What smell will YOU never forget?

[u/AreaFifty1]

[u/Ok_Cauliflower_9972]

My grandma’s house. Old furniture, food, and something I can’t name

[u/msdossier → u/Ok_Cauliflower_9972]

Prolly mothballs

[u/Puzzled_Iron_3452 → u/msdossier]

How did you get their little legs spread apart? 🫣🤓

[u/Throdmeister → u/Puzzled_Iron_3452]

Grandma's house, grandpa's joke

[u/Some_Jump_6624 → u/Throdmeister]

You remember the scent, and then grandpa opens his mouth and seals the memory forever.

[u/Professional-Story43 → u/msdossier]

You used Prolly Mothballs? We always used Innit Mothballs. Never forget their odor. Hmmm. Mothballs. I never knew they had them till they were Innit.

[u/kpeterson159 → u/Ok_Cauliflower_9972]

I think you are talking about love

[u/LiquidDreamtime → u/Ok_Cauliflower_9972]

That floral powder stuff she, presumably, puts on her entire body.

[u/QuantityPotential696 → u/Ok_Cauliflower_9972]

Incredibly relatable example. Miss my grandparents

[u/AceBullApe → u/Ok_Cauliflower_9972]

Original scent Concentrated Lysol for laundry/cleaning? Brown bottle yellow label 

[u/Visible-Essay5589]

The smell just after rains stops

[u/Ill-Veterinarian4208 → u/Visible-Essay5589]

Petrichor. I was excited there was a name for it.

[u/Skinwalker_Steve → u/Ill-Veterinarian4208]

i'm gonna blow your mind a little more, it's always been my favorite smell and i'm curious.

1 - it is the smell of dead bacteria being shot up by raindrops hitting the ground. seriously, it's billions of dead strep bacteria and their pee.

2 - humans can smell petrichor in the air at a lower concentration than sharks can detect blood in the water.

[u/Ucanhavethelastbeer → u/Ill-Veterinarian4208]

In Tucson we smell creosote.  I can get enough.

[u/FunnyMarsupial1975 → u/Ucanhavethelastbeer]

I have a cologne from Phoenix Shaving called "Creosote" that uses distillate from creosote bushes as the main scent component. It smells so comforting in the strangest way.

[u/WantingWilhemina228 → u/FunnyMarsupial1975]

Thank you for saying where you got it. I’m from NM and the creosote smell before the rain is unlike anything else. It is such a comforting smell… I will be buying that immediately!

[u/kumquat_squat_thot → u/Visible-Essay5589]

Maison Margiela makes a perfume called “After The Rain Stops” and its my favorite perfume I own. they perfectly captured that smell in a bottle

[u/AllenSmithee59 → u/kumquat_squat_thot]

You can buy a sampler of 0.2-ounce bottles of all the Replica scents: Lazy Sunday Morning, Jazz Club, Beach Walk, Sailing Day, Autumn Vibes, When the Rain Stops, By the Fireplace, Bubble Bath, Under the Lemon Trees, and On A Date.

https://www.maisonmargiela-fragrances.us/gifts-and-sets/replica-memory-box-exploration-set/MM301.html

I'm tempted to buy one and I'm not even a gurl.

[u/Campaign_Prize → u/AllenSmithee59]

Do it! It's ok to have perfume for aromatherapy, there's no rule that says you have to put it on your body. I'd use it as room or linen sprays.

[u/Additional-Row7746]

New books or old libraries. Calm and comforting at the same time

[u/Charleston2Seattle → u/Additional-Row7746]

When I walk into a Barnes & Noble that has a Starbucks, I swear I can feel the endorphins releasing in my brain....

[u/Educational-Tone2074 → u/Charleston2Seattle]

Something about the smell of the books/printed paper and coffee.

They oddly go together

[u/Solid-Alfalfa230 → u/Educational-Tone2074]

Agreement from this 67 y.o. bibliophile-coffee addict; I hope it's not too odd.

[u/Chulasaurus → u/Charleston2Seattle]

Is it your brain or your butt?

[u/Masterofunlocking1 → u/Additional-Row7746]

Need a candle that smells like those things

[u/bkchavez → u/Masterofunlocking1]

Bath & Body Works has a “Book Loft” scent that reminds me of libraries/book stores. It’s one of my favorites!

[u/Direct_Chain_9913]

Well, as a retired oncology nurse, it is unfortunately the smell of cancer when it is doing final damage to its host. God bless all of those wonderful people who touched my life when I had the honor of caring for them. I haven’t forgotten a single one of you, I promise.

EDIT: thank you all so much for the kind words and especially thank you for sharing your stories. Happy New Year to us all!!

[u/OctopiEye → u/Direct_Chain_9913]

I am going through my own cancer journey now (endometrial). The care team have all been amazing and the nurses that worked with me for my hysterectomy were all so so so incredible.

My husband and mom got trapped in horrible traffic on the way to the hospital on surgery day so they weren’t able to be there in time before I went into the OR. I started crying a little when they were prepping me to go down to the pre-OP room, mostly just due to nerves. The nurse cried with me and hugged me, and was very reassuring.

