Smells That Take You Back To Your Childhood

[Chili Palmer]

I’m doing a construction project out in Lancaster and since there is no fire hydrant in front of the job site I have to hook up the water meter and roll out three 2-½”x 50’ hoses every morning down the street to the closest fire hydrant and roll them back up in the afternoon, since this job is subbed out and the contract says we have to supply water for the subs I don’t have any laborers I have to do it myself everyday.
The hydrant is in front of a townhome complex and this morning the gardeners were doing their weekly maintenance when I smelled a scent I haven’t smelled since I lived at home - the smell of fresh cut grass and dog shit. Yep, that scent took me back to my early teens, from early spring to mid fall, every Saturday I’d have to mow and edge front lawn, then vacuum the pool, rake out all the planters around the pool, then hose everything down. We currently live in an HOA and have a concrete backyard other than a couple of planters with grass that I cut with a weed wacker, the association takes care of the front, so I haven’t smelled that for over 40 years. When I was a youngin’ It didn’t matter how many times I walked the front lawn looking for dog piles, there was always that one short tootsie roll piece or those micro piles from rat dogs. It’s a good thing my old man had a front throw lawnmower, but that smell would always be in front of me until I sprayed the grass catcher with the hose.

Good times.

 

[Dog]

I don't know how ya'll do it out there, I don't even like visiting. All the brown dirt is ugly. I know "the weather is nice"...
I love green grass and trees. 4 seasons are nice also.

 

[wash11]

For me it's Hoppes No. 9.

One of the only activities we did as a family when I was a kid was shoot. Lytle Creek when I was really young then up Cherry Tree and Bison starting at age 10 (1983) when we moved to Havasu. Me, dad, and grandfather mostly. Every gun shot got a thorough cleaning that afternoon/evening. Anytime I catch a whiff of No. 9, I go right back to being one of three houses on Northstar Dr with nothing but wide open spaces.

 

[Flatsix66]

Grandpa's 100 year old house basement in northern Germany. Wet, damp cement, potatoes, dead nazis.... Got hit with that smell again recently visiting my buddys house in Newport, in the basement of his grandpas old house. Took me back to the old country.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I don’t live in Lanscatter, I only work there.

 

[Chili Palmer]

The grandparents’ house in the morning had the smell of eggs, coffee, toast, and cantaloupe.

 

[jetboatperformance]

Wow where do I start , Beer smell=parties , Weed reminds me of Concerts and parties , Gun powder is a memory stirrer , Lacquer thinner and Acetone conjures up memories of boats and car projects as you age your eyesite and hearing may go but the sense of smell gets more acute What I dont like is overdoses of womens perfume smell and mens cologne not used discreetly And Old Spice reminds me of my tyrannical Old man

 

[Ragged Edge]

The smell of the desert after a rain storm. When I was a kid we spent a couple of weekends a month at the river waterskiing or riding motorcycles from mid March thru mid November. Yes, I had a great childhood.

 

[Tio Pancho]

Funny enough I was going to start this very thread a few days ago.
I opened one certain drawer of my tool box that has all the old craftsman screwdrivers. Reminds me of being a kid wrenching on stuff with my dad.

 

[EarpRider]

The River - We'd always say as we pulled up to the river house after a four hour drive - "Smells like The River."

 

[FreeBird236]

Orange groves and orange blossoms take me back to a young kid.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

The River - We'd always say as we pulled up to the river house after a four hour drive - "Smells like The River."

Pretty much the same for me, but only when driving through Blythe. We visited my dad’s friend 3-4 years ago and the smell immediately shot me back 25-30 years to tent camping in the coves.

 

[Captain Dan]

Coppertone - smells like summer

 

[monkeyswrench]

Hot asphalt, reminds me of Pops coming home from work when I was young.

Fire pit smoke, flashbacks to Glamis and beach trips.

VP out of the can or tailpipe...kinda turns me into an old wino, reminiscing.

 

[attitude]

Alfalfa from going to Blythe as a kid. Lots of farmers south of Phoenix grow it, I love when I’m out in the field and smell it.

My Grandpas old motorhome that we spent many river and Glamis trips in, I wish I could get a sniff of it one more time.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

I don't know how ya'll do it out there, I don't even like visiting. All the brown dirt is ugly. I know "the weather is nice"...
I love green grass and trees. 4 seasons are nice also.

I agree with this. Where are you from?

 

[nameisbond]

McDonalds........................... The taste as well because it was one of the few places that let us teens hang out inside. Back then we could smoke inside too. Good memories with McDonalds.

 

[rivermobster]

Chorizo and onions. Moms cooking.

 

[Chili Palmer]

McDonalds........................... The taste as well because it was one of the few places that let us teens hang out inside. Back then we could smoke inside too. Good memories with McDonalds.

