Sunday, August 28, 2005

The Smell of Home

You know how each home has it's own, unique smell? Like each family generates it's own blend of cooking odors, B.O., cleaning products, dirty kids and/or feet, pet smells, laundry, and stuff to create a unique aroma all their own. Often times you aren't even aware of your own homes' smell because you live in it all the time and you sort of don't notice it anymore. You recognize the smells - good or bad - of other homes when you go there, but sort of feel like your own place is odorless. Unless you've been gone on vacation for awhile and the smell of home sort of has time to evaporate from your nose's memory and is only refreshed upon your return, good or bad. No one wants their home to be associated with a bad smell - like the one that gets created if you let the dirty diaper pail get too full, or something in the garbage can begins to turn ugly, or your pet did a number on your carpet. Those are smells we all try to avoid.

The ones we like? Those are the smells of home. Of something yummy cooking for dinner. Or the freshly washed hair of small children. Or line-dried clothes. Or laundry still warm from the dryer. Or the heady aroma of your spouse after a day spent at the beach. OR, the smell of your home after it's been cleaned. I love that smell. Except, today I went to mop the kitchen floor and realized I was out of the cleaner I normally use for the job (Mr. Clean, usually). I had to use a 2nd tier cleaner - something that's been in the back of the cupboard for a long time - bought years ago when we lived in a different house (Murphy's Oil Soap). The label says it can be used for linoleum flooring, and without another option available, I used it. It worked just fine, except now my house smells unfamiliar. Not bad, per se, just different. It simply doesn't smell like home to me. Must remember to buy my regular cleaning product ASAP, because this simply won't do. My home must smell like my home to be truly happy. Is it just me??

Comments:
And I thought it was just me! I've always used "Bounce" dryer sheets, but a couple of months ago, I ran out. I sent Brent to get some, and he came home with Snuggle or something like that. It made the entire apartment smell different. It drove me crazy!

My parents had a cat, Oreo, for like 15 years. They had to put her to sleep a few years ago, and their house hasn't smelled the same. She was clean, she didn't smell like pee or anything, she just smelled like a cat.
 
Hey MP,

I totally know what are talking about. Some houses smell so good, and others... well, they just don't. I always wish that I knew what my house smells like. I'm hoping it smells clean, but you never know. :)

Oh, and Kate, I agree. We always use Bounce as well, but once we tried the Kirkland brand at Costco when I was pregnant with Reese, and oh my goodness. The smell made me want to throw up. They didn't even smell bad, just VERY strongly scented. To this day, I can't walk down the laundry aisle at Costco, without feeling nauseous.
 
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