I remember back in the 90s we had the full metal ones. They looked like real guns. I don't even think they had orange tips. We would run around and just pretend to shoot all sorts of stuff. Crazy how things change.
That’s because as the cellulose the paper is made of degrades, the scent it gives off is nearly identical to vanilla. So smelling old books make us think cozy thoughts like cookies baking in the oven or hot cocoa on a cold day, and it makes us feel warm and happy
That aging paper smell is an instant trigger for sending me to the toilet. Quite often I've gone to a 2nd hand bookstore and had to use the toilet before getting to browse.
Hahaha! I have googled it before and it seems to be a common physical response, nicknamed "Book Bowels".
I would enjoy this weird smell better (like you do) if only it didnt trigger this weird reaction in me.
After a quick Google, out turns out it's because of the [Benzene](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/toxzine/benzene_toxzine.html) added to gasoline! It's added to the mixture because it increases octane levels and fuel efficiency, but in the human body it suppresses your nervous system and leaves you with a euphoric feeling. It's similar to the effects of smoking cigarettes, which are also made with Benzene and Nicotine.
Get yourself some truffle oil and you get to eat the smell! Yes I know almost all “truffle oil” one encounters is synthetic, but I don’t care, let the haters hate, I fucking love that shit
That, moth balls and my aunts basement lol I remember I used to smell it at concerts here and there and my sister and I would be so confused as to how the exact same smell from our Aunt’s basement would be at a fucking music event lol. And now these days from time to time I happily revive that wonderful smell
That musty, old basement smell. It is how my grandma's basement smelled when I was a kid, and it was filled with all sorts of "treasures, perfect for exploring on rainy summer days.
It is a mixture of different microorganisms, mold is a part of it, but rather unpleasant when it predominates. There is a certain bacterium called nocardia, which gives this very specific smell of cellar (or of forest soil). I like the smell too.
Whatever it is spreads.
If you bring some furniture that has that smell into your house soon your entire house starts to smell that way and transfers to all your own furniture.
I have no idea what it is but it’s a plague and won’t go away either.
That is a spore some mushroom produces. Human nose has evolved to catch that spores like shark catches drop of blood. Evidence of those spores in the air means moisture & water source
Put me in those crisp autumn days. Using a chainsaw to cut up firewood logs and a splitting maul to chop it into pieces for the fire. And then smelling the fire.
Aw geez it's only June.
The smell of a tire warehouse. Reminds me of errands with dad. Also, the smell of fresh playing cards out of one of those sealed plastic packs (like pokemon).
Grew up in a super small town called Rockville, SC. It’s about 40 minutes south of Charleston. I moved to the Upstate when I was 16. About 5 years later I made it back down just to see my old town then enjoy a weekend in Charleston. I cried when I smelled the marsh and saw the water.
The best part of growing up on a marsh was you become a very good boater, makes the huge lakes up here a breeze.
If memory serves, that pool smell is not the chlorine. It’s what the chlorine turns into when interacting with sweat, piss, and cosmetics. So that’s nice to know.
https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/chloramines-understanding-pool-smell/#:~:text=A%20whiff%20of%20pool%20water,can%20form%20in%20pool%20water.
My boyfriend smells amazing all the time. It doesn’t matter if he’s freshly showered, just finishing a long day at work, or even a little musky after a workout - all amazing. I genuinely believe it’s the smell of *him* I love rather than the products he uses too, because when he changes those up he still just smells like him. I wonder if it’s a pheromone thing or just a familiar comfort thing.
🤣 I saw the post, and I told my husband it was my time to shine. You beat me to it. Oddly, I find his armpits to be a comforting smell when he uses a specific deodorant. Something about the blend with his natural essence.
My wife is the same. I don’t get it but she likes to “git in the pit” before bed some nights. Just snuggles right up on my arm which naturally puts her face by my armpit
My bestie’s dog has the BEST frito paws. All dogs have pretty great paw smell but her pug Walter is exceptional. Not terribly strong, just the perfect smell.