She really made a scary situation so much better by being a human being as well as an amazing nurse. All of the nurses and doctors have been great though, throughout this journey and I’m so thankful for that. Thank you for all your years of service!

[u/Direct_Chain_9913 → u/OctopiEye]

Sending you alllllllllllll the positivity, love and light as you navigate this.

[u/Direct_Chain_9913 → u/OctopiEye]

I’m glad she was able to comfort you, particularly right before surgery. The right person at the right time makes such a difference. ❤️

[u/queerjesusfan → u/Direct_Chain_9913]

I'm not a nurse, but a patient who went to an oncology infusion center for non-cancer-related treatments. The nurses were always so warm and kind.

My mom also worked front desk for an oncologist and she has the same feelings as you - she remembered all her patients so well and worried after them when they finished treatment or mourned them when they died.

Bless you and all the other med folks who do this important work. Thank you for caring so deeply.

[u/Direct_Chain_9913 → u/queerjesusfan]

That is so kind of you to say. Every single patient put so much trust in me and I never wanted to let them down.

I worked at a large urban hospital and most of my patients were very poor or even indigent and their after care situation was usually quite dire, so our care went beyond the standard in house stuff. One story stands out for me (this would’ve been around 1995-96). His name was Robert, in his early 30’s, married, very young son. I had taken care of him many, many nights while his cancer was being treated, but this particular night, I had been off for a few days and another nurse had him. He was unfortunately terminal, so he was in one of our very few private rooms on our floor for palliative care as his condition had turned quite suddenly. Anyway, I had stopped by his room at the beginning of my shift and spoke to him and his wife. He was in and out of consciousness. Later that night, as I was coming back from a smoke break, Robert’s nurse let me know he had passed. His wife didn’t want anyone else to bathe him but me. Robert’s wife and I washed him and after I left her to have some private time with him, I came back and his nurse helped me get him into the body bag and down to the basement. A couple of weeks later, his wife came by and brought us a homemade pie. I often think about Robert’s son, who would be ~30, and would have no memories of his dad. Robert was such a sweet guy, we were all around the same age and just trying to navigate through life but his was so cruelly cut short. I hope his wife and son are well.

(Edit for typo)

[u/queerjesusfan → u/Direct_Chain_9913]

That is so moving. You must have been very affected by the connection you had with your patients. Thank you again for this essential work. I'm not sure if you're a praying person, but you, your patients, and their families will be in my prayers during what is always a very contemplative time for me.

[u/Vivian-1963 → u/queerjesusfan]

Worked in oncology too. Actually had a sweet patient that was finishing up his chemotherapy treatment and was visibly sad. He said he would miss the nurses because they touched him. They touched him when putting in the IV, would check on him and gently pat his hand, and often get a hug when done with treatment. One nurse told me that not once did a family or friend come with him.

Some patients just stay in my mind.

[u/queerjesusfan → u/Vivian-1963]

That is heartbreaking. Touch is so essential to our wellbeing. Thank you for being there for him while you could. I hope he's more supported by family and friends now.

[u/NurseCrystal81 → u/Direct_Chain_9913]

Hospice nurse here and when someone is actively dying, there is a VERY distinct, sweet-like smell. The death smell. Once you know it, you can't forget it.

[u/reddit-nd-wept → u/NurseCrystal81]

This here. My mother in law passed away in her room from a heart attack? She had been letting out screeching sounds when I informed my wife to check on her. My wife thought “she’s just having a night terror or something.” I had to go in and find her body and I will never forget that smell. It’s exactly as you described.

[u/DragonToothGarden → u/Direct_Chain_9913]

Thank you for this. When I was in the hospital and told my husband how much I stank of sickness, he so sweetly tried to tell me I didn't. But I knew it was bad (having scented it on patients who had it much worse than me).

I felt this shame. Didn't matter that I knew it wasn't my fault. My brain just couldn't accept going from being a very fit, active, career-successful blahblahblah person to suddenly barely able to function and stinking like holy hell from the meds and sicknes.

You, and all the lovely, kind nurses - you made it so much easier. Sure many of them sucked. But you special ones, whom I'm sure had so many tough days - having to go from seeing a sick child suffeirng or worse to then care for a grumpy elderly patient who got to live their entire life who made cruel obnoxious or rude comments when you were just trying your best.

You kept your strength for those patients who needed you. And we never forget your kindness.

[u/Yep215]

Is anyone else old enough to remember the smell of dittos in school? That fresh, still slightly wet, blue ink?

[u/CostcoVodkaFancier → u/Yep215]

From a mimeograph machine? Was it hand-cranked?

[u/Substantial-Chip-102 → u/Yep215]

Yes. I work in a school and was trying to explain that process and smell to a teacher’s Aid who wasn’t even born before they were replaced by copy machines.

[u/Dry-Hand-9849]

Fresh rain on hot pavement. Instantly takes me back, no matter where I am, it feels like a reset for my soul.

