# Synthetic or "chemical" smells you love **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953 "2014-02-10T06:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/61 "2014-02-11T20:36:27Z")
I hate that ozone smell some people have mentioned it. The printers/copiers in my office produce it, and to me it just smells like it’s giving me nose cancer. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/62 "2014-02-11T20:51:12Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Marine diesel exhaust. What I came to say. Most any diesel exhaust makes my mind travel back to some sea travel I did around the Med when I was young. The stench of large naval vessels transports me to both home and to a dozen other ports at the same time ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/63 "2014-02-11T22:06:47Z")
> [@jrsone](#): > > …I also love the smell of opening a new pair of shoes… I like that smell too. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/64 "2014-02-11T22:14:44Z")
Anybody besides me like the smell of pool chlorine? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/65 "2014-02-11T22:37:48Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Anybody besides me like the smell of pool chlorine? Not in the pool itself so much as the smell it leaves on skin afterwards. I do like that. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/66 "2014-02-11T22:40:45Z")
Crayons. A new box of crayons. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/67 "2014-02-11T23:03:23Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I suppose I meant a Ditto Machine/Spirit Duplicator. Apparently mimeographs are a different, ink based process. > > Also modeling glue, and **certain** epoxies. (Bolding mine.) _"…and he liked epoxies. Not all the epoxies, mind you. But he had his favorites._ My entry: The smell of jet exhaust when you arrive at the terminal, on your way to somewhere exciting or exotic. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/68 "2014-02-11T23:48:17Z")
I like the smell of glue sticks. Not that I’m a glue-sniffer or anything. Besides, I think glue sticks are pretty safe (even if not too useful for most gluing jobs.) ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/69 "2014-02-12T00:19:33Z")
Someone mentioned burning rubber. Has anyone mentioned fresh rubber in the form of tire store essence? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/70 "2014-02-12T00:31:55Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Not in the pool itself so much as the smell it leaves on skin afterwards. I do like that. Precisely. There is a very narrow threshold to chlorine and bleach that goes from some form of pleasent to OMG MY SINUSES ARE DYING!! But at the pool or on swimmers it is a good smell. > [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > Crayons. A new box of crayons. Great one! That’s definitely sentimental for me too. Likewise with construction paper and Elmer’s glue. > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > (Bolding mine.) > > _"…and he liked epoxies. Not all the epoxies, mind you. But he had his favorites._ Okay, that one made me LOL. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Someone mentioned burning rubber. Has anyone mentioned fresh rubber in the form of tire store essence? Bingo. Walking into the storefront of a tire shop is like new car smell times a billion. I love the smell of a lot of mechanic garages too. ---
**Author:** ![sugarcookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@sugarcookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugarcookie)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/71 "2014-02-12T05:57:51Z")
This is strange…but I love walking into a pet store. The smell of dry pet foods! I’m a painter and I really love the smell of turpentine. Winsor Newton English Distilled Turpentine—is the best. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/72 "2014-02-12T07:07:32Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > \ > > - Drugstore smell (I have no idea what to call it, but older drugstores in particular seem to have a very specific odor)\ I think it’s kind of a baby aspirin smell. New work gloves sometimes have that smell, too. I used to love the smell of leaded gas exhaust - mmm mmm good. I don’t care for any permanent marker smells except for Jiffy markers - sooooo delicious. I always joke that you can tell when I’ve been sniffing them by the black rings around my nostrils. 😃 My cat is a huge fan of plastic bags and old books. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/73 "2014-02-12T10:02:51Z")
Beach balls. Can also get a whiff with new shower curtain liners. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/74 "2014-02-12T11:39:09Z")
I like the smell of Play-Doh too. ---
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/75 "2014-02-12T15:16:07Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Beach balls. Can also get a whiff with new shower curtain liners. I like the plastic smell of pool toys too, reminds me of child hood. We had a pool growing up, lots of fun summers. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/76 "2014-02-12T16:14:00Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Bingo. Walking into the storefront of a tire shop is like new car smell times a billion. I love the smell of a lot of mechanic garages too. Bicycle shops smell like that too. New rubber and a hint of lubricant. Lovely… A few people have mentioned leaded gasoline/petrol. I remember sometimes when I was a kid, exhaust fumes sometimes had this kind of sweet, almost almondy smell which I really liked, but you don’t seem to get it these days. Was that the lead fumes? ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/77 "2014-02-12T16:21:59Z")
Hate anything greasy or petrol. I’d say: bubblegum car wax burning rubber after a moto ryde the paintstripper stuff they use on old doors ylang lang (spell) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/78 "2014-02-12T16:22:38Z")
I can’t describe the difference between leaded gas smell and unleaded, but it was indeed delicious. And totally not something we should have been whiffing. 🙂 Oh, I thought of another one - the smell of dirt. Working in the dirt means spring and getting your garden ready to plant and being outside and the sun warming up and the world coming back to life again. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/79 "2014-02-14T16:20:58Z")
The smell of a freshly opened vinyl LP. Rare to open sealed ones these days, but they still have that wonderful smell, sort of a musty cardboard with plastic smell. My wife has caught me wiffing old LPs before. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953/80 "2014-02-14T17:05:26Z")
Leaded gasoline Vo-Ban Ditto’d papers Ethyl ether Freshly sharpened wooden pencils Fabulous scents! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synthetic-or-chemical-smells-you-love/680953.md?page=5)