Old smells, that immeditately transport you back in time?

[rockyj]

BAYRUM

Takes me back to being a little kid at "BOB" the barbar in ST.LOUIS!

 

[HadleyH]

The smell of toasted bread takes me back to my childhood.

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

Lavender and the smell of kerosene lanterns take me back to my childhood days. Sometimes we fished at night with kerosene lanterns when I was young. I don't really know why lavender takes me back but, I feel good whenever I smell it.

 

[Fletch]

There exists an "old car" smell that is present in original vehicles up to the early 1950s. I have no idea what ingredients of the interior materials combine to make it

Mohair and mildew would be my guess.

My smells:
creosote (crossing the tracks at 6th St in summer)
years of old floor wax (my 1923 elementary bldg)
valve oil (my high school band room)
freshly poured concrete (the summer they widened the road outside the house)
insect repellent and sparklers (July 4 fireworks in the city cemetery)

 

[Prairie Dog]

When I stop and think about it, there are a few smells, sounds, and tastes that can immediately call to mind the feeling of a perfect summer day for me, no matter what time of year I experience them.

Even in the dead of winter the sharp, antiseptic tang of Bactine immediately brings to mind the feeling of playing outside on a warm, sunny day, each knee wrapped in its own protective covering of gauze. The smell of Noxzema conjures a similar sensation in me, evoking memories of sunburns past as soon as I open the jar.

For some reason the smell and pure indulgence of French fries soaked in ketchup and vinegar evokes fond memories of past summer fairs. And of course the smell after a summer rain shower. It has a distinct smell, which separates it from the smell of rain that falls during other times of the year.

The smell of Grape Crush reminds me of the drive-in. I haven't been to one in years, but that first sip sends me hurtling back in time to a nest in the back window of my parents' station wagon every time. The excitement of peering around my father's head to see The Bad News Bears and the Apple Dumpling Gang; fighting with my brother for control of the cooler and therefore the snacks; the struggle to stay awake long enough to discover the mysteries of the "grown up movie." All those feelings and more are wrapped up in the sweet grapey aroma of that purple nectar.

Wood smoke also sends me back in time and reminds me of my first camping trip- no parents, no rules, just me and my friends hanging out in the woods. I wasn't a big camper as a kid, and I'm not one now either, but the smell of wood smoke always makes me nostalgic for the freedom of that first campfire.

 

[RondoHatton]

1669 Western Ave, Hollywood

Bldg with gargoyles along roofline, now a DMV, was an arcade 20 years ago. Entered the foyer in the middle of the block looking for someone's office, when WHAM! What was that? Old building smell - not unpleasant - Wood? Oil? Varnish? Brass oxidation? Marble? It was strangely wonderful, mystic, and unidentifiable... Where is the world of the future smell camera?

 

[lolly_loisides]

Bump

Smells that take me back to my childhood are:

Gardenias - My parents had one in their front yard. The smell of a Gardenia reminds me of Christmas.
Gunpowder - The smell reminds me of cracker night - every June we celebrated the Queen's birthday by lighting bonfires & letting off firecrackers (until the sale of fireworks were banned in NSW during the 80's)
Mothballs - Not really a favourite scent, but one that reminds me of my grandmother. She read somewhere that putting mothballs between your mattress & sheets helped with arthritis. I'm not sure it worked, but she certainly smelt of them.

So what about other Loungers? What smells transport you back to your childhood?

 

[bil_maxx]

Waffles and cotton candy. Like the first not the last but the smells are great and take me back to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto when I was a kid and we would go on all the carnival rides.

 

[djd]

3 in 1 oil - that came in those little cans with the nozzle. Reminds me of playing in my dads garage when I was a kid, sorting through jam jars of nails and screws, climbing into the inspection pit. I find the older I get the more of these scent induced flash backs I get. I guess it's building up to the whole thing flashing before my eyes....

 

[swinggal]

Cashmere Bouquet soap - reminds me of my Nana's house in the 70s

 

[RadioWave]

Auto-body filler is, oddly enough, one of my favorite smells. My dad was a mechanic/body man, so all things auto related (grease, gas, oil, exhaust, sun-warmed interiors) always take me back.

One whiff, and...

 

[Undertow]

Wet cedar, wet dirt and wet asphalt all take me back to very early childhood.

Auto grease, gun oil, and other auto smelling stuff remind me of my dad coming home from the military each day when I was a kid, too.

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

My apartment - has the musty smell sometimes down near the front door. I love that smell and kind of wish it were a bit more pervasive throughout the apartment.

Old Books.

People smoking sweet tobacco in pipes. (I can't stand cigarette smoke nor cigar smoke...but I don't mind being around sweet smelling pipe smoke. I myself do not smoke.)

The smell of Roses, Vanilla, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Jasmine and Royal Standard Hostas.

Coffee.

Vanilla Cream Soda.

 

[rue]

Gardenias.... summers at my grandparent's house. They were everywhere.

Pound cake.... helping my grandmother sift the flour standing on the old step-stool chair.

Gasoline.... my dad's garage where he worked on his race cars

horse barns.... reminds me of my horses... I oddly enough love that smell

The Ocean.... reminds me of beaches back home

Drakkar.... boyfriends in the 80s

 

[AtomicEraTom]

My folks always say when they gets in my car it takes them back. They say it's a mixture of Old Spice, Pomade, and Pine Tree Air-Freshener lol

 

[MisterCairo]

Play-dough, Elmer's white glue and Crayola crayons take me back to childhood, especially school.

Someone mentioned creosote earlier, that too reminds me of growing up, Dad the neighbours putting up fences in our new subdivision (how many people do that anymore? I hired a contractor!).

Does anyone else recall the smell of "ditto machine" fluid? Before photo copiers, there were "ditto" machines (I think the proper term is mimiograph or something). In class, we'd make a sheet up using carbon copy paper, and the machine would reproduce copies using a hand crank. Ah, the 1970s had some redeeming features!

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Oh yes! Mimeographed papers, still damp from the machine! Haven't smelled that in years, but if I did, I would be swept immediately back to elementary school amongst all that purple inked and smelly paper. Good times!

 

[swinggal]

Oh yes! Mimeographed papers, still damp from the machine! Haven't smelled that in years, but if I did, I would be swept immediately back to elementary school amongst all that purple inked and smelly paper. Good times!

Ah yes, that was called a Gestetner here in Australia. Named after a British guy who invented it. Same thing...a spirit duplicator. We all used to sniff the paper when they were printed...hehe. I remember when i was around 10 that they started using green and pink ink on the paper as well If I smelt that fresh printed smell right now it would take me straight make to Primary School.

 

[Mae Croft]

A combination of warm air cut but a sweet, cool breeze, funnel cakes and cotton candy, and the scent of a perfume called Moonwind that Avon used to make all remind me of the last summer we spent in Anaheim. One of those golden memory summers they make movies about, only infinitely more boring. lol

 

[TCMfan25]

Ah, the smell of Mac's Pizza! Wildwood Boardwalk.

You wash it down with Pennsylvanian Dutch Birch Beer.

I'm ten years old again.

God, I love Jersey.

Everything is great here except for sales tax, and "Jersey Shore" wannabes....