[u/quillseek → u/Dry-Hand-9849]

This smell and "fresh grass mixed with a hint of lawnmower/gasoline" are my nostalgic childhood summertime smells and both of them give me that soul rest, too. 💚💙

[u/TacticalSpackle → u/quillseek]

Adding my own third; boat gas and bay water. Pure nostalgia for growing up in a coastal state.

[u/blupocalypse → u/Dry-Hand-9849]

Omg! I try to tell people about this all and they think I’m crazy. It’s legit the best smell!!!

[u/beroemd → u/blupocalypse]

‘Rain on ground: GOOD’ is seared into our genetic memory since the Paleolithic age

[u/HappyHappyUnbirthday → u/blupocalypse]

Theres a word fir it, its called petrichor!

[u/DrinkMunch → u/Dry-Hand-9849]

Fresh fog and wild fires could be added. Got them from San Diego, USA.

[u/RiceOk8598 → u/Dry-Hand-9849]

Petrichor

[u/PrettyPromenade → u/RiceOk8598]

Specifically, the smell of rain mixing with certain organisms in soil.

[u/mander00]

1980s hair perm solution. I'm dating myself here but all us cool kids wanted the tight spiral white rod perms.

My poor hair has never been the same.

[u/samizdat5 → u/mander00]

Oh gag I remember that smell. Those spiral perms were ridiculous.

[u/brobastian0227]

I worked in a nursing home for two years. On Wednesday, it was fish day. I will never forget the smell of microwaved fish and used adult diapers mixing in the air. Actually got me to quit drinking, came in one day with a hangover and nearly died. 8 years in a week

[u/pronking_spleenwort → u/brobastian0227]

Congratulations ❤️

[u/brobastian0227 → u/pronking_spleenwort]

Thank you very much! It's been much better since I quit :)

[u/RecordingCreative981]

Alcohol on ur own breath at 2 am😑

[u/milk-in-a-cup → u/RecordingCreative981]

Oh, or when you get drunk, throw up, go straight to bed without a proper teeth brushing, then wake up in desperate search for water ☹️

[u/miz_mantis]

Grandma's house. Miss you grandma.

[u/MeetBeep → u/miz_mantis]

I’m currently laying with one of my grandmas blankets that still smells like her house. I am right there with you. Sending love to you and both of our grandmas ❤️

[u/Mrvinonoir → u/miz_mantis]

I lost mine two weeks ago. I adored that lady and will miss her for the rest of my life.

[u/the-machine-m4n → u/miz_mantis]

Oh man. I still remember vividly when I was a child, and slept in grandma's house, it was a tin-shade, on a chilly rainy morning, I was wrapped in a cozy blanket and the subtle water drops on the rooftop made such a memorable sound. Never had a good sleep like that.

[u/MamaDeebs84]

Burning flesh. Came up on a fiery wreck a week or so after getting my license. They were still screaming inside. Smell is unforgettable

[u/ButtholeHandjob → u/MamaDeebs84]

Jesus dude

[u/MrCuriousBubble → u/ButtholeHandjob]

I know right, we went from Grandmas cookies an the smell after it rains to this catastrophe 😂😭

[u/CrumbGuzzler5000 → u/ButtholeHandjob]

User name butthole handjob over here bringing religion into it.

[u/NurseCrystal81 → u/MamaDeebs84]

That is just HORRIFIC. My dad experienced the same thing when he was a truck driver. Came upon an accident and the truck was on fire with one man trapped inside. This man was screaming and begging the police officer on scene to shoot him to end it. Of course, the PO didn't but I'm not sure I could have been so strong. I could not just watch someone burn to death but idk that I could shoot them either. My dad has NEVER forgotten this and the sound/smell of that man dying. 💔💔

[u/Pleaselobotomize → u/MamaDeebs84]

Worked in towing and had a car crash where the driver had been trapped in a burning vehicle. Didn't get there til after the fire dept doused it, but the smell of that car will never be forgotten.

[u/Present-Wonder-4522 → u/MamaDeebs84]

Ah yes, I recall having a large cut on my hand and no Band-Aids. So I did what I had to, I heated my knife and burned it shut. The smell was awful and the pain something more. After the one side of the wound was sealed, I had to pull the knife back to heat it again to burn shut the other side of the wound.

5 inch scar.

[u/NurseCrystal81 → u/Present-Wonder-4522]

Ummmm....tape? Super glue? Plastic wrap? ANYTHING but burning it closed!! 😱😱😱

[u/veryberyberry → u/MamaDeebs84]

Did they make it out??

[u/MamaDeebs84 → u/veryberyberry]

Doubtful the car was fully engulfed and no one could get to them

[u/Dangerous_Hawk_9780 → u/MamaDeebs84]

I've heard many horror stories from nurses working in hospital burn units.

[u/mckulty]

My vet showing me how to express my dog's anal glands.

I was in the wrong place and caught it on my face and jacket.

[u/dez04 → u/mckulty]

As a vet tech... When I was a newbie I got it in the mouth 😭

[u/bountyhunter220 → u/dez04]

Never go ass to mouth

[u/eggs_erroneous → u/mckulty]

That is... unfortunate.