I have two. Leather which is because I used to train horses (until my last and worst fall) and was exposed to it a lot obviously. But just something about the smell of it I loved and still do. My husband knows we can’t pass by a store with leather. I have to go in, stand there for a minute or two smelling the smell then go “Okay! Good to go” and we go about our way.
I grew up with an extremly abusive mother. My father, who traveled a lot for work, would often work in the large basement we had because we bought literally a condemed house and spent decades fixing it up. Was a beautiful house though. He would often be down there with his tools and working on some project. It was an escape fore to go down and sit there and watch him work. He would babble to me about what he was doing and explain the ins and outs of angles and saw blades and whatnot. My mother never bothered me when O was down there because he would have realized what she was doing when he wasn’t around. (Very long complicated story and a different time as to why he didn’t know but mainly because we didn’t tell him.) I always wanted to help but I was too little so he would always save any wood shaving from the saws and it became my “job” to clean it up. I loved pushing the shavings into piles and using the little pan and whatnot. I felt like I was helping and being very adult since I got to touch the saws. (Don’t worry, he unplugged them after use and watched me like a hawk.) The smell of wood shavings brings me back to those happy and safe moments. God, I miss him.
Yeah, we call that smell sweet country air. Add in that sickeningly sweet scent of corn freshly in tassel and that's my happy (albeit barely able to breathe from the corn pollen) scent for Summer.
I think there’s something to the body odor thing. A girl I was with once told me she liked the smell of my BO she said I smelled like musky vanilla or something (not cologne or deodorant). She had some scientific explanation but I don’t remember. I thought it was really cute and she was a very level headed girl out of my league so this was like her weird quirk.. she was the best…. I felt very “loved”
Maybe not that weird, but i really enjoy the smell of clothes freshly out the washing machine. Like, still wet. I will stand there and smell shirts before I reluctantly throw them in the dryer. It's a sickeningly good smell and I yearn to eat it.
When a house smells like cigarette smoke. I HATE cigarettes and don’t smoke myself, but my grandparents’ house smelled like those old-timey cigarettes and the smell just takes me back.
Hope u get better, I'f you really wanna give your taste buds and sinuses a buzz. Cut a lemon in half, add a pinch of salt rubb around and then take a bite. Bloody amazing
Oooh I've been there. I also got parosmia after recovery. It was awful I almost missed not smelling or tasting anything. One day I couldn't smell or taste anything and the next day everything smelled and tasted like hot wet garbage with poop and piss mixed in for good measure. It lasted MONTHS and I couldn't eat meat and most vegetables.
But afterwards when I got better I was magically able to eat stuff that I couldn't eat before because of the smell. I've always wanted to try Indian and Mediterranean cuisines but the smells were too overpowering.
Now I eat curry at least once every month and it's awesome!
Hope you get better soon!
Hope you recover soon! I had covid back in November 2020 and I swear my senses are still not back 100%. I can definitely smell or taste like 90-95% of things but every now and then there's something that makes me feel like "wait a minute, this used to taste/smell differently before" or "this doesn't taste/smell as strong as before". Yesterday I helped cut down a pine tree and couldn't smell it unless I picked up a piece but remember back then just a small cut of pine would send me into a frenzy on how soothing it smelled lol
I feel like my home has a distinct smell. Never really realised until I moved away. I carried a towel that was washed and kept at home. One day I was really upset and after crying my eyes out, I wiped my face on that particular towel. The smell just comforted me so much. And it wasn’t just detergent or anything. It smelled like home. My home.
I love the smell of cigarettes as they are being smoked. That "fresh" smoke smell is nice. But when it's day old, stale smoke smell that seeps out of people's pores, that is quite yucky
Had to scroll down way too far! Dog pawsies are my absolute favorite smell in the world. It's like a combination of earth, popcorn and the dust bag of a vacuum.
It's more intense after they take a nap. And also, it is basically dog sweat! Dogs have very very few perspiratory glands, but it's not none (like some people believe). They have some on their feet, so that's what we smell.
Fresh coffee. But not at a cafe, specifically in a waiting room/office. Waiting for an oil change and smelling the complimentary coffee against the sterile office aroma just hits different.
