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Comment by SandB0x | Hacker News Reader

Another related problem is hygiene. I've met too many programmers that smell. Some people don't wash, don't wear deodorant or just don't realise that their clothes need washing even if they look clean.

It's especially annoying because it's so easy to fix!

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That is a different class of problem. The health problems Zed mentions affect you, not others. Doesn't matter to your coworkers if you have wrist pain or diabetes.

On the other hard, you smelling doesn't affect you in any way (you get used to your own stench), it affects others. So this is not a health issue, it's a generic "getting along with others" issue.

It's not exactly the same, but it affects you in that people will start to avoid you as much as possible. Would you recommend someone with B.O. issues for a job?

One big distinction is that people often know they're unfit, but are normally oblivious to hygiene problems. I've never had the nerve to tell anyone myself.

Edit: It works both ways. If someone is unproductive due to their health problems, that definitely affects their coworkers. Diabetes, fair enough, but there's definitely an argument for putting many easily avoidable physical problems in the "getting along with others" category.

Edit Edit: If you're going to downvote, let's have your counter-arguments please.

I think hygiene is important, but Zed was not remiss in leaving it out of a health article. A separate article about programmer social issues would be great, though.

> Edit Edit: If you're going to downvote, let's have your counter-arguments please.

Off-topic: I also noticed that a lot of comments get some early attention from eager downvoters. I know it's frustrating. Just wait a bit for the score to settle.

It can lead to other problems though.

Thanks for the downvote, define other problems:

- not brushing your teeth can lead to caries, which in turn can cause your teeth to degrade, gum trouble and can even cause you to literally lose your teeth

- not washing can have dermatological implications, including fungi and infections

Between the toothbrush, running water and penicillin we've probably increased the average lifespan of humans by a measurable amount.

Gum disease can also lead to heart disease and stroke.

http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.heart.htm

Lack of friends and inability to get along with others leads to mental health problems though.

Honestly I never really understood this. If I don't take a shower in the morning, I'm simply not able to do anything.

The rest is just routine: new day -> new shirt; fresh cloth -> deodorant; sunday -> do laundry..

Protip: put on deodorant before shirt.

(Also, get an antiperspirant/deodorant (without aluminium/titanium if possible)).

Do not put on deodorant before shirt if deodorant is white or else you will regret it one day when you're marked with a "slash" of deodorant.

Why is this a protip? What does putting it on before or after putting a shirt on do? Sounds like personal opinion, and not a clever technique to accomplish an old task.

invisible already stated that a dark shirt and white non-gel type deodorant will most likely result in a rather embarrassing slash down the side of your shirt. One that I have been a victim of more than once. Seems like a good enough reason to get in the habit of applying it after putting on your shirt.

I smell an A/B test.

Pun not intended?

Don't forget new underwear ... you would think it wouldn't need to be said

I prefer baby powder to deodorant. Deodorant clogs your pores while baby (talcum) powder soaks up moisture. Much cheaper too!

You know, in all the time i've worked as a developer, I can honestly say I've never met a programmer who smelled or had obviously bad hygeine. Sure, I've met quite a few who dressed kind of funny, but never any that fit that particular bit of the stereotype.

When I used to work in an office we had this kid who worked with us who I don't think washed his clothes ever. He would have stains on his shirts and pants and was just generally disgusting. We finally had to tell him that he needed to clean up.

His clothes are now cleaner, but he's still pretty dirty. It's especially noticeable right after a new game comes out that he spends all night playing (WoW, and I'm told now SC2).

In the summer, it's not easy to fix. It's been quite hot here this summer, around 25-30℃ through June—August. Hot weather = sweating.

Taking a shower doesn't give you an edge over it for more than an hour: as soon as you've walked for a while or sitting in public transportation for more than five minutes, you're as soaked as before. And then you're smelling again.

You must live in a rather humid climate because that isn't too hot, it is more of a comfortable temperature.

It's just what you are used to.

Put on some deodorant after you wash and keep a stick/roll-on in your bag or at work.

If it really is unbearably hot you could even pack a spare t-shirt. An American Apparel Summer T-Shirt will fold up to the size of a wallet if you're short on space.

It's been over 32c (90f) in NYC for most of this summer and with relatively high humidity and I don't stink after being outside and taking the trains. Nor do most of the people here. I would LOVE it to be 25-30C most of the summer! In fact it's hit 37C (99f) a number of times here too!

I use one of the salt crystal rocks for deodorant, you wet it and rub it around on your pits, it works by far better than anything else I've tried for eliminating odor, especially in warm humid climates.

Rock Salt deodorant works great. For easier application, try the salt spray. It costs more, but a nice convenience. I imagine you can make your own spray by dissolving the rock in water.

Eating better makes your sweat stink less.

Gold bond medicated powder is an absolute must for me in weather > 80F. And the older you get, the more important this is as certain parts of the male anatomy uh drop lower and lower. Sad but true.

Some of us are aware of this. But it becomes less important if you are stuck in your apartment for a weekend coding and not seeing anybody. You have to take a bath in the morning when going to the office. You will smell otherwise.

A slightly related issue is that keyboards are usually incredibly dirty (especially those in public places). A habbit of touching your face after having typed on the keyboard can cause all sorts of problems.

Go on, what sort of problems?

Spots?

Acne

I'm very OC about this. Anytime I eat or feel my fingers have become oily or dirty I have to wash my hands before working on the keyboard. Of course my keyboard still gets dirty over time, but not nearly as bad as some peoples I've looked at.

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