Comments on: What is going on?

Question: What is going on?

benbenson — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:03:05 -0800

What is this strange smell sensation that happens to me every Fall around this time?

Every Fall for as long as I can remember, right around now, I have a strange thing happen to my sense of smell. There is an omnipresent kind of background smell. It's musty. It's not strong. It's not really a smell in the way other smells feel. It feels more like it's there under the other smells, and I smell it everywhere (inside, outside, work, home, you name it) and all the time. I especially smell it when I breathe through my nose, and I smell it when I normally don't notice other smells (i.e. I don't normally notice the smells of my house, but I notice this smell when I'm sitting there).

It generally hangs out for a month or two and disappears. It's not an unpleasant smell but it's not vanilla and lilacs either. The only time I spent October in the Southern hemisphere, it wasn't there.

Does anyone else have experience with this? What causes this?

By: PhoBWanKenobi

PhoBWanKenobi — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:04:12 -0800

Allergies/post nasal drip can make your nose smelly.

By: the fish

the fish — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:21:13 -0800

Ozone produced by weather has a smell that, to me, has properties similar to your description. Do you have electrical or tropical storms at that time of year?

By: Lieber Frau

Lieber Frau — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:56:40 -0800

A lot of people (including yours truly) have autumn nasal allergies that trigger unusual smells. It's to do with the mold and decaying plant matter everywhere.

By: rabbitrabbit

rabbitrabbit — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:03:04 -0800

Leaf mold? This time of year I always get stuffy from leaf mold, but maybe you're a super-sensitive smeller and you actually smell it?

By: mollweide

mollweide — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:09:23 -0800

Leaf mold, yes. Autumn is my favorite season in spite of my allergies.

By: Dansaman

Dansaman — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:16:53 -0800

If it smells like a Las Vegas casino, then I agree with @the fish about it being weather-produced ozone.

By: nile_red

nile_red — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:50:16 -0800

Is it smashed fruit from ginkos? That happens around me this time each year and it is quite a smell.

By: jara1953

jara1953 — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:58:13 -0800

I get this too, especially after it rains. The word to come to my mind is ozone. I have very bad allergies too.

By: kerri9494

kerri9494 — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:46:42 -0800

It's rotting leaves. The smell is especially strong after it rains, or if you're leaping into a pile of raked leaves.

By: daisyk

daisyk — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:36:27 -0800

Possibly a mild sinus infection? My partner occasionally gets something like what you describe. Last time he got something from a pharmacist to treat such an infection and apparently the smell went away quite quickly.

By: benbenson

benbenson — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 04:57:49 -0800

No allergies here, and I'd be surprised if it were a sinus infection because it happens every single year and I don't have the other symptoms. I'm going with smashed fruit from Ginkos.

By: benbenson

benbenson — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 04:58:23 -0800

nm learned how to edit!

By: Miko

Miko — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:49:45 -0800

Agree that it's leaf mold, decaying leaves and other organic matter.

By: deborah

deborah — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 14:43:13 -0800

I think it's probably organic matter decaying. However, it could be the dust burning from everyone turning their heating units on for the first time for the season.