# What does cleanliness smell like in other countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726 "2016-10-05T19:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/1 "2016-10-05T19:24:45Z")
In the U.S. cleaning products have scents like lemon or pine and detergents that are supposed to smell like cotton or linen. What about in other places? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/2 "2016-10-05T22:33:49Z")
This might be better for IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/3 "2016-10-05T22:36:52Z")
Here in Panama cleaning products smell exactly the same as in the US. Even locally made products are scented of pine or lemon. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/4 "2016-10-06T00:18:55Z")
To the best of my knowledge, Proctor and Gamble sell the same products (with the same fragrances) worldwide. The only thing they change for different markets is the name – “Mister Clean”, for instance, becomes “Mister Proper” or “Don Limpio”, or “Flash” (or one of half a dozen other variations) depending on the region it’s sold in. If there were cultural differences in what smelled “clean” I would expect them to be right on top of it, but it seems like the same range of fragrances work for just about everyone. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/5 "2016-10-06T00:31:07Z")
Not to hijack too much, but I like the smell of Murphy’s Oil Soap over pine or lemon cleaners, so that’s what I use on my floors. Are there other “preferred” cleaning smells or am I out on a limb? ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/6 "2016-10-06T01:01:58Z")
In the UK. I was on a train the other day that smelled rather wonderfully of fresh lavender. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/7 "2016-10-06T01:05:33Z")
Here in Australia; pine, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender and ocean fresh are the main smells from the mass market brands. I buy Method though which has scents like cucumber and mint, clementine or pink grapefruit. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/8 "2016-10-06T01:10:26Z")
Oh yes, I like the Method lavender. ---
**Author:** ![trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trapezoidal_jellyfish)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/9 "2016-10-06T03:28:14Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > Not to hijack too much, but I like the smell of Murphy’s Oil Soap over pine or lemon cleaners, so that’s what I use on my floors. Are there other “preferred” cleaning smells or am I out on a limb? I love that smell too! For me it’s nostalgic, because that got used a lot in my childhood home. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/10 "2016-10-06T03:49:02Z")
Pakistan, lemon, pine, mint, grass. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/11 "2016-10-06T06:12:20Z")
> [@Girl\_From\_Mars](#): > > Here in Australia; pine, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender and ocean fresh are the main smells from the mass market brands. I buy Method though which has scents like cucumber and mint, clementine or pink grapefruit. What actually _is_ ocean fresh? I’ve seen that sort of labelling on cleaning and laundry products before, but having lived near the coast all my life, I have often found the ocean to be anything but fresh-smelling. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/12 "2016-10-06T08:32:25Z")
Spain: pine and lemon are popular among the traditional scents, with cleaning companies trying others all the time. Fabric softerners (which are liquid, they go into the washer) tend to be flowery. No scent added is becoming more and more popular; most clothes soap is now unscented. My mother says you can tell someone has changed cleaning ladies because the scent of the house changes. At one point the lady she had got sick and was replaced by her sister: like every other new cleaning lady before her, the sister had to change every single product. Mom’s a big source of cleaning products for me, I get all the half-bottles any time she changes cleaning ladies. > [@WotNot](#): > > To the best of my knowledge, Proctor and Gamble sell the same products (with the same fragrances) worldwide. The only thing they change for different markets is the name – “Mister Clean”, for instance, becomes “Mister Proper” or “Don Limpio”, or “Flash” (or one of half a dozen other variations) depending on the region it’s sold in. And sometimes the change doesn’t really take hold: Spain used to know that bald dude as Mr Proper, but apparently someone decided he had to be more local so they rechristened him as Don Limpio. By that time he’d already become part of multiple sayings, and those still call him Mr Proper. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/13 "2016-10-06T21:11:52Z")
That reminds me of when I lived in Spain as a teen, and would ride the city bus to my DoD school in the mornings. The local Spanish kids also rode the bus, and smelled like orange blossom water. Lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-cleanliness-smell-like-in-other-countries/767726/14 "2016-10-06T21:30:03Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Pakistan, lemon, pine, mint, **grass**. This one surprised me, but I think I would buy fresh-cut grass scented cleaner.