'd wear it again or not and it goes either back in the drawer or in the laundry.

On the subject of smell, I certainly don't smell clothes to decide their status, but I do have a habit of smelling new foods before tasting them.

I don't put not-quite-dirty-yet clothes back in the drawer, because I assume everything in the drawer is straight from the laundry–meaning it's 100% clean.  (By the way, for me, this pretty much only pertains to pants, because I wear them multiple days before putting them in the basket.  If I switch pants after only a day or two, then the old ones aren't dirty enough for the laundry yet.  But sometimes that pair is one I only rarely wear.)

Also....  Yeah, who decides clothing cleanliness by sniff test?  Did you sweat in that shirt? then toss it in the basket.  Did you spill on those pants? then toss them in the basket.  Is that mark on your underw...............nevermind.

[Scott5114]

I will sniff clothes in the rare event that I don't remember how long I wore them or if I did anything particularly strenuous in them. Sometimes just going out to check the mail is enough to make them dirty. Sometimes I can wear them for a couple of hours at a time and they'll still be clean. It just depends. I normally don't sweat enough to notice when I am sweating.

This is more of an issue if you spend most of your time at home and thus don't have specific, set times when things have to happen. If you work a traditional shift job and put on clean clothes before work, then when you arrive home nine hours later your clothes are clearly dirty.

[webny99]

Yikes. If there's any ambiguity as to whether something is clean or dirty, I decide right then and there whether I'd wear it again or not and it goes either back in the drawer or in the laundry.
...

I don't put not-quite-dirty-yet clothes back in the drawer, because I assume everything in the drawer is straight from the laundry–meaning it's 100% clean. 

I'm OK with mixing the 100% clean stuff with anything >50% clean. If it's clean enough to wear again, I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't have rights to the drawer.

If you work a traditional shift job and put on clean clothes before work, then when you arrive home nine hours later your clothes are clearly dirty.

Oh, there are plenty of people who wear the same stuff multiple days in a row without getting it washed. I'm not one of those people - I rotate through 3-4 outfits with a fresh one each day - but such people definitely exist.

[CoreySamson]

I usually just throw my dirty clothes straight into the hamper after I wear them, without reusing (unless it's necessary, like wearing my thickest socks two days in a row a couple weeks ago to get through the coldpocalypse), and if there's any ambiguity as to whether it's clean, then I just put it in the hamper. I also put clothes straight from the store or Amazon straight in the hamper as well. I almost never wash my jackets, though.

[index]

I chew on plastic bottle caps after I finish the bottle until it's ground up to a pulpy, plasticy mess. I've had this habit for probably like, 12 years. Somewhere around that. I wonder how much plastic I've inadvertently swallowed over the years.

18 minus 12 is 6, so you've been doing this since you were a 6 year-old?

Yes.

Do y'all have foods that change from being good to nasty more than once, and you don't know when it'll change?

A few foods that I used to love have been ruined for me after I recovered from covid. Peanut butter was once delicious, now it tastes wretched. Although I think I'm slowly starting to recover my sense of taste four months on, fortunately.

I'm sorry to hear that. I had the virus back in the beginning of November (right around the election). I lost my sense of smell, though thankfully my taste was completely unaffected. Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed. Glad to hear I'm not alone with these long-term side effects. There's still hope!

Same here - I too had COVID in early November, and also lost my sense of smell while retaining taste (unlike my fiancée, who lost both smell & taste).  While it has since returned for the most part, there are certain things that smell & taste different than they used to.  For instance, honey-nut cheerios now taste slightly metallic to me, and my fiancée finds that scrambled eggs always taste burnt to her now.
But the big one is that my farts smell way different to me now than they ever did before

A few of my family members got COVID. My brother and sister-in-law during the time they had it, didn't lose their sense of smell, but according to them, everything smelled like onions and sweat and tasted like how sweat smells. I can imagine how fun that must've been.

[1995hoo]

Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed.

Why are you keeping your clean clothes and your dirty clothes together? Clean clothes should be folded and go in a closet or drawer. Dirty clothes go in a hamper, a basket, or on the floor.

Occasionally there's a case where a garment is not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty. For example, say I put on a pair of shorts to go check the mail and wear them for an hour, then take a shower. Are the shorts dirty or not?

Wait, are you saying you wear a pair of shorts–or, for that matter, a pair of jeans or other trousers–only once before washing them? If they got something on them I would understand that, but otherwise, these are exactly the sorts of things I wear more than once. Sweatshirts, too, since I wear either a t-shirt or an old collared short-sleeve shirt underneath. But socks, underwear, shirts worn without an undershirt (such as Polo-style), or dress shirts (because they wrinkle too much to wear again) all get worn more than once. I don't wear dress shirts all that often since I started telecommuting, though. I wear sweatshirts most days during the winter, sweaters less frequently.

