Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Shouldn't Smell Good But Actually Do

People Break Down Which Things Shouldn't Smell Good But Actually Do
Photo by Дмитрий Хрусталев-Григорьев on Unsplash

The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.

Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.

Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.

What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.

Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."

But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"

Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:

"What smells good but shouldn't?"

For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.

Blow

fire burning GIFGiphy

"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."

semispooked

"guilty good"

"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."

Turin082

"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."

HammerTh_1701

I can't huff it...

"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."

Neowza

A Hint of French...

"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."

stevey_frac

Drag

Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy

"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."

garfnodie

Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.

Just like the Movie...

Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy

"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."

Stalkerslovemy

"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."

cash4panties

"black widow".

"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."

Final-Chapter

Endless Weekend

"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."

Yummy_Llama

"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."

Exxcentrica

"oh no..."

"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."

Mini_gunslinger

"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."

user deleted

That Smell

Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy

"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."

crestfxllen

Fresh...

"Pretty bummed no one has said a fresh can of tennis balls."

zeroimpulsecontrol

"While pregnant I was OBSESSED with this smell. Anytime I was in a target or Walmart I’d divert to the sports section and huff tennis balls. I even once stopped by a Big 5 sporting goods store for the sole purpose of smelling tennis balls. Thank you for bringing this memory back to me."

rhapsodyinrainbow

Cozy

"Tires... from bikes or cars. When you enter a shop with bicycles from one end to the other!"

funny-lady-dk

"Grew up in the family business. Auto repair garage. Walking into any garage or greasey/oily environment is like walking into my grandma's living room. It feels cozy."

FixedLoad

Sniff Around

"Sawed wood."

leegunter

"So, story time. As an adult I wanted to cut down my own Christmas tree and just had to have one that smelled right. So I'm at a tree farm with my girlfriend, sniffing (uncut) trees. It took me probably a half hour to figure out that the smell I was looking for was the smell of sawed wood."

LoboRoo

Sulfur Forever

"Fireworks."

Klaydunn

"Yes! My birthday is the 5th after July 4th. And fireworks have always been my favorite and very nostalgic for me. One Fourth of July, my little sister collected all the little fireworks littered on the ground from being fired and put them all inside a glass bottle. She knew I loved the smell so she did that so I’d have them to smell forever. I fucking love sulfur."

stupidmacaroni

Forbidden

happy sponge cake GIF by GottalottaGiphy

"Fire lighters they are these weird flammable spongy grey bricks used to get fires started. They smell good enough to eat it's like forbidden sponge cake."

Chimera22

Frozen

"Cold air. It smells different than warm air I swear."

TheBloodPhantom0

"I think it’s not all cold air. But there is this amazing smell when it’s a slightly moist, super cold day with snow all around you. This feels like the cleanest Air you can breathe."

"-30 degrees Celsius and lower it imo starts to smell stale and somehow dangerous though (or maybe it’s my nose reacting to the cold). The freshness certainly goes away. Yes I forgot the e for breathe… please, 1 comment about that is enough…"

Seienchin88

Bark Love

"Wood burning smells good gotta be one of those evolution things."

soysssauce

"Some woods contain certain oils that are released through burning."

"Some pines famously smell like citrus and are used to smoke sushi ingredients.(Now they use restaurant-level blowtorch) Apples, oak, hickory, they're used for smoking meats for a good reason. Ordinary wood may still have traces of sap, resin or tannins that can be constructed by your brain to smell good."

EpilepticMushrooms

YES!

Donald Trump Sharpie GIFGiphy

"Sharpies and dry erase markers."

BortLicensePlate22

Evil Smells

"Vanilla essence. It tastes like the devil."

Ursa_Rabia

"I remember in Kindergarten, our teacher brought vanilla extract to class and gave us all a little bit to teach us that we shouldn't eat stuff just because it smells good."

cat-meg

"That’s because it’s got hella alcohol in it. As a stupid middle schooler I used to drink it to try getting drunk. Makes me wanna vomit just thinking about it."

urmammafedmebacon

I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....

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

Donald Trump
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Photo Of Trump's Bruised Hands Both Caked In Heavy Makeup Goes Viral—And People Have Questions

President Donald Trump once again sparked questions about his health after he was photographed with both of his hands heavily caked in makeup during an event for military mothers at the White House this week.

Several months ago, Trump attracted attention after a close-up shot taken during his State of the Union address of his right hand covered in makeup that failed to obscure the discoloration grossed out social media users.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @devynnehaddoxx's TikTok video
@devynnehaddoxx/TikTok

Woman In Labor Times How Long Her Husband Takes To Poop To See If She Can Push Their Baby Out Faster In Hilarious Viral Video

It's well-known across the internet that it takes forever for men to use the restroom. For dads especially, in the time it takes them to poop, when they return to the house, their kids will have aged seven years, and their baby will have learned to walk.

These are jokes, of course, but it's an internet consensus that men spend a really long time on the porcelain throne.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Letterman (left) has continued defending Stephen Colbert (right) as CBS faces backlash over canceling The Late Show.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images; Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

David Letterman Rips 'Lying Weasels' At CBS For Claiming Colbert Was Canceled For Financial Reasons In Epic Takedown

David Letterman isn’t staying quiet about CBS canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. As Colbert’s run comes to an end later this month, the former late-night host is publicly challenging the network’s claim that the decision was purely financial.

Letterman, who hosted The Late Show from 1993 until stepping down in 2015, addressed the controversy during a new interview with New York Times journalist Jason Zinoman.

Keep ReadingShow less
Billie Eilish on 'Good Hang'
Good Hang with Amy Poehler/YouTube

Billie Eilish's Refreshingly Blunt Take On Aging And 'Botched' Plastic Surgery Has Fans Nodding Hard

You know what they say: the grass is greener on the other side. Most people want something that they don't have.

While many people right now are fixated on appearing younger than their age, Billie Eilish—who already looks younger than her age—is looking forward to what comes next.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @archerhayesofficial's TikTok video
@archerhayesofficial/TikTok

Guy Films As Couple Delays Flight By An Hour After They Refused To Sit Apart From Each Other

TikToker Archer Hayes was ready to fly incognito with a baseball cap pulled down low, sunglasses, and his hoodie pulled up and tied around his face, ready to relax in the window seat.

Instead, Hayes recorded an entitled couple who delayed the flight by more than an hour—all because they were not seated together.

Keep ReadingShow less