outside air makes glass of water smell

[Anonymous]

I have been noticing that sometimes my glass of water smells like wet dog or something similar. First, I thought it was the dishwasher making the glass smell, so I ran the dishwasher with vinegar, and then rewashed all my glasses. There have been a few times when the glasses coming out of the dishwasher smelled, too, so I would rerun the cycle.

Today, I noticed the smell again as I was about to drink the water from the glass. So, I started walking to the kitchen to dump the water out, but halfway there, I smelled it again, and it didn't smell.

My window was open, and the glass was sitting right in front of the window.

I remember a thread about "outside smell" on people, and I can smell that, too, on people.

So I wondered if water had a similar outside smell, and googled it.

Holy crap.. it does happen, but only in specific types of containers, like glass.

https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/25076/what-is-the-smell-of-a-glass-of-water-in-contact-with-fresh-air

Anyone else notice this? Can someone with a science background explain what is going on here?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I experience this regularly. I have a sensitive nose, and it waxes and wanes throughout my cycle but is generally always very attuned to smells.

[Anonymous]

Your nose gets attuned to smells so smelling something twice may not smell the same as the first time.

Is the glass hot coming from the dishwasher? If so, perhaps it's heating up the water and molecules are wafting around more.

I stopped buying Kleenex because it smells like wet dog. The other thing could be that you have a sinus infection which could be affecting your sense of smell. The outdoor smell on people could be sweat. Also when it rains, pavement smells like worms. You could find your local water sanitation website and see if there is a FAQ. You could ask them why it smells like dog.

[Anonymous]

OP I have absolutely noticed that if a door is open while I am putting away clean dishes from the dishwasher, they smell very fishy—almost like pond water.

[Anonymous]

Trippy, OP!

[Anonymous]

Is there any update or remedy for this

[Anonymous]

Yes, wet dog. I hate it. I keep cheap plastic souvenir glasses to avoid it.

[Anonymous]

Its the glass. Doesn't happen with other cups.

[Anonymous]

Noticed it too during summer, not always. open window or door (to outside = humidity) is a good theory.

[Anonymous]

A friend did a wine tasting where the same wine was tasted using different shaped and types of glasses. Both apparently affect the taste and smell.

Have you tried using a different type of glass, OP?

[Anonymous]

I notice this all the time. Anytime I have a glass of water outside and bring it in it smells like animal and I have to throw it out. Same thing with washing dishes and then leaving a window or door open after it’s done. The smells is like a wet dog and I have to start the load again. My kids have the same issue but my husband seems to be oblivious.

[Anonymous]

Do you store your glasses rim down in your cupboard? On some nasty plastic liner?

Glasses should be stored rim up. You are less likely to have dust or a fly in a glass than all dirt all of the rim by storing down.

[Anonymous]

A long time ago, I saw a tip on here to put copper in the dishwasher. We have little pieces of copper tube and have a few on each rack. It works most of the time. I can smell it on ceramic plates and bowls, so I will sometime do a sniff check before putting them away. Once you put liquid in them, the smell will be stronger. Try the copper!

[Anonymous]

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