[kenarmy]

Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed.

Why are you keeping your clean clothes and your dirty clothes together? Clean clothes should be folded and go in a closet or drawer. Dirty clothes go in a hamper, a basket, or on the floor.

Occasionally there's a case where a garment is not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty. For example, say I put on a pair of shorts to go check the mail and wear them for an hour, then take a shower. Are the shorts dirty or not?

Wait, are you saying you wear a pair of shorts–or, for that matter, a pair of jeans or other trousers–only once before washing them? If they got something on them I would understand that, but otherwise, these are exactly the sorts of things I wear more than once. Sweatshirts, too, since I wear either a t-shirt or an old collared short-sleeve shirt underneath. But socks, underwear, shirts worn without an undershirt (such as Polo-style), or dress shirts (because they wrinkle too much to wear again) all get worn more than once. I don't wear dress shirts all that often since I started telecommuting, though. I wear sweatshirts most days during the winter, sweaters less frequently.

\
My sweat level and my time spent outside determines whether I wash something again. But this usually doesn't apply to my sweatshirts and jackets.

[1995hoo]

Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed.

Why are you keeping your clean clothes and your dirty clothes together? Clean clothes should be folded and go in a closet or drawer. Dirty clothes go in a hamper, a basket, or on the floor.

Occasionally there's a case where a garment is not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty. For example, say I put on a pair of shorts to go check the mail and wear them for an hour, then take a shower. Are the shorts dirty or not?

Wait, are you saying you wear a pair of shorts–or, for that matter, a pair of jeans or other trousers–only once before washing them? If they got something on them I would understand that, but otherwise, these are exactly the sorts of things I wear more than once. Sweatshirts, too, since I wear either a t-shirt or an old collared short-sleeve shirt underneath. But socks, underwear, shirts worn without an undershirt (such as Polo-style), or dress shirts (because they wrinkle too much to wear again) all get worn more than once. I don't wear dress shirts all that often since I started telecommuting, though. I wear sweatshirts most days during the winter, sweaters less frequently.

\
My sweat level and my time spent outside determines whether I wash something again. But this usually doesn't apply to my sweatshirts and jackets.

Sweat level does make sense and I should have noted that after something like golf, my shorts will go in the wash (not just due to sweat, but also due to sticking tees and golf balls in my pockets). Yard work, too. Given that the wind chill was 18° this morning, golf was not uppermost in my mind when I made my prior comment!

[kphoger]

Yikes. If there's any ambiguity as to whether something is clean or dirty, I decide right then and there whether I'd wear it again or not and it goes either back in the drawer or in the laundry.
...

I don't put not-quite-dirty-yet clothes back in the drawer, because I assume everything in the drawer is straight from the laundry–meaning it's 100% clean. 

I'm OK with mixing the 100% clean stuff with anything >50% clean. If it's clean enough to wear again, I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't have rights to the drawer.

If you put a 60%-clean shirt back in the drawer, then take it out two weeks later assuming it's 100% clean, then at the end of the day it's theoretically only 30% clean–but how can you keep track of that?

Another common reason for me is that I often wear two layers.  Sometimes, the undershirt gets sweaty but the outer shirt is still pretty clean.  Other times, I got something on the outer shirt but the undershirt is still pretty clean.  In those cases, I toss one in the basket but wear the other for one more day.  But, if that one more day isn't the very next day, then I "stage" it somewhere on the floor, on a chair, on top of the bed...

[JoePCool14]

Four months later now, and my smell is still practically non-existent. Really annoying when I'm trying to figure out when clothes need to be washed.

Why are you keeping your clean clothes and your dirty clothes together? Clean clothes should be folded and go in a closet or drawer. Dirty clothes go in a hamper, a basket, or on the floor.

Occasionally there's a case where a garment is not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty. For example, say I put on a pair of shorts to go check the mail and wear them for an hour, then take a shower. Are the shorts dirty or not?

This right here. Shorts I wear in my dorm, when it's 30 degrees outside, I'm not leaving with them on. If I'm not using them for exercise, then how long are they "good" for? Obviously for some types of clothes, it's clear-cut that after they're worn, they need to be washed.

It's tough for things like jackets where the amount of time they're worn and how dirty they get in that time is where it is most difficult. Needless to say, I've had to become very conservative as to deciding when to wash. But like I said, I'm at college and have to pay for laundry and also don't have an infinite supply of clothes.

Basically, I hate it. 

[webny99]

I'm OK with mixing the 100% clean stuff with anything >50% clean. If it's clean enough to wear again, I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't have rights to the drawer.