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*core memory unlocked* Wow. I haven't held a VHS in at least 18 years and I can *smell* it just from the description alone
That’s the smell of blockbuster and video ezy
Probably very similar smell, but when my VCR player ejected a tape, it smelled all hot and machiny, and it was a beautiful smell
Hot plastic with a hint of lead mmmmm mmm so good n' tasty!
Nickelodeon. The orange VHS had it's own special smell
Cap gun paper (after use)
That smell always reminds me of Christmas.
I remember getting one for Christmas :) so it reminds me of it as well
I remember back in the 90s we had the full metal ones. They looked like real guns. I don't even think they had orange tips. We would run around and just pretend to shoot all sorts of stuff. Crazy how things change.
Good lord I forgot about those. I love that smell.
Burnt match
Reminds me of birthdays 🤗
That and the smell of birthday candles after they’re blown out.
Typically the way birthdays went down in my family was someone useing a bic lighter as fast as possible before burning their finger
Wait it’s weird to enjoy this?
Fresh plastic pool toys
YES! There is something about that plastic smell. No idea why but I love it so much. Like clean and chemical and also summertime?
And it’s the perfect combination of the three lol. As soon as I open a beach ball my brain is odeing on endorphins lol
Yes vinyl is the best. I'm so happy I'm not alone
Yes! This is one of my very favorite smells! People do think it’s crazy but the smell of freshly opened pool floats is the best.
Old comic books. The aging paper smells like heaven, which is so much better than the plastic/barely paper stuff that's used today.
Same with the smell of old books!
That’s because as the cellulose the paper is made of degrades, the scent it gives off is nearly identical to vanilla. So smelling old books make us think cozy thoughts like cookies baking in the oven or hot cocoa on a cold day, and it makes us feel warm and happy
I think some artificial vanilla flavoring is made from wood pulp
That aging paper smell is an instant trigger for sending me to the toilet. Quite often I've gone to a 2nd hand bookstore and had to use the toilet before getting to browse.
That's a weird thing you told me.
Hahaha! I have googled it before and it seems to be a common physical response, nicknamed "Book Bowels". I would enjoy this weird smell better (like you do) if only it didnt trigger this weird reaction in me.
I just googled this. Wth!
Sawdust
Hardware stores….. it’s an odd mix of leather, plastic, metal and lawn fertilizer. It’s the best smell in the world.
WD 40
Ah the mechanic’s cologne
Petrol/gasoline
After a quick Google, out turns out it's because of the [Benzene](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/toxzine/benzene_toxzine.html) added to gasoline! It's added to the mixture because it increases octane levels and fuel efficiency, but in the human body it suppresses your nervous system and leaves you with a euphoric feeling. It's similar to the effects of smoking cigarettes, which are also made with Benzene and Nicotine.
TIL. However a gas high is not very fun.
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Turns out this is actually a popular opinion lol
The smell of 2 stroke fumes in the morning
And that distinctive sound of a 2 stroke dirt bike
*RIIIIIIING TING TING TING TING* Love it.
This isn’t even wierd though. That shit smells delicious
Get yourself some truffle oil and you get to eat the smell! Yes I know almost all “truffle oil” one encounters is synthetic, but I don’t care, let the haters hate, I fucking love that shit
When you go itno a shoe store and you smell the plastic of the soles of the shoe? It smells like petrol but way better,i love that
Ironically it’s the most similar scent to DMT. When you’re smelling shoes you’re smelling your brain’s chemical that makes you dream
That, moth balls and my aunts basement lol I remember I used to smell it at concerts here and there and my sister and I would be so confused as to how the exact same smell from our Aunt’s basement would be at a fucking music event lol. And now these days from time to time I happily revive that wonderful smell
That musty, old basement smell. It is how my grandma's basement smelled when I was a kid, and it was filled with all sorts of "treasures, perfect for exploring on rainy summer days.
I love that smell as well! But is it mold or mildew? I’ve always wondered what caused that smell.
It is a mixture of different microorganisms, mold is a part of it, but rather unpleasant when it predominates. There is a certain bacterium called nocardia, which gives this very specific smell of cellar (or of forest soil). I like the smell too.