I remember when McDonald’s didn’t have inside dining, they had those solid surface benches made of quartz and white concrete. I remember the days of getting a cheeseburger, small fries, and a root beer and getting change back from your buck. The fries were awesome because they still used animal fat to fry them in. The soda dispensers used to be attached to a barrel. No frills burgers at a no frills price.

 

[Dr Rob]

I’m doing a construction project out in Lancaster and since there is no fire hydrant in front of the job site I have to hook up the water meter and roll out three 2-½”x 50’ hoses every morning down the street to the closest fire hydrant and roll them back up in the afternoon, since this job is subbed out and the contract says we have to supply water for the subs I don’t have any laborers I have to do it myself everyday.
The hydrant is in front of a townhome complex and this morning the gardeners were doing their weekly maintenance when I smelled a scent I haven’t smelled since I lived at home - the smell of fresh cut grass and dog shit. Yep, that scent took me back to my early teens, from early spring to mid fall, every Saturday I’d have to mow and edge front lawn, then vacuum the pool, rake out all the planters around the pool, then hose everything down. We currently live in an HOA and have a concrete backyard other than a couple of planters with grass that I cut with a weed wacker, the association takes care of the front, so I haven’t smelled that for over 40 years. When I was a youngin’ It didn’t matter how many times I walked the front lawn looking for dog piles, there me was always that one short tootsie roll piece or those micro piles from rat dogs. It’s a good thing my old man had a front throw lawnmower, but that smell would always be in front of me until I sprayed the grass catcher with the hose.

Good times.

Definitely the smell of the river when you first get there.

 

[Chili Palmer]

Chorizo and onions. Moms cooking.

My mom was an awesome cook, but I waited too long to ask her about her recipes she knew by heart - Alzheimer’s was starting to set in when realized that if I don’t get them from her now I’ll never get them to pass on to my kids. Unfortunately I waited too long, but my boys were able to experience some of her cooking when they were young. I don’t know what she did, but her waffles were always over the top, lightly crisp on the outside, but so fluffy and moist without that doughy taste. Those were known as Gramma Rosie waffles.

 

[Ziggy]

Burning fuel in a Cox model airplane engine. .049

 

[ChrisV]

Nitro for rc cars. Sorex for tire compound that I used at SoCal speedway in HB.

Good ole days

 

[Meaney77]

Maxima Castor 927!

 

[pixrthis]

Fiberglass, upholstery, and gasoline.

Sitting backwards touching the water with my hand sends it over the top.

 

[Heylam]

The carb cleaner that’s outlawed now, and fresh cut watermelon

 

[oldman]

The River - We'd always say as we pulled up to the river house after a four hour drive - "Smells like The River."

As a kid I knew we were 10 mins away when you could smell the river and the grass on those summer nights. I knew a great time was ahead, we didn't have desert toys just the boat, and those canvas blow up rafts with the rope than ran around the edges.

 

[Rajobigguy]

Blendzal. If you know, you know.

 

[rivermobster]

My mom was an awesome cook, but I waited too long to ask her about her recipes she knew by heart - Alzheimer’s was starting to set in when realized that if I don’t get them from her now I’ll never get them to pass on to my kids. Unfortunately I waited too long, but my boys were able to experience some of her cooking when they were young. I don’t know what she did, but her waffles were always over the top, lightly crisp on the outside, but so fluffy and moist without that doughy taste. Those were known as Gramma Rosie waffles.

I have her BBQ sauce recipe. The smell of that, on a t-bone steak, on a charcoal BBQ?

I can picture my dad, showing me how to tell the coals were ready, from here.

 

[callbob]

For some reason this thread reminded me of Archie Bunker. “I wouldn’t go up there if I was you”.

 

[OkHallett270]

I have a lot of those triggering smells. One of my favorites that I didn’t appreciate much when I was younger but really do now. The smell of a post oak forest on a damp fall morning. Deer hunting is a huge deal in my family and my dad used to take a lot of the fun out of it for me as a kid because he was so strict with it. Don’t get me wrong I liked to go, I just didn’t like the getting up early and I was a kid so I had a lot of extracurricular activities drawing my attention away. I took it for granted I guess. Then in 2020 my dad sold his hunting land and it hit me hard! I still go but now it’s public land or family friends property. Now as an adult I’m so glad I got those experiences and it’s an important part of my life this time of year. Just sitting in the woods in silence listening to nature is so therapeutic. The icing on the cake is pan fried backstraps or venison chili.

 

[RadMan]

I loved building model airplanes when I was a boy

 

[Gelcoater]

The smell of wood being ripped with a radial saw.
My day used to throw down in the garage. Picture frames, furniture, water bed frames (it was the 70s) etc.