If you put a 60%-clean shirt back in the drawer, then take it out two weeks later assuming it's 100% clean, then at the end of the day it's theoretically only 30% clean–but how can you keep track of that?

Two weeks later!? Not to get too far into the weeds, but I dress fairly simply and don't have a ton of clothes to begin with, so everything I wear gets turned over within a week and sometimes multiple times per week. I only have, at most, about five or six items for which this is even applicable, so it never occurred to me that "keeping track" might be necessary.

Another common reason for me is that I often wear two layers.  Sometimes, the undershirt gets sweaty but the outer shirt is still pretty clean.

Perhaps this is another "strange habit" of mine: I don't like wearing undershirts and avoid them if at all possible. I do find they're necessary underneath white or otherwise very light-colored dress shirts, but that's about it, and even then I take pains to make sure the undershirt doesn't stick out above the top button. I never wear tank tops either, so maybe there's a trend here.

[kphoger]

Two weeks later!? Not to get too far into the weeds, but I dress fairly simply and don't have a ton of clothes to begin with, so everything I wear gets turned over within a week and sometimes multiple times per week. I only have, at most, about five or six items for which this is even applicable, so it never occurred to me that "keeping track" might be necessary.

I'm 39 years old, and I couldn't tell you the last time I threw a shirt away.  I mean, it has to be in threads before I do.  So, any new shirt I get as a Christmas present, any new dress shirt I buy, they all just get added to the "inventory".  Just yesterday, I wore a T-shirt under a dress shirt;  I've had the dress shirt for probably two years, but I've had the T-shirt for probably 20 years or so.  There are T-shirts down at the bottom of the drawer that probably haven't seen the light of day in six months.  And yet I refuse to throw them away, because for some reason I feel like that's wasteful.

Perhaps this is another "strange habit" of mine: I don't like wearing undershirts and avoid them if at all possible. I do find they're necessary underneath white or otherwise very light-colored dress shirts, but that's about it, and even then I take pains to make sure the undershirt doesn't stick out above the top button. I never wear tank tops either, so maybe there's a trend here.

You have body fat.  I don't.  I need layers to keep me warm in the winter.  Then, during the heat of summer, I use undershirts as a protective layer to soak up the sweat so it doesn't soak through the "main" shirt.

[webny99]

I'm 39 years old, and I couldn't tell you the last time I threw a shirt away.  I mean, it has to be in threads before I do.  So, any new shirt I get as a Christmas present, any new dress shirt I buy, they all just get added to the "inventory".  Just yesterday, I wore a T-shirt under a dress shirt;  I've had the dress shirt for probably two years, but I've had the T-shirt for probably 20 years or so.  There are T-shirts down at the bottom of the drawer that probably haven't seen the light of day in six months.  And yet I refuse to throw them away, because for some reason I feel like that's wasteful.

But do you actually wear all that stuff, though? I have plenty of old stuff in my closet, some of which is ripped or otherwise unfit to be worn, some of which no longer fits, and some of which I just don't like the style of and have either never worn or quit wearing. I'm also notoriously picky (nothing bright or bold, no black jeans, no shorts except for swim shorts, only certain types of patterned shirts), so the inventory of stuff I actually wear is maybe 20% of my total inventory.

You have body fat.  I don't.  I need layers to keep me warm in the winter.  Then, during the heat of summer, I use undershirts as a protective layer to soak up the sweat so it doesn't soak through the "main" shirt.

That's fair. It's mostly just a matter of personal preference, and you are correct that I do have some body fat, which is no doubt a factor.

[J N Winkler]

Also....  Yeah, who decides clothing cleanliness by sniff test?  Did you sweat in that shirt? then toss it in the basket.  Did you spill on those pants? then toss them in the basket.  Is that mark on your underw...............nevermind.

I will sniff clothes in the rare event that I don't remember how long I wore them or if I did anything particularly strenuous in them. Sometimes just going out to check the mail is enough to make them dirty. Sometimes I can wear them for a couple of hours at a time and they'll still be clean. It just depends. I normally don't sweat enough to notice when I am sweating.

Socks (if worn all day) and underwear are pretty much the only things I wash after wearing for one day.  Everything else gets the sniff test and visual inspection.  Visible salt deposits around the armpits and at the small of the back, grime and yellow discoloration on the collar of a dress shirt after wearing with tie, etc. are all indications for washing.

The level of sweating is definitely the key variable for me.  In the summers Kansas gets, it is absolutely possible to ruin a shirt due to dye shift just by taking a reasonably vigorous two-mile walk in the evening when relative humidity climbs to its daily maximum.  Even a leather belt has enough dye to leave marks on clothing and furniture if you are sweating gallons.  For this reason, I typically change into a separate set of clothes ("sweat suit," not to be confused with a sweatsuit) when I go out into the heat and humidity.  It consists of pale beige khaki trousers without belt, a white cotton T-shirt (no dyes to shift), and a pale yellow polyester-blend button-up sportfisher's shirt (wears like iron).  It is very helpful in keeping sweat off the clothing I wear indoors with A/C, though these do not last as long between washes in the summer as they do in the winter because indoor temperature and humidity are higher (78° F in summer, which for me represents an almost intolerable maximum, versus 72° F in winter).