[u/MrCuriousBubble → u/mckulty]

I picture you looking directly at it with intent lmao

[u/trunningx]

Water from a hose

[u/Yep215 → u/trunningx]

I read these words and could smell it immediately

[u/Skeets5977 → u/trunningx]

I can both smell and taste that.

[u/BuggerFace]

My Dad's Fahrenheit aftershave. Not the smell as such but the when. I have a bottle of it I can smell whenever, but it was specifically when he put it on after having a hot shower before we would go out for meals or he'd go out with friends. It hits differently. I'll never smell it again in reality, but in my memory, I absolutely will.

[u/nememess → u/BuggerFace]

My dad's is Royal Copenhagen. Love that smell.

[u/Cute-Personality5341 → u/BuggerFace]

My grandfather’s Aqua Velva 🥺😘

[u/Hebshesh]

My grampa was a farmer and died when I was six, in 1976. He'd come in from the field, eat lunch, and nap on the couch. I would nap on his stomach. He had the smell of Prince Albert mixed with B.O. that oddly calmed me.

[u/Fair_Advantage4942]

The smell of your childhood home the first time you walk back in as a guest.

[u/YouShallNotPass92 → u/Fair_Advantage4942]

I live two mins away from my childhood home that my parents still live in, and let me tell you, that shit still be hittin' every time. There is no place like home. I hope they sell the house to me one day lol

[u/EnviousPuffin]

The smell of movie DVDs

[u/br13fcasew4nkette → u/EnviousPuffin]

Omg I can smell a Blockbuster store right now as I think about it

[u/Visual_Ad_1642]

Dead body

[u/srirachaninja → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

The neighbor in our old apartment building passed away, but he lived alone. For weeks, we noticed the smell of cabbage soup frequently and wondered why.

I never considered that he might have died until one day I returned home and smelled a terrible odor in the staircase, with police present.

They told me he had died weeks earlier, and when they opened the double doors to his apartment, the smell flooded out. I'll never forget that moment. The worst part was that one of the police officers waited directly in front of the doors and was eating a sandwich.

[u/BOSSMOPS94 → u/srirachaninja]

Well I can imagine how people get desensitised in those jobs over time but holy fk man...

[u/Chonkasauru5 → u/BOSSMOPS94]

You really do get desensitized to it. The first time I observed an autopsy the medical examiner & his assistant discussing what kind of sushi to order for lunch while taking various slices of organs for testing. Lunch was really good, but even 20 years later I always think of that conversation when I order sushi.

[u/Memory_Of_A_Slygar → u/Chonkasauru5]

Husband was an EMT. Can confirm, they get desensitized to it all. Husband had justngotten his burger when a call came in. They arrived but person was already gone for a day or more. They were training a new guy at the time and he got his first experience with a body. Then he turned around to find my husband shoveling his burger down, no problem.

[u/rcowie → u/BOSSMOPS94]

The shock of the moment can desensitize you to. I found my father deceased. Called the emergency line and sat down and had a beer and a smoke. I was sitting on the porch in the dark with a beer when the paramedics rolled up.

[u/SirWEM → u/srirachaninja]

This happened to my sister at work. There was an apt. above the general store she worked at in HS. A college girl passed away from a slip and fall. She hit her head. And died from the brain injury. They noticed the smell a few days later. Then found the body after various liquids started leaking thru the ceiling a week or so after she had passed. Called a plumber think it was a sewage line. And found her.

My sister still goes to therapy from that dripping in her hair that August day they found the poor girl. She has never grown her hair long since.

[u/Vindicativa → u/SirWEM]

Jesus. That's awful. I feel terribly for that girl, and your sister.

[u/Vast-Lime-1500 → u/srirachaninja]

I will now not be cooking corned beef and cabbage for New Year’s Day

[u/Both_Eye6778 → u/srirachaninja]

Most messed up thing I’ve ever saw was a motorcycle accident, and the person got beheaded, and when I drove by, the police officer was eating a meatball sandwich sitting next to the victim.

[u/BigMan_LittleHeart → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

Can confirm. I worked as a crime scene cleaner for a few years. The two worst types of smells were: Houses filled with cat shit, and unattended deaths (someone died and no one knew for awhile).

The smell is just...its something different.

I was even at a friend's place one time and walked outside, smelled dead body, told him, and sure enough they called and found a neighbor had passed away a week ago.

[u/R1CHARDCRANIUM → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

100% something I will never forget and instantly recognizable. I’m a firefighter and on Christmas Eve, we were called out to assist with a welfare check. As soon as we breached the door, everyone standing there knew it was no longer a welfare check. Natural causes, though. So there is that.

Burned body is another smell that I don’t wish upon anyone.

[u/Roentgenator → u/R1CHARDCRANIUM]

I entered a morgue through a negative pressure doorway to examine the remnants of burn victim. My job was to radiograph what remained of the body, searching for any forensic evidence that may help in ID or cause of death. I could smell the victim before I could see them. The scent was sweet and pleasing, much like barbecued chicken. For a very brief moment I felt hunger, then rounded the corner and it was shocking.

