Stinky trousers

Tweet

Several years ago, my Mum asked me and my partner if we (basically he) could cut a large branch off one of her trees with a chainsaw. The job was done, and she paid us £100 which we used to buy a pair of protective trousers – so that future chainsawing might be a bit safer! We managed to find a size that would fit either of us. Over the years most of the work with the chainsaw has been done by my partner, so I have rarely worn the trousers (no pun intended ) But yesterday I offered to go and help a friend deal with the pile of potential firewood she had collected. I found the trousers in the garage. I don’t know what it is about our garage, but it’s always freezing and damp, so not the best place to store clothes. When I came to put them on I found that the padding on the inside was actually wet and mouldy, and the whole thing was really stinky, reminiscent of a damp old wetsuit. I had to wear them of course but when I took them off I just couldn’t get rid of the horrible smell! The trousers immediately went in the washing machine, along with all the clothes I was wearing underneath – in spite of there being several layers, the stink had permeated them all! Then I had a bath! When I complained to my partner he said ‘Well I have worn them quite a lot of times’. In answer to ‘And how many times have you washed them?’ he replied that he didn’t know they were washable. I don’t know exactly how long we’ve had these trousers but my Mum died in 2011 The photo shows the washed trousers inside out, the stains and mould spots will obviously never go but at least they smell like less of a health hazard! All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2025.