Perhaps this is another "strange habit" of mine: I don't like wearing undershirts and avoid them if at all possible. I do find they're necessary underneath white or otherwise very light-colored dress shirts, but that's about it, and even then I take pains to make sure the undershirt doesn't stick out above the top button. I never wear tank tops either, so maybe there's a trend here.

I am a big believer in wearing undershirts underneath dress shirts of whatever color, not just to meet dress expectations that are typically left unstated (most dress codes will not explicitly specify that undershirts be worn with button-up shirts, but doing so sends a signal that you know how to dress well) and to intercept sweat, but also to help the outer shirt sit on the upper body in a pleasing way.  I wear short-sleeved T-shirts instead of strap undershirts, pay a little extra for thicker fabric, aim for loose fit around the armpits (tight fit greatly increases apparent body odor, often to the extent that it filters through the outer shirt, and results in contact stains that won't wash out), and choose a V-neck instead of a round collar when wearing a dress shirt with the top button left undone.

As for whether the undershirt being visible beneath the outer shirt is a solecism, I think that depends on context.  For smart casual dress I avoid it (hence the V-necks), but I think you really need a T-shirt to be visible underneath the flannel button-up (hence round collar) to pull off the lumbersexual look.

[webny99]

I am a big believer in wearing undershirts underneath dress shirts of whatever color, not just to meet dress expectations that are typically left unstated (most dress codes will not explicitly specify that undershirts be worn with button-up shirts, but doing so sends a signal that you know how to dress well) and to intercept sweat, but also to help the outer shirt sit on the upper body in a pleasing way.  I wear short-sleeved T-shirts instead of strap undershirts, pay a little extra for thicker fabric, aim for loose fit around the armpits (tight fit greatly increases apparent body odor, often to the extent that it filters through the outer shirt, and results in contact stains that won't wash out), and choose a V-neck instead of a round collar when wearing a dress shirt with the top button left undone.

That's fair. Part of my preference not to wear an undershirt stems from trying to save as much time as possible in the morning, as I don't consider an everyday work setting formal enough for an undershirt to be worth the extra time. In a more formal setting, though, and especially under a white or light-colored shirt, undershirts are a must, not just as a sign that you know how to dress well, but also because such shirts are close to see-through in certain types of lighting.

I've never understood why some guys wear tank-top undershirts (or "strap" undershirts, as you call them). Leaving your armpits uncovered renders the undershirt useless for sweat absorption in the area where it's most important.

I think you really need a T-shirt to be visible underneath the flannel button-up (hence round collar) to pull off the lumbersexual look.

Absolutely! I might even posit a reverse phrasing: having the flannel button-up on top of the T-shirt is the necessary part of the look. That is a context that didn't occur to me when posting my prior comment, and in fact, I'm quite amused just thinking of myself with that look. I've never had a beard and never will, and can probably count on one hand the number of times I've worn a flannel shirt. It can look quite sharp, but it's not for me.

[kphoger]

I've never understood why some guys wear tank-top undershirts (or "strap" undershirts, as you call them). Leaving your armpits uncovered renders the undershirt useless for sweat absorption in the area where it's most important.

I use deodorant on my armpits, but not on my back.

[Scott5114]

I've never understood why some guys wear tank-top undershirts (or "strap" undershirts, as you call them). Leaving your armpits uncovered renders the undershirt useless for sweat absorption in the area where it's most important.

Having the sleeves of a T-shirt crammed into the sleeves of a long-sleeved shirt can be pretty uncomfortable. Although you're right about the sweat absorption. I've tried both and they both kind of have their downsides.

[webny99]

I use deodorant on my armpits, but not on my back.

If you're saying the undershirt is more important for your back, I suppose I could buy that... if you're doing a lot of sweating...

Having the sleeves of a T-shirt crammed into the sleeves of a long-sleeved shirt can be pretty uncomfortable.

Come to think of it, of all my issues with undershirts, this has never been one. I've had some that I found uncomfortable in general, but it wasn't specific to the sleeves.

[kphoger]

I use deodorant on my armpits, but not on my back.

If you're saying the undershirt is more important for your back, I suppose I could buy that... if you're doing a lot of sweating...

Just driving in the car in hot weather makes my back sweat, and I can't stand it sticking to both my skin and the car seat.  (I also have one of those wooden bead things for the driver's seat.)