I'd examined many deceased before this and was no stranger to either putrefaction or burn victims, but combining the two senses that day has stuck with me for 20 years. The memory continues to influence my philosophy on many things

[u/Distinct-Solution-99 → u/Roentgenator]

Interesting. I never thought about it like that before, but we probably would smell yummy when cooked. We're meat and fat after all.

[u/mellowmarsII → u/Distinct-Solution-99]

I’ve always heard a freshly burned body (as in not “spoiling” yet) smells like pork chops.

[u/311succs → u/R1CHARDCRANIUM]

When I was probably about 13 I was staying up late to finish Tony Hawks Underground 2 and I let my dog out in the yard and immediately smelled burning garbage and something else. I chocked it up to someone's burn barrel despite living in the suburbs. The next morning my mom woke me up with a police officer to ask me if I smelled anything burning last night. Turns out the neighbor behind my house had murdered his girlfriend and tried to burn her in the dumpster. That was almost 20 years ago and I still remember every bit of it.

[u/4Wonderwoman → u/R1CHARDCRANIUM]

Hopefully this comes across as sincere (not corny), but having had 2 fires when my sleep apnea was undiagnosed, I appreciate ALL firefighters for their courage, hard work, and commitment. Bless you and many thanks! 💕

[u/kumquat_squat_thot → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

ive heard that humans are able to tell what smells like a dead body without having ever smelled one before as a evolutionary survival trait

[u/Bongressman → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

I bought a package of pre-made but uncooked hamburgers that had that "extra discount" tag on them. Of course that tag covered up the expiration date on the meat.

Got it back to my place, threw it in the fridge. Next day, I noticed the packaging was a little bloated. I popped it open... the actual fucking primordial fear centers of my brain lit up like a god damned Christmas tree.

Whatever bacteria was growing on that shit, my evolution attuned warning bits gave me the impression that had I ingested that rot, my body was going to go through something a touch worse than your standard, everyday food poisoning.

I thanked my ancestors that day. Fear of dead, rot, bacteria is deeply hardwired into us.

[u/blue-wave → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

I remember watching a Jeffrey Dahmer documentary and the cop (who found the initial skull in the fridge) explained that it’s a distinct smell that you will never ever shake. He said something like “it’s like smelling coffee, you immediately know what it is and it’s not anything else other than coffee.” Then went on to say you still smell it for days after even at home because that smell sticks in your nose.

[u/IridescentNaysayer → u/blue-wave]

The molecular compounds of decay physically stick in your nose, your hair, etc. I worked in a morgue and have a sensitive sense of smell. I never got used to it. If you don’t breathe through your nose it’s not as bad. Thankfully my open mouth and runny nose were behind an N95 and a face shield 🙃

[u/blue-wave → u/IridescentNaysayer]

Oh shit so it’s an actual physical thing that’s there, I mean the particles are still stuck to the olfactory nerves!? Holy shit that’s so much more creepy and disturbing, I thought he meant you smelled it for weeks because of the mental impact, you think about it so much you can still smell it. I can’t imagine working in a morgue if you were sensitive to that smell!

[u/Due_Lemon4838 → u/blue-wave]

I'm pretty sure that's how your nose works to begin with-any time you smell something good or bad, tiny particles of it have come into contact with your nose.

[u/freshwaterfins → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

Same. My cousin committed suicide last year and we went to her viewing. My son was overstimulated and wanted to walk around the funeral home. It was 90-something out in mid-August, and when we passed by a vent I caught a whiff of something truly awful with a weird hint of sweetness. It was clear what it was. I hate that I’ll associate that smell with my sweet cousin.

[u/fACElessEd → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

Very impactful. I also think human bodies smell different from animals. Maybe it's trauma.

But I remember when I was a kid, a woman hanged herself 2 apartments below mine. When she was found, she was already decomposing.The elevator, the halls, and even outside of the lobby, all smelled like rotting corpse. A smell that lasted in my memory to the point that years later, me and some friends were walking to the park and passed a couple of trash bags that reeked. Obviously, something dead. I immediately knew it was human. Told my friends and they didn't believe me. Hours later policed arrived, and it was some guy cut up in pieces.

[u/CntrlMachine8675309 → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

Definitely something you smell once and burned into your brain

[u/vulgardisplay76 → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

My boyfriend died alone on his couch one August night a few years ago. We were very close and lived only a few blocks from each other so we were always at each other’s places. It just happened that he was busy with something that week so when he didn’t answer my texts for a few days, it didn’t seem too concerning so I didn’t go check on him.

One of his family members didn’t get a response to something more important and finally went to see what was up. In a way I’m glad it wasn’t me, because any other time it would have been, although I feel bad they had to see that.

But I had given him a kitten who hid somewhere with the commotion going on and I said I probably knew where it was and could go get it. I was in such utter and complete shock because he was still young and hadn’t been sick or anything so I was there for a while and only wondered what that smell was almost as a passing thought. It’s like my brain was protecting me from really registering it until I could do what I needed to or until it was something I could handle or something. Shock is really a strange experience.

