Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe The Best Smells On Earth

You know that smell right before it rains? It's earthy. It's gorgeous. I have a distinct memory of leaving school and getting into my mother's car just as a giant storm cloud rolled in. The smell was rich.

Then it poured. It was splendid. The smell after the rain was fantastic too. Can you tell I have a thing for rain and doom and gloom?

There are so many wonderful smells out there, though! People told us all about their favorites after Redditor loganmcau asked the online community,

"What's the best smell on earth?"

"It smells amazing!"

"Vanilla. It smells amazing."

Gyngerkittle

It does! Just steer clear of wasps.

"The lumber section..."

"The lumber section at Home Depot. Oddly satisfying."

ooperbang6

So true! What is it about it?!

"The immediate smell..."

"The immediate smell after a light drizzle. That would be an air of change for a second for people far from nature."

wombraider420

A lovely and soothing smell! I love it too.

"Eucalyptus oil mixed into hot water splashed on the hot rocks of a woodburning sauna in the early fall."

pizzapopcorndog

Oooh. Specific, but it must be amazing. Now I need to go to a traditional sauna.

"Freshly baked bread. Someone should bottle that smell and turn it into a perfume/cologne."

[deleted]

I don't think I'd wear it, but you do you!

"I swam..."

"I swam for 12 years and taught swim lessons for another 8, the smell right when you open the door and smell the warm chlorine air smells like home and nostalgia to me."

Sunglass-sketch1964

Ah, yes! This makes me want to jump back in a pool. It's been a while.

"Fresh linen blowing in the summer breeze, as you walk by someone's house."

1Cabbage

There is something to be said about crisp bed linens – magical.

"When it's been winter..."

"When it's been winter for months and you get that one warm day in the beginning of the year that smells like spring."

deidara2613

But wait! It's just a fake out... and now it's cold and gray again...

"Especially..."

"Campfire. Especially on a cold fall morning. Getting home and back to the daily grind but you still smell that smoke."

Extrasherman

Not a big fan of camping but I have to say there is something beautiful about that smell of a campfire and coffee in the morning.

"I think a lot of people..."

"I think a lot of people who gave an answer here consciously/subconsciously thought of a happy moment in their life."

"Mine is the smell of jasmine flowers along the streets in my hometown as I was on sitting on the back of my dad’s scooter when he picked me up from school. They smelt like happiness."

daddythecrab

This just gave me second-hand smell happiness as I envisioned the scene. Thank you!

Oh, dear – there are so many smells we've been missing out on! And there's too little time to smell them all.

Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to tell us all about them in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Angela Bassett
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Angela Bassett Revives 'Black Panther' Character For Vogue World 2025—And Marvel Fans Are Losing It

Actor Angela Bassett had Marvel fans freaking out after she made a surprise appearance strutting down the runway at the fourth annual Vogue World: Hollywood fashion event in the original outfit worn by her character Queen Ramonda from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The purple gown, designed by celebrated costume designer Ruth E. Carter, is the same one Bassett wore for a scene in which her character delivers a speech before the United Nations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Leaked Memo Lays Out Republican Effort To Elect Trump For A Third Term

Podcaster Brian Allen, who tweets using the handle @allenanalysis, shared a memo that argues for "reconsidering presidential term limits" so President Donald Trump can receive a third term, citing "unfinished business" and "continuity" as reasons why.

The memo, from the Third Term Project, is for a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event that was held on February 20, 2025, just one month after Trump took office again.

Keep ReadingShow less
Man carrying a box of belongings out of the office
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Career Mistakes People Don't Realize They're Making Until It's Too Late

We all make mistakes, and fortunately, they're often reparable if we're willing to put in the effort.

But sometimes, the mistakes we make are too extreme and too lasting for us to overcome. And that is devastating when that kind of mistake is made while you're navigating your career path.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Patrick J. Fallon/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Fires Back At Trump Over His Bonkers Misspelled Medical Advice

California Governor Gavin Newsom hit back at President Donald Trump after Trump wrote a rambling Truth Social post in which he warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol and advised when to get certain vaccines.

Trump—who is by no means a medical expert of any kind—published the post at 4:19 a.m. local time on an overseas trip in Malaysia. While ranting, he somehow also managed to misspell the word "hepatitis" as "hepatitas" in reference to the disease characterized by the inflammation of the liver.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amazon driver and TikToker @garrettpxyz
@garrettpxyz/TikTok

Driver's lie shames homophobic family

When will MAGA folks finally learn to mind their business?

Apparently not today, Satan, because one delivery driver just delivered more than a package: he dropped off a masterclass in petty improvisation.

Keep ReadingShow less