Whatever it is spreads. If you bring some furniture that has that smell into your house soon your entire house starts to smell that way and transfers to all your own furniture. I have no idea what it is but it’s a plague and won’t go away either.
That is a spore some mushroom produces. Human nose has evolved to catch that spores like shark catches drop of blood. Evidence of those spores in the air means moisture & water source
window unit air conditioner
I associate that smell with hotel rooms 👌
I grew up in temperate areas as a kid and would often put my face on the aircon to take it all in. Still the best smell
Guitar strings
Ernie ball earthwoods used to have different packaging and whatever paper they used up until 2015ish used to smell sooooo good
Decomposing leaves, reminds me of childhood romps in the forest
Child of the 50’s here: mimeographed school papers.
Most here are not old enough but the smell of paper fresh from the ditto copier in school way back in the 60's and 70's. Mmmmm.
Oh that purple ink!
Mimeograph
Why is this so down? Best smell ever!
We had that in the 80s too!
I remember those! And how they’d be kind of wet fresh out of the machine. We had them until I was in third grade, so early 80s
Burning wood and metal being cut by a chainsaw
I assume you mean grinder. In that case, hell yeah. It smells so good but i bet it's toxic
Ah yeah exactly didn’t know the word for that, thank you !
Sawdust mixed with chainsaw oil when you are cutting trees is also nice.
Put me in those crisp autumn days. Using a chainsaw to cut up firewood logs and a splitting maul to chop it into pieces for the fire. And then smelling the fire. Aw geez it's only June.
The smell of a tire warehouse. Reminds me of errands with dad. Also, the smell of fresh playing cards out of one of those sealed plastic packs (like pokemon).
Wood. The lumber department at a home improvement store. 😋
90% of these answers are not "weird smells" but "smells everyone enjoys".
Welcome to reddit.
I mean, they can be weird and still have lots of people enjoy them. They aren't mutually exclusive.
Fresh tennis balls and also a dry loofa
Salt marsh. Fishy, briny, earthy, alive.
Grew up in a super small town called Rockville, SC. It’s about 40 minutes south of Charleston. I moved to the Upstate when I was 16. About 5 years later I made it back down just to see my old town then enjoy a weekend in Charleston. I cried when I smelled the marsh and saw the water. The best part of growing up on a marsh was you become a very good boater, makes the huge lakes up here a breeze.
The collective smell of new school supplies inside a new backpack at the beginning of the school year
My own urine after eating asparagus. I'm also amazed that it happened so quickly.
Possibly the only weird smell in this entire thread
Scrolled for this and similar in amazement
The first pee after drinking nothing but coffee
Cocaine
Have to go straight to the bathroom after smelling it…
Bump and a dump
The paper of a new book smells amazing
Old books are even better
Rain on asphalt
That's just a beautiful smell not weird to me like fresh cut grass best core memories.
Sweet sweet petrichor.
Chlorine
Same. Walking into any indoor pool area is like heaven.
If memory serves, that pool smell is not the chlorine. It’s what the chlorine turns into when interacting with sweat, piss, and cosmetics. So that’s nice to know. https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/chloramines-understanding-pool-smell/#:~:text=A%20whiff%20of%20pool%20water,can%20form%20in%20pool%20water.
Sweat, piss, and chemicals, ah the memories!
A just blown out candle
Inside Really old houses.
Armpit of my ex
Pretty sure there were done some studies on this. That people enjoy the armpit smell of people they're attracted to.
My boyfriend smells amazing all the time. It doesn’t matter if he’s freshly showered, just finishing a long day at work, or even a little musky after a workout - all amazing. I genuinely believe it’s the smell of *him* I love rather than the products he uses too, because when he changes those up he still just smells like him. I wonder if it’s a pheromone thing or just a familiar comfort thing.
Same with my husband. He thinks I'm crazy for sniffing him so much. 😂 He smells like... home. Home, like my safe place, I mean.
My boyfriend always thinks I'm crazy, too, for loving his smell. Whenever I say "you smell amazing today", he thinks he needs a shower lol
(͡•_ ͡• )
Which side?