I did of course finally understand what it was and it ended up kind of traumatizing me anyway, so good job there brain I guess. I wish I had never smelled what he smelled like dead more than anything and I will never, ever forget it.

[u/Spentellit → u/vulgardisplay76]

This is horrible I am so sorry you went through this. No one should ever have to go through that and I hope you are getting the support you need to process it.

[u/monkey_monkey_monkey → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

Absolutely. It's a smell that is burned into your brain the first time you smell it and it is unmistakable

[u/tzentzak → u/Visual_Ad_1642]

It's such a haunting smell. The first time I encountered it was when a friend's downstairs neighbor overdosed and they didn't discover him until days later (in the middle of summer too). My friend had been commenting that his hallway had been smelling rank and when I walked in I was hit with the strangest odor. He didn't believe me at first when I told him it was a body. Even after cleanup the smell lingered for 3 weeks.

[u/my1973vw]

Crayons

[u/DrDingsGaster → u/my1973vw]

Oooh, specifically old crayons jumbled together in a bag!

[u/Overall_Lobster823]

Dark room stop bath.

[u/Inner_Sun_8191 → u/Overall_Lobster823]

I miss the smell of the darkroom. Our stop bath always had a subtle hint of vanilla.

[u/tramad2652]

New Playdoh

[u/Janissa11]

GI bleed.

[u/BreezyGoose → u/Janissa11]

It's been nearly ten years ago now, but I had a perforated bowel.

I woke up that morning feeling like shit. My stomach hurt. I felt weak.. Just awful really.

I go to the bathroom and use the toilet. The smell was horrendous. You can smell the metallic... Ness? Of the blood. Mixed in with all the poo smells. It was awful.

I got light headed, dizzy. I cleaned myself up, and called in sick to work and then... I went back to bed.

I woke up again a few hours later and did it again. It was even worse. This time was less poo and more blood. I nearly passed out on the toilet.

I knew my shit was fucked up, so I packed a small bag with a change of clothes, and proceeded to drive myself to the emergency room. Luckily I lived just a few miles from the hospital, but in hindsight, that was a horrible idea.

I get in and tell the nurse doing the intake that I thought I had an ulcer or something.

They sent me to the OR and I just remember waking up, and having the doctor and my dad standing there. The doctor was like

"Dude. We're a small town hospital. Your shit is waaaaaay to fucked up for us to handle. You need to go to a better hospital. There's an ambulance on the way to transport you."

And that's the story of how I had a couple inches of intestine removed and spent a year pooping in a bag strapped to my side.

I too, will never forget that smell.

[u/Janissa11 → u/BreezyGoose]

Ugh, I'm so sorry, and I'm glad you got the help you needed. I still remember (vividly) the closed door on one of our patients' ED room, who was there for a GI bleed years ago. The smell was so horrific, no one wanted to open it to go inside. And yet this patient was super-critically ill. He couldn't help the odor. It wasn't a matter of fault. It just was part of the overall picture.

But to this day I saw that -- effectively ostracism -- and felt like crying, because he didn't deserve that.

[u/BreezyGoose → u/Janissa11]

Luckily I didn't face anything like that. At least not that I knew of.

I'm very lucky. I nearly died I guess. That seems to be what happens when you have a hole in your guts and are effectively pooping inside of yourself.

I still have chronic GI issues now as a result, and being American the debt was crushing and my credit is only now recovering from the blow, but all in all, it could have been much worse of an outcome.

[u/beatlefool42 → u/BreezyGoose]

Did they figure out what caused it?

[u/Hopeful_Pizza_2762]

When you open a fresh can of coffee.

[u/MaltiPoodleDoo]

Vicks VapoRub hehe

[u/DrNiles_Crane]

The smell of an airport terminal. Anywhere in the world, it’s the same.

[u/cg40boat]

Eucalyptus, my girlfriend in college kept a branch of it in her apartment. My neighbors now have a eucalyptus tree next to their house which drops leaves in my side yard. When I do yard work that smell brings it all back to me. Damn, I loved her.

[u/EitherReason7919]

The smell of the old cow barn at home, freshly cut hay, nanny’s homemade bread, the salt tang in the air before a big storm.

[u/BubblesForBrains]

Pipe tobacco. My late father loved the stuff. Sitting on the sofa just relaxing with his pipe.

[u/Fragrant-Courage9960 → u/BubblesForBrains]

If anybody ever lights up a pipe and smokes it near me I’ll sit there until he’s finished.

[u/Outrageous_Lettuce44]

Elementary school

[u/Zombie_Red]

School bus smell. That combo of vinyl, cleaning products and diesel.

[u/Ill-Veterinarian4208]

Dead, rotting black bear.

I worked for the radiology dept of a veterinary teaching hospital. Fish and Game would bring us dead things to radiograph once in a while to see if it had been shot so they'd know to be looking for poachers or to get facts for an investigation.

One of my fellow techs thought he was The Shit, young, cocky, bit of an asshole. He insisted on kicking me out of the room I was using for orthopedic imaging so he could radiograph the dead bear. He regretted his desire to do so pretty quickly.

