Dear Eric: My dad lives about 10 minutes from me. I love to do things with him. There is one problem: the inside of his car smells horrible. Not from anything in particular, but rather just years of neglect. It makes me avoid trips with him. Should I offer to do a deep clean? How should I approach this? This will take more than hanging a fragrance tree on his rearview mirror. Thoughts?

– Car Odor-meter

Dear Car: It’s possible that your father has become desensitized to the smell or that his sense of smell has changed or gotten less sensitive. So, it could be helpful to gently point out that there’s an odor and offer a simple solution. If it’s getting in the way of your desire to spend time together, better to navigate a semi-awkward conversation, briefly, than to miss out on quality time

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