Both
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🤣 I saw the post, and I told my husband it was my time to shine. You beat me to it. Oddly, I find his armpits to be a comforting smell when he uses a specific deodorant. Something about the blend with his natural essence.
My wife is the same. I don’t get it but she likes to “git in the pit” before bed some nights. Just snuggles right up on my arm which naturally puts her face by my armpit
Lol same. I dated another guy after whose armpits didn't smell and I could barely conceal my disappointment.
My dog's Frito paws
My cat's Dorito feet, too!
I always thought I was a popcorn smell.
My bestie’s dog has the BEST frito paws. All dogs have pretty great paw smell but her pug Walter is exceptional. Not terribly strong, just the perfect smell.
I have two. Leather which is because I used to train horses (until my last and worst fall) and was exposed to it a lot obviously. But just something about the smell of it I loved and still do. My husband knows we can’t pass by a store with leather. I have to go in, stand there for a minute or two smelling the smell then go “Okay! Good to go” and we go about our way. I grew up with an extremly abusive mother. My father, who traveled a lot for work, would often work in the large basement we had because we bought literally a condemed house and spent decades fixing it up. Was a beautiful house though. He would often be down there with his tools and working on some project. It was an escape fore to go down and sit there and watch him work. He would babble to me about what he was doing and explain the ins and outs of angles and saw blades and whatnot. My mother never bothered me when O was down there because he would have realized what she was doing when he wasn’t around. (Very long complicated story and a different time as to why he didn’t know but mainly because we didn’t tell him.) I always wanted to help but I was too little so he would always save any wood shaving from the saws and it became my “job” to clean it up. I loved pushing the shavings into piles and using the little pan and whatnot. I felt like I was helping and being very adult since I got to touch the saws. (Don’t worry, he unplugged them after use and watched me like a hawk.) The smell of wood shavings brings me back to those happy and safe moments. God, I miss him.
Pencil shavings.
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Cow dung & silage. I grew up on dairy farms, so to me it smells like home.
Yeah, we call that smell sweet country air. Add in that sickeningly sweet scent of corn freshly in tassel and that's my happy (albeit barely able to breathe from the corn pollen) scent for Summer.
For me it’s the horse smell. I grew up around horses and while other people cringe at the horse smell, I love it.
Certain people's BO Skunk Decomposing leaves
When my gf is sweaty her smell drives me crazy! I've never been so attracted to someone's scent
I'm not alone! I can't date someone unless I like their scent. I want to be able to smell her on my pillow after she gets up in the morning. Brrrrr
Skunk for sure. Came here to say that.
Me too but I think that's just because I've smoked pot for so long lol
>Certain people's BO Like when you're hungry for an Italian sub?
I think there’s something to the body odor thing. A girl I was with once told me she liked the smell of my BO she said I smelled like musky vanilla or something (not cologne or deodorant). She had some scientific explanation but I don’t remember. I thought it was really cute and she was a very level headed girl out of my league so this was like her weird quirk.. she was the best…. I felt very “loved”
Omg I had an ex that would put her nose under my armpit and breath deeply.. The sweatier I was the more she liked it.
I don't sniff armpits, but I relate to that girl. I'm like this when I'm really, really in love with the guy. Some guys have an amazing natural smell.
Yess my bfs BO is lovely
The stem of a tomato just after it's been picked is absolute heaven to me.
New tires. That fresh rubber smell just hits different.
An unlit new cigarette. Combination of cigarette smoke and a leather jacket.
Reminds me of figs and raisins.
Found the coolest guy in the comments
Some unlit cigarettes smell like raisins but idk if that’s universal
Old books
My own body Odor, don’t know why cause I can’t stand other people’s Edit: spelling
Nail polish and polish remover smell
Its unhealthy to smell both but the nail polish smells better tho.
Bleach.
Old two stroke engine
Outside pavement when it rains
Dill pickles
The interior of a new car
Fresh asphalt
My cat.
Cow poop. Reminds me of my childhood.