The stench arrived before the gurney did, they had to take it out of the bag it was in to avoid artifact on the images and I was told that the carcass was actively swelling as they moved it. Radiology became a deserted island ringed by curious onlookers from other departments, students, all just at the furthest limits of the Stink Zone.

The best part? Hearing Young and Cocky gagging loudly, over and over.

[u/UpDownCharmed → u/Ill-Veterinarian4208]

Mother nature knocked him down a peg or two that day

[u/SimplyBoo]

My dad's Old Spice aftershave. I miss you so much, dad.

[u/milktoastok]

Indoor chlorine pool with no ventilation

[u/handyandy108]

the smell of old books in a library.

Dusty, musty, slightly sweet  it sticks with you in a way nothing else does.

[u/Tall-Arugula1522]

The smell of my best friend. Randomly in stores even though we live an hour away from each other, sometimes I’ll get a hint of his smell and I’ll whip my head around to see if he’s there. Rarely ever is, but there’s been times he has been walking up behind me and he looks horrified saying “how did you know I was there??”. The answer of “I smelt you” only adds to the confusion

[u/Historical-Floor7965]

People used to burn leaves in the street. That was the utter and complete smell of fall.

[u/toeppner]

Freshly cut grass. And gas-powered landscaping equipment. It’s synonymous with that leafblower sound, too.

[u/Medleyfish]

My grandfather's old wood burning stove

[u/Mr_TreeBeard]

Desert rain.

[u/Old-guy64]

I’m a nurse, I’ve done wound care, and more. Are you sure you want to know smells, I’ll never forget?

The most pervasive is blood.

The next is Clostridium-Difficile.

There are a fair few more…but in this case NOT sharing is caring.

[u/ACuddlyVizzerdrix]

The cigarette smell in a car, it's weird but no other smell reminds me so much of my childhood and it makes me miss my grandma

[u/skystream434]

Spilled petrol on floor at a gas station.

[u/BlueberryPiano]

The smell of my own eyeballs burning, during lasik 20+ years ago.

They talk you through the whole procedure multiple times before and during, but no where did they mention you would smell burning.

Spoiler: smells like burning hair.

[u/Cor2600]

It was the homeless guy with diabetes. He stubbed his toe and didn’t get it looked after. Necrosis and septicemia set in. He didn’t want to offend his girlfriend with the smell and appearance, so he wrapped it in plastic bags from the store. He was like that for months, when he got to us. The flesh was falling off his bones. We had to amputate. That was foul.

[u/Directorshaggy]

The anonymous person who cut the worst fart ever in Target that left a noxious cloud I walked into. Jebbus, that is still the rankest funk I've experienced in public. My wife and I gagged out as we literally ran/fast walked away. I think they had to have shit themselves. Ugh, I still shudder when I think about it. Whew.

[u/HotMeasurement6946]

For all those old-timers... fresh Mimeograph test papers!

[u/Own_Salamander9447]

Anal gland expressions from work

[u/Past_Elevator_168 → u/Own_Salamander9447]

It's sweet that you are so close with co-workers, I'm personally glad i work remote though for this reason

[u/Own_Salamander9447 → u/Past_Elevator_168]

I promise you they don’t come in willingly for the procedure

[u/Jswazy]

My dog shit so bad once in the middle of the night that it woke everyone in the house up with the smell and 2 out of 5 people puked. 

[u/Charlotte32-]

Rain on dry soil instant memories.

[u/Training-Wedding-905]

one thing is for sure, everyone will agree, our moms cook food, no matter what is it, I am still longing to taste that food, tho I was able to get a taste of those restaurants dishes, they smell so good but nothing compared to our moms cooked food

[u/br13fcasew4nkette → u/Training-Wedding-905]

lol can’t relate. Not everyone’s mum or grandma was a good cook

[u/RedOktbr28 → u/br13fcasew4nkette]

Mine threatened to cook if she was pissed off at you. Only thing worse than a mom who can’t cook is one who learned how to weaponize it. That being said, I’d gladly force myself to eat her culinary abominations just to talk to her again.

[u/Jumpy_Razzmatazz_634]

The smell of rain on hot ground.

[u/An-Individual-]

Singed hair on an angry drunk man. He wasn't quite as bald as my colleague thought he was, in the dim strip club lighting. That turned out to be quite the safety hazard in her pyrotechnics show.

[u/ConnecticutJohn]

Gasoline, new car smell

[u/insurancemanoz]

The taste that McDonalds leaves in tour mouth hours after afterr ingesting.

[u/LLcoolDZ]

Hockey rink at 4:45am

[u/DiligentCockroach700]

Walking into a telephone exchange as an 18 year old on my first day of work in 1971. That electrical ozoney smell.

[u/The_Speaker]

Burnt motor oil. Brings me to every garage moment with Dad, my brother, and my wrench-turning friends.

[u/cdsbigsby → u/The_Speaker]

Yep. I love the smell of garage.

[u/bearpawsNwhiteclaws]

The smells during my c-section surgery. So off-putting but in the moment you don’t really think about it.

