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The original was posted on /r/twoxchromosomes by /u/AnxietyKeepsMeSpicy on 2023-09-10 22:07:45.

I really don’t know where else to post or ask this, hoping I can get some insight and advice!

My sister and I are very close in age, about 30, and have been living together for about 5 months. It was great being sisters so close in age, and we continue to have a good relationship.

She moved out of state to be with me (childhood home state sucked). We got a two bedroom that was completely renovated, so nobody had lived in it before us. This is important because it leads me to believe that the smell in her room is from her, and not some past tenant.

It gets complicated though, because she’s not a gross, messy, or unhygienic person.

She is generally tidy, not as clean as me but pretty tidy. Her room often has some clothes strung around, but that’s it. She does laundry weekly, including bedding, and she never ever eats in her room. There is zero garbage in there. She also leaves her window open all day except at nighttime because she’s aware of the smell.

It’s hard to describe the smell. It’s sort of musty, yet sharp, but not like body odor or mold. It’s just an odd smell - but I hate it. I hate when her door is open, so I often close it. I can smell it in my room, or downstairs even, when her door is open. I smell it on her, at lower levels, when she’s on the couch beside me. It honestly really, really bothers me, but I don’t know what to do about it. Honestly, I think it just must be her? I know certain things, like diet, can affect a person’s scent, but I can’t figure it out.

We eat generally the same things. We do laundry at a Laundromat, but we go to the same place, and I don’t have this smell, so it’s not like it’s something in the water. She does have a dog, but so do I, and it’s not close to dog smell. She showers daily. She doesn’t use any uncommon products. She never noticed this smell until she moved here, though, and I never noticed it when I went to visit her back home.

She has had a drastic change in diet/exercise since moving in with me and has lost a ton of weight (which is AMAZING). She’s generally a lot happier here.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice? Like I mentioned, she is aware of this smell, and remarks she doesn’t like it either. She suspects it’s the paint on the windowsill because the sun hits it but - that seems far fetched, idk. I don’t think it bothers her like it does me, since she lives in it and I can’t stand it.

I feel bad and I don’t want to make her feel disgusting, since it’s not something she’s doing wrong, but I also want to try and problem solve this for my own sake.