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

Florence Pugh; sign for Cornell University; Josh Gad
Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix; Matt Burkhartt/Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Disney

Florence Pugh And Josh Gad Lead Celebrity Outrage After Cornell Frat Members Assigned Essays As Punishment For Sexual Assault

About a week ago, the story of the "Cornell 7" allegations broke publicly when a civil lawsuit was filed by a former Cornell University student known only as Jane Doe. The lawsuit detailed an October 2024 sexual assault at the Chi Phi fraternity house and Cornell University's handling of the assault after it was reported to school officials.

The public backlash against the seven rapists and four university officials named in the suit, as well as Cornell University, the Ivy League, and fraternities as a whole has been swift. Many people have shared their own experiences with institutions of higher learning and the mishandling of sexual assaults.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Luanne James
WKRN News 2/YouTube

Heroic Tennessee Librarian Sues After Being Fired For Refusing To Hide LGBTQ+ Books From Kids

Luanne James, the former library director of Tennessee's Rutherford County, has filed a lawsuit against the county's library board after she was terminated for refusing to move LGBTQ+ books from the children's section to the adult section.

The board’s decision to move the roughly 100 children’s books to the adult section followed a statewide “age-appropriateness review” ordered the previous year by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, a Republican.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images

Trump Hit With Blistering Factcheck After Making Patently False Claim About Prices Going 'Way Down'

President Donald Trump was swiftly fact-checked by CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale after he claimed to members of the press that "almost every price has come way down" following Joe Biden's presidency.

Earlier in the day, Trump bragged to reporters that the United States has the "best poverty," sparking immediate criticism. He continued to lie later, even as inflation remains above the level recorded when Biden left office, economic growth has slowed, and the cost of filling a gas tank has surged roughly 50% since the war against Iran began.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump in campaign ad
U.S. Government

Trump's Latest Government-Funded Campaign Ad Just Aired On National TV—And Critics Are Crying Foul

President Donald Trump and the White House are facing criticism after Fox aired a new taxpayer-funded campaign ad that was "paid for by the U.S. government" several times over the weekend.

The black-and-white ad uses slowed footage of Trump walking through a hallway, accompanied by his voiceover pledging that "this is the final battle." It ran during at least two of Fox’s Sunday NFL broadcasts, appearing during the Washington Commanders-Seattle Seahawks game and the Carolina Panthers-Cleveland Browns matchup, as well as on Fox News.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paulina Porizkova speaks candidly about aging and the expectations placed on women as they grow older.
@paulinaporizkov/Instagram

Paulina Porizkova Speaks Out About How Women Are 'Expected To Go Silent' As They Get Older In Powerful Video

Paulina Porizkova knows what it’s like to have all eyes on her. The supermodel rose to fame in the 1980s, but at 61, she’s speaking candidly about what happens when society stops looking at women the same way.

The Czech-born model became a fixture in fashion and beauty, from back-to-back Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers in 1984 and 1985 and a longtime partnership with Estée Lauder to a stint behind the judges’ table on America’s Next Top Model.

Keep ReadingShow less