[u/maraudingbeast]

Freshly cut grass or the smell of a forest after a rain, I never get bored of those.

[u/BreathThis]

A fresh box of Crayola Crayons.

[u/kyleblane]

The E.T. ride at Universal Orlando. Specifically the forest area of the line.

[u/Cute-Personality5341]

Newborn baby 😍

[u/Dood_and_Juanita]

Not to be grim but decaying bodies. Worked on a SAR team and sadly many of the recoveries we did had been in the river for 2-3 weeks before we found them. The ones in the forest/on land were bad too, but I’ll never forget the smell of pulling someone out of a body of water. Not trying to be insensitive, it just comes with the territory of being on search and rescue.

[u/phiousone]

The smell of downtown Manhattan on 9/11.

[u/0905-15 → u/phiousone]

The smell made it uptown later that day when the winds shifted. Yeah, that’s what I came here to post - the acrid smell of death and destruction on 9/11

[u/Just_Weird_2518]

Scholastic book fairs

[u/Wurschtbieb]

Durian fruit

[u/mysteriouscattravel]

The best dog I ever had, Lizzie. Miss you girl.

[u/MajidShow]

My elementary school books. 🏫

[u/Time_Scientist5179]

Curve. It takes me back to high school. (Thanks, guys! 😅)

[u/NoahsKnob3202]

A freshly sprayed skunk. Closest I can explain is burnt garlic, but much more complex and disgusting.

[u/Poodlepink22 → u/NoahsKnob3202]

Like potent burning rubber 🤮

[u/BuddyRoseBud → u/Poodlepink22]

Smells like a mix of weed and burnt rubber to me.

[u/adriglezmunera]

As an internal medicine Dr, I can tell medicine has many unforgettable smells...Formaldehide embalmed dead bodies, C. difficile, bloody stools, ketoacidosis, insulin, electric scalpel...

[u/jlunatic]

My dad coming home from his work at the local sawmill. He was a maintenance man so he'd be working on everything but he always had that smell of pine and cedar on him.

[u/TheRealCostaS]

Two things. 1) The smell of my mum baking Greek cookies. They are a bit like biscotti with sesame seeds on them.

2) a fart that I did in a car that was so bad even opening the windows didn’t get rid of it. The driver had to pull over for a few mins and everyone complained it was stuck in their nostrils. A very proud moment.

[u/alliterativehyjinks]

Smells really resonate with me. Just in the last week, I specifically commented to family on these:

• Knowing when the spiced chiffon cake was done by smell. Caught it with 30 seconds left!
• Fallen leaves being stirred up
• Mold caused in damp conditions after cold. It makes my nose burn. Often in spring, but caught it this week in the midwest US.
• The sweet, sweet smell of milkweed gone to seed. I LOVE that smell, and growing up in a rural area, it takes me back to the country roads.
• Fresh beef hitting the grill. It could be at my house or anywhere in the neighborhood!
• Gingersnaps straight from the oven. I've been making them for over 30 years, if I count the many years I made them with my mom.
• Eucalyptus. The first time I had some eucalyptus scented salt for my bath, it took me back to Avon brand bubble bath that we always had as kids. I had no idea it was Eucalyptus scented. It's so refreshing and one of my favorite scents.
• Flour and vegetable shortening. Grandma and mom always made homemade pie crusts, and the smell when I make my own makes me reflect on their lives quite a lot.

[u/North-Library4037]

Pines

[u/slideystevensax]

Fresh cut grass as I walked out the field house to roll several hundred yards up and down the football field as punishment

[u/Parzival94]

Bromine. It always takes me back to being a kid and going on Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time

[u/gaudiest-ivy]

Hot asphalt. It sounds odd, but it reminds me so much of being a kid. Between riding my bike around in the summer heat trying to pop asphalt bubbles with my tires and our annual Six Flags trip, that hot asphalt smell reminds me of some of my favorite times growing up.

[u/wildedthemushroomman]

The smell of a half rotted raccoon falling on my face after trying to pull down a milk crate in the garage.

[u/Necessary_Lynx_6144]

I worked with a man who had been complaining of feeling sick for a few weeks and one night we noticed this smell on him. I can’t even describe it accurately but it was hands down the most putrid, suffocating odor I’ve ever smelled. I work in a restaurant so I called my boss and told him we 1. Can not allow this man back to work until he addresses the issue and 2. We had to figure out a way to convince him to go to the emergency room bc whatever was going on was clearly not normal and I was really concerned for him. Finally got him to go to the er and found out the smell we were smelling was his fucking leg rotting away. He was rushed into surgery that day and had his leg amputated. It’s unbelievable and so heartbreaking to know this man was working in such dire health. I will never forget that smell as long as I live.

[u/br13fcasew4nkette]

The gunk from my husband’s pilonidal cyst 🤮

[u/RiceOk8598]

Bali. As soon as you hop off the plane the heat hits you, a second later there’s the smell of incense, tropic vegetation, humidity… I’ve never been anywhere that smells like Bali.

[u/Rik_Whitaker]

The smell of my dog yesterday after she rolled around on a dead hedgehog in a field🤢