# I love the smell of ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 30, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284 "2009-08-30T20:47:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/21 "2009-08-31T03:15:38Z")
-Nail polish -Books (new or old) -CVS unscented handcream (it has a nice, clean smell) -Suave Baby Powder hand cream -Clean sheets right out of the dryer, when they’re all nice and warm -My cats’ fur (they’re indoor cats, and they always smell nice – NOT like the litterbox) -Coffee -Libraries -My mint shampoo ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/22 "2009-08-31T03:21:09Z")
One of the nicest things I ever smelled was upon returning from courting the future Mrs. Plant in New England. Off the plane in Arkansas, outside the airport the smell of pine trees. I never noticed it before; it was good to be home, however pleasant the trip had been. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/23 "2009-08-31T03:28:41Z")
Freshly cut grass or hay. Fresh peas. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/24 "2009-08-31T03:42:56Z")
Quoth **Cat Whisperer** : > [@](#): > > Tomato plants. Likewise-- It’s a smell I always associate with my mom, who does a ton of gardening. It’s a shame the plants are poisonous; they’d make a wonderful herb (in addition to the wonderful fruit, of course). Another couple that I associate with relatives: Apple cider vinegar. My maternal grandmother, an excellent cook, uses it in everything. Occasionally I’ll open up a bottle just so it smells like Gramma’s kitchen. Hot electrical wiring. My paternal grandfather was always fiddling with electric things, and had a great train set in the basement. There was this distinctive smell whenever it was running. I think that smell is about the only thing I remember about him, any more. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/25 "2009-08-31T05:20:39Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I prefer old book smell. Oh, how I love the old, musty smell of an old book. It takes me back to the old days when you had to go to the library to get a book. I have some Messe de Minuit perfume that smells exactly like a musty old book. ( And there are several other book-related scents out there that you can buy - ‘Paperback’ and ‘In the Library’.) I like: - the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil - rubber bands - new car tires - motor oil, in the garage - and gasoline - the NYS Fair ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/26 "2009-08-31T07:29:46Z")
Tar Old Books Black Licorice Cloves Freshly Fried carnival food. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/27 "2009-08-31T08:02:05Z")
Napalm, especially in the morning 😃 Can’t believe no-one has said this already. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/28 "2009-08-31T10:03:07Z")
Napa… FUCK!! The smell of campfire. I will never not love that smell unless the smoke is coming directly at me. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/29 "2009-08-31T10:29:48Z")
Jasmine flowers , Coffee plants early in the morning ! ---
**Author:** ![BaconAndEggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@BaconAndEggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaconAndEggs)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/30 "2009-08-31T10:49:15Z")
freshly cut grass caramel corn coffee walking into a bakery chocolate chip cookies new car smell gasoline french fries nail salons bacon fresh rain on pavement ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/31 "2009-08-31T11:30:36Z")
Horses. Honeysuckle. Leather. Lilacs. Wood smoke. Bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/32 "2009-08-31T16:51:13Z")
Some of the older buildings in Bangkok have this particular musty odor that I identify purely with Bangkok. I call it “Early Brothel.” The cinema room at the Alliance Francaise here is a prime example. So are many of the government buildings. The only time I’ve ever smelled it anywhere else was this one hotel I stayed at in Beijing in 2001; it really reminded me of Bangkok. Dunno if it’s a certain type of cleaning fluid or what. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/33 "2009-08-31T17:12:05Z")
Skunk. To me, it smells like a combination of garlic, freshly ground coffee beans, and soil. I also like the smell of each of those individually. Also cinnamon, cedar, and lots of things already mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/34 "2009-08-31T17:26:26Z")
And walking through the streets of Albuquerque and Santa Fe in the first nip of autumn and smelling the pinon smoke from chimneys. And the first lungful of Hawaii when you get off the plane. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/35 "2009-08-31T17:58:53Z")
Diesel exhaust. Reminds me of travel. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/36 "2009-08-31T18:04:18Z")
- The smell of the subway. They smell the same pretty much everywhere, but they all remind me of the one in Prague. - coffee - old books ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/37 "2009-08-31T18:07:28Z")
There’s a woodstain that smells simultaneously like candy, a well-cooked steak, and some horrid chemical that will kill you. Last year I was working in a theatre that was using it, focusing a light with my face four inches from a stained piece of wood. I didn’t know whether to lick it or vomit. Old books and used bookstores. Stew stewing. Freshly washed shirts. Girls’\* hair, especially when they use some kind of a lavender shampoo. Barbecue. Tire stores. \*Was that a good use of an apostrophe? Felt wrong, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/38 "2009-08-31T18:14:29Z")
Toast always smells great, way better than it ever tastes. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/39 "2009-08-31T18:47:03Z")
Bread baking in my oven. Mmmm. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284/40 "2009-08-31T19:02:51Z")
Peanut Butter. Gasoline/Paint Thinner/Model Glue/Axle Grease Coffee New Car interiors Fresh rain on hot pavement Sharpie Markers Pipe Tobacco Fresh baked bread A cooking turkey The bouquet of many, many wines Listerine Wet dog Cigar boxes Pencil Lead Caramel Cooked Bacon A campfire That’s enough for now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-the-smell-of/508284.md?page=3)