Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe The Best Smells On Earth

Make us preferred on Google

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

Jimmy Kimmel; Matthew McConaughey
Scott Kirkland/FXX via Getty Images; Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals NSFW Way Matthew McConaughey Consoled Him During Emmys—And It Actually Helped

Every awards show has an "In Memoriam" section, and every time it's a tear-jerker.

And at this year's Emmys, even funny man Jimmy Kimmel couldn't keep from crying, following the death of his childhood friend and frequent fixture on his show, Cleto Escobedo III.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joanna Wietrzyk
Fred Lee/Getty Images

HYROX World Champion Who Soiled Herself During Event Speaks Out To Apologize After Controversy

On September 12, Joanna Wietrzyk of Australia won in the Pro Women's solo division at HYROX Beijing 2026 and set off a literal sh*tstorm of controversy. Wietrzyk suffered acute gastrointestinal distress, soiling herself, partway through the course, but she chose to continue and finished in first place.

HYROX is a standardized global fitness-racing series that combines eight kilometers of running with eight functional workout stations. Participants run one kilometer, then complete one of the functional workout stations, then repeat this sequence eight times alongside the other competitors in their division.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Letterman; Donald Trump
Amy Sussman/WireImage; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

David Letterman's Resurfaced Warning About The Future Of The Media Under 'Authoritarian' Trump Is Eerily Accurate

A resurfaced clip of former late-night host David Letterman has gone viral for a prescient warning he gave to the media about the perils of being a "suck up" to an "authoritarian regime" like the Trump administration.

Letterman originally made those remarks during an appearance last year at The Atlantic Festival. He criticized the Trump administration and cautioned media outlets while reflecting on the administration's efforts to silence Letterman's fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Dave Lowe
60 Minutes

Lifelong Texas Republican Goes Viral With Criticism Of Proposed AI Data Center On '60 Minutes'—And Everyone's Saying The Same Thing

Dave Lowe, a resident of Red Oak, Texas, and a "lifelong conservative Republican," went viral for his reaction to a proposed AI data center in his community, giving 60 Minutes reporters a response observers say perfectly sums up conservative thinking.

Data centers—vast, industrial buildings packed with servers, networking hardware, and storage systems—form the physical backbone of modern computing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of JD Vance at rally in North Carolina
C-SPAN

Vance Dragged After 'Accidentally' Coming Up With Juvenile Nickname For The Far Left In Cringey Speech

Vice President JD Vance was widely mocked online after he misspoke while criticizing the "far left" at a campaign rally for MAGA North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley.

Vance was in the city of Greensboro to encourage voters to vote for one of the MAGA candidates that has been endorsed by the White House. Whatley was previously the chair of the Republican National Committee from 2024 to 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less