Whenever someone comes back from a walk outside on a crisp day, they have an odor that’s distinctive of outside. My nose is not the best, but I’d say somewhat metallic. What is causing that smell?
In: Chemistry
Maybe it’s fresh air and you need to open your windows more?
You know what is kind of interesting? Metal has no smell. It’s very stable and doesn’t emit anything for our noses to detect. What we think of as the smell of metal is actually usually our body oils, that have rubbed onto the metal, oxidizing.
If the smell of someone walking into your house smells sort of metallic it may not be the smell of the outside, but of a burst of their body oils greeting your nose, which you probably get used to quickly as they shuffle around inside.
Maybe not though! Just a thought.
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All of these “air out your house more” comments are annoying, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Whenever someone comes in from outside, particularly when it’s cold, they have that smell. I wonder if its something to do with temperature affecting what smells are most prominent?
The location/ timing of your observations is important. If you live in a snowy environment or tropical.
May find some good insight here as I assume you are smelling an ozone smell and live in a cold insulated enviornment with heating (maybe gas heating)?
What causes that distinctive smell of a person who comes indoors after being outside in cold weather?
by inaskscience
I’m so interested in this as well and haven’t found any answers googling or in other Reddit threads.
The cause is dependent on where you are.
The scent of the woods in the Adirondacks is very different from the smell of the woods in Virginia. Philadelphia smells very different from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And so on.
Similarly, the smell of someone who works in a poultry plant is very different from the smell of someone who works the smoker at a barbecue restaurant.
Your clothes and hair and skin pick up particulates in your environment. What you’re probably smelling are some of the particulates from your area.
I never smelled it when I lived up north, but it is heavy here in Florida. I have no clue what the smell even is, but every day when I walk my dog I smell it and it lasts for a while. I have to change and get rid of the smell immediately, it seems to really stick to clothes. Hot, cold, time, it doesn’t matter. I’m guessing maybe its some pollen or something, im looking for the answer too.
Do you think it’s sweat? My wife always tells me I smell like sweat when I come back from a walk, no matter the temperature. Not B.O….more like salty.
I know what you mean, I’ve always said when I was younger, “I don’t like the smell of outside” especially when people are cutting grass or when there’s bonfires..
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