Also

VP out of the can or tailpipe...kinda turns me into an old wino, reminiscing.

Mixed with 2 stroke oil.

I love the smell of high octane 2 stroke in the morning.
It smells like...Victory

 

[azsunfun]

Digging holes,dirt smell.

 

[Gelcoater]

I loved building model airplanes when I was a boy
View attachment 1452462

I did cars. But that smell!!!!

 

[MOUZER]

My daughter found this candle and lip bomb that has the smell of coconut winter surfboard wax I remember from when I was 13 + omg flash backs of waxing my board before I paddle out...some shops still have in Huntington Beach.

 

[85RiverRAT]

"Smells like the river" that is a favorite of mine as well.

The dog shit that we had to pick up before dad mowed the lawn. We had dog shit duty. I still gag to this day doing that.

Fresh cut grass is a good one, also gasoline in a tin jerry can, and the hot lawn mower off gassing after being used. We would be f'in around in the garage while dad mowed, and you get that hot motor smell mixed with grass cuttings, when he rolled the edger and mower back in. It meant chores were done and we were off to do something.

I was mixing some two-stroke fuel for the weed wacker one time and learning about mix ratios. I was doing little bits a time with cups and syringes, just all sorts of wrong and inefficient. I must have been trying this for over an hour and was just sucking in gas fumes. I was so lightheaded and sick.

 

[lakemadness]

VP race fuel and 2 stroke oil being burned through some race karts. Takes me right back to the pits at the kart tracks and almost get that butterfly feeling in the gut I would get before a race.

Sex wax reminds of the surf shops.

Mammoth has a smell. Not sure what it is but there’s something about it I’ll never forget.

Horse stables, tack shop / leather shop bring back a lot too.

The smell of a boat under its cover is unique.

Basically all my childhood wrapped up in those smells lol.

 

[cofooter]

McDonalds........................... The taste as well because it was one of the few places that let us teens hang out inside. Back then we could smoke inside too. Good memories with McDonalds.

I loved the smell of McDonalds til I worked there in high school, KFC also, til that smell got into your uniform, your shoes, your skin/hair, everywhere, and you smelled it 24/7. Couldn't get rid of it. Makes me gag til this day...........

 

[Desert Whaler]

Some good ones listed here. . . . i'll add 'Teak' wood brings back memories . . . same with Hawaiin Tropic Coconut Oil . . . . Low Tide at a healthy non-polluted rocky/ kelpy shoreline . . . Also the smell of Creosote used in dock pilings . . . hardly ever smell that anymore.

 

[angiebaby]

Coppertone. The smell of boating when I was a kid. Brown bottle. Superfactor 8 or 12, until they came out with 15!

 

[aka619er]

2-stroke exhaust. I could smell that all day. Puts a smile on my face everytime.

 

[OkHallett270]

I loved building model airplanes when I was a boy
View attachment 1452462

The blue (non toxic) kind sucked ass and it would barely hold your parts together and it stained them. It smelled like oranges though. Give me the orange tube chemical smell all day!

 

[FreeBird236]

I'm sure a lot of you can relate to this. The smell of resin when building a new boat, ours was a good experience.

 

[yz450mm]

The pleasant aroma when I opened up that paint can labeled "Parts Dip" as a kid.

The sweet smell inside of a Carvel ice cream store in New York.

Model rocket exhaust.

The smell of a hot slot car and track after about a million laps with your friends.

That time I thought I'd be a good idea to paint my RC car body inside my room at midnight.

 

[MOUZER]

Some good ones listed here. . . . i'll add 'Teak' wood brings back memories . . . same with Hawaiin Tropic Coconut Oil . . . . Low Tide at a healthy non-polluted rocky/ kelpy shoreline . . . Also the smell of Creosote used in dock pilings . . . hardly ever smell that anymore.

Omg Hawaiian tropic coconut oil yes

 

[PlanB]

Maxima Castor 927!

Mixed with race gas. Reminds me of growing up racing MX.

 

[PlumLoco]

 

[Cooter01]

This stuff

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I spent a ton of time at Eliminator as a kid as my dad was good friends with Bob and was always stopping by to chat. I was always free to wander all over and see every facet of boat building in progress. I always remember that chemical smell walking inside and it equated to me the joy of boating, and of boats being “born” and the whole process that went on in there.

The other smell is, as others have mentioned, the smell of the river. I grew up on the river in Bullhead City. That smell meant boating and hot days and cold water.

I guess the final one ties me to my other life of snow skiing and that would be vinegar. The reason for that is we hung out with a guy who had a jeep and he left a bottle of vinegar in it overnight and it froze and broke, so his car always smelled of vinegar while we were in it heading to the lifts.

Weird the things in life that might be fuzzy memories but a whiff of that scent unlocks that file cabinet of memories each time.