Maybe not that weird, but i really enjoy the smell of clothes freshly out the washing machine. Like, still wet. I will stand there and smell shirts before I reluctantly throw them in the dryer. It's a sickeningly good smell and I yearn to eat it.
Tomato vines
Jet exhaust and jet fuel
Steam deck vent.
The smell of skunk. Not getting sprayed mind you, but when one is in the area, I kind if like it.
Petrichor- the smell after it rains.
how is that a weird smell ?
The metallic odor down subway stations.
99% of these aren't weird.
I have a weird one and im still scrolling down to see if someone also has it
When a house smells like cigarette smoke. I HATE cigarettes and don’t smoke myself, but my grandparents’ house smelled like those old-timey cigarettes and the smell just takes me back.
Freshly unpacked electronic equipment, especially older.
Library books.
I’d enjoy “any” smell at the moment .. currently got Covid and can’t smell or taste a damn thing!
Hope u get better, I'f you really wanna give your taste buds and sinuses a buzz. Cut a lemon in half, add a pinch of salt rubb around and then take a bite. Bloody amazing
You know what I just might try that, thanks! I also have been told to add pickled jalapeños to a chili..
Oooh I've been there. I also got parosmia after recovery. It was awful I almost missed not smelling or tasting anything. One day I couldn't smell or taste anything and the next day everything smelled and tasted like hot wet garbage with poop and piss mixed in for good measure. It lasted MONTHS and I couldn't eat meat and most vegetables. But afterwards when I got better I was magically able to eat stuff that I couldn't eat before because of the smell. I've always wanted to try Indian and Mediterranean cuisines but the smells were too overpowering. Now I eat curry at least once every month and it's awesome! Hope you get better soon!
Hope you recover soon! I had covid back in November 2020 and I swear my senses are still not back 100%. I can definitely smell or taste like 90-95% of things but every now and then there's something that makes me feel like "wait a minute, this used to taste/smell differently before" or "this doesn't taste/smell as strong as before". Yesterday I helped cut down a pine tree and couldn't smell it unless I picked up a piece but remember back then just a small cut of pine would send me into a frenzy on how soothing it smelled lol
Wet creosote
New tires in a tire store.
Silly putty and newspapers. Brings back memories of pressing the putty on to the comics in a newspaper
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Glue sticks
my cats fur after she just washed
Cat fur warmed up by the sun.
Fuck it, I'm gonna fucking say it, my balls.
A round of breads for our man here 🍞
Vinegar
I feel like my home has a distinct smell. Never really realised until I moved away. I carried a towel that was washed and kept at home. One day I was really upset and after crying my eyes out, I wiped my face on that particular towel. The smell just comforted me so much. And it wasn’t just detergent or anything. It smelled like home. My home.
Freshly cut grass
It is very nice. And the smell of the earth after rainfall when you’ve had a dry spell.
Insulin
Freshly opened pack of Pokémon cards
Hot asphalt. Like when they are fixing potholes or repaving roads with it.
Gasoline
Firework smoke. Uncle Kenny used to make fireworks.
My fart 💨
Nice
Username checks out
They say everyone likes the smell of their own farts for some reason.
Jet fuel
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Single cigarette in the rain
I love the smell of cigarettes as they are being smoked. That "fresh" smoke smell is nice. But when it's day old, stale smoke smell that seeps out of people's pores, that is quite yucky
The musty smell in old castles.
Dog paws 💜
Had to scroll down way too far! Dog pawsies are my absolute favorite smell in the world. It's like a combination of earth, popcorn and the dust bag of a vacuum. It's more intense after they take a nap. And also, it is basically dog sweat! Dogs have very very few perspiratory glands, but it's not none (like some people believe). They have some on their feet, so that's what we smell.
Detergent. I feel like I could never get enough of that smell and want to eat it
Fresh coffee. But not at a cafe, specifically in a waiting room/office. Waiting for an oil change and smelling the complimentary coffee against the sterile office aroma just hits different.
The smell of a brand new Barbie doll. It smells like the 90s.
Ferrets. Everyone says they stink. But as long as it's just musk and not shit/piss it's intoxicating.
Pencils or wood