How do you go outside... and not smell like outside?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sitting with my windows wide open right now, and I love the smells coming in. I love to walk outside and smell everything! But when my kid comes in from playing outside, the smell is like a stench. It's not BO, it is outside. I know exactly what you're talking about OP, but don't know how to combat it.

Agreed - I smell it on my kids, dog, husband, and sometimes on myself. I think it is sweat, but I actually find it most noticeable in the spring so I think it's also pollen in the mix.

[Anonymous]

Oh, hey, a thread that will self resolve when we go to full lock down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s sweat. You can’t prevent it.

It's not sweat. It's a different smell inside, vs. outside. I can sweat indoors and not smell like it.

And for those wondering, it's very prevalent in the air this weekend, yesterday and today, whatever it is. Ozone? Pollen?

[Anonymous]

I thought this post was bizarre when I first read it, but I now understand exactly what OP means. The smell is not from sweat and it’s not the fresh clean scent of line-dried laundry. It’s sharp and metallic and only occurs some of the time. I believe this article describes the smell—“ozone”—pretty well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sitting with my windows wide open right now, and I love the smells coming in. I love to walk outside and smell everything! But when my kid comes in from playing outside, the smell is like a stench. It's not BO, it is outside. I know exactly what you're talking about OP, but don't know how to combat it.

Agreed - I smell it on my kids, dog, husband, and sometimes on myself. I think it is sweat, but I actually find it most noticeable in the spring so I think it's also pollen in the mix.

I agree too. Also, I hate the smell of clothing left outdoors to dry. Yuck.

[Anonymous]

The human nose is extremely sensitive to geosmin and is able to detect it at concentrations as low as 5 parts per trillion

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/07/28/geosmin-why-we-smell-air-after-storm-13240

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Outside" smell? WTF? Is this what we've come to - people spend so little time outside they think it causes an "outside" smell?

I spend tons of time outside and notice the smell, and it is not pleasant. I wonder if this is a different sense of smell thing? Like the asparagus pee gene? Some people just don't notice it?

Other people notice the funky outside smell immediately. And it can be prominent.

I honestly think this is maybe one of those things where you guys are just the outliers on this. Like how some people taste cilantro and it tastes like strong soap to them. Or asparagus pee but clearly less common than that. Outside smells like pennies and dirt that sinks into your skin on a relatively cool (70 ) day and and you aren't sweating??? Sorry man, that's got to be something only a few people's senses experience realtive to the population. Can't really help you, just something you will have to adjust to

[Anonymous]

I love how all these people just because they can't smell it on themselves or others think this doesn't exist. In spanish we even have a name for it "street smell." It's not the smell of sweat, BO, grass, dirt, smoke, or pollution. It's a smell that's very strong and noticeable on someone who's been outside. The funny thing is I can't smell it when I'm outside. I only smell it whenever I walk back indoors.

For instance, I was working in my patio on my laptop just sitting in cool weather. I was out there maybe 10 minutes and when I walked back inside, I could smell that strong smell.

And it's not the smell of the outdoors, you freaks. It's another smell you're obviously you obviously can't pick up on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love how all these people just because they can't smell it on themselves or others think this doesn't exist. In spanish we even have a name for it "street smell." It's not the smell of sweat, BO, grass, dirt, smoke, or pollution. It's a smell that's very strong and noticeable on someone who's been outside. The funny thing is I can't smell it when I'm outside. I only smell it whenever I walk back indoors.

For instance, I was working in my patio on my laptop just sitting in cool weather. I was out there maybe 10 minutes and when I walked back inside, I could smell that strong smell.

And it's not the smell of the outdoors, you freaks. It's another smell you're obviously you obviously can't pick up on.

Maybe the freak is the one that lives all day in a poorly vented and cooped up inside house smell is what’s normal. You freak - that outside air is cleaning up your dank insides. Open some windows you moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought this post was bizarre when I first read it, but I now understand exactly what OP means. The smell is not from sweat and it’s not the fresh clean scent of line-dried laundry. It’s sharp and metallic and only occurs some of the time. I believe this article describes the smell—“ozone”—pretty well.

Yes, pretty sure it's ozone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought this post was bizarre when I first read it, but I now understand exactly what OP means. The smell is not from sweat and it’s not the fresh clean scent of line-dried laundry. It’s sharp and metallic and only occurs some of the time. I believe this article describes the smell—“ozone”—pretty well.

The "fresh clean scent of line-dried laundry" is the smell of chemical detergents hung out to dry. There's nothing natural or necessarily healthy about it.

[Anonymous]

I knew it!! I will take a shower, can smell my shampoo (nice smell), then step outside for a bit, and when I come back in, my hair has that earthy smell from the outside. I smell it all the time on my kids, my husband. None of them can smell it but me, apparently. I don't hang my laundry outside because of this.. to me, the clothes smell bad.

[Anonymous]

I agree it's probably like the asparagus pee thing (but it's not BO or sweat). And just because you can't smell it, doesn't mean you don't pick up the smell when you go outside. And it's not a "fresh" smell either. It's a smell that needs a shower.

[Anonymous]

Outside smell happens when it's humid. Maybe humidity causes pollen to stick to us or something. When my mom would hang laundry outside in Chicago it would stink. But in California outside laundry always smelled amazing. The only difference? Humidity!! You can't avoid it, just keep showering or get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Reviving this thread because I feel like I finally belong lol. I'm a "supersmeller" and can smell stuff that no one else can. Go ahead and make jokes, but it can be a life saver for sniffing out edgy food and drinks that might have gone bad early, etc. Anyway, thank you DCUM for this hilarious thread, because every time it gets hot like it did last week and will again later this week, I start to smell something that is NOT sweat and is NOT BO. Those are as distinct from this "outside" smell as I can describe. I once told someone about it and I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. I love being outdoors but for those who know what this is, you get it. The rest of you who don't, I guess you're lucky.