I love the smell of my garage

My garage will never win a beauty contest, but if it was a smell contest it'd be a strong contender. It's an amalgamation of oil, grease, gasoline, rattle can spray paint, other automotive chemicals, new and used parts for the Miata and Spitfire on storage racks, etc. (And maybe a little sweat). It's taken years to develop this wonderful scent, and I'm sure the hot summer weather has enhanced it. As a kid in the fifties, I remember walking into the local twenties-era auto parts store with my father and appreciating a similar scent. And now I'm fortunate to have my own garage smell like that. It's like appreciating the patina on a piece of fine antique furniture. Anybody else appreciate that smell?

Mine took about 10 years but it finally smells like a proper garage. I think the tires I stored in the rafters are especially aromatic.

My Grandma's garage has an aroma. Something that only a garage that's been around for 60 years can get. Every time I've smelt it, it brings me back to my youth. Playing LEGO and listening to Harry Carry announce Cubs games.

Mine has an un-used wash sink and leaking (dry) trap. It does not help the smell.

Then I accidentally trapped a feral cat inside, which shat everywhere before making its escape by gnawing a hole in my wooden garage door.

Just which kind of gas smell is that in the mix?

I have a 50+ year old drafting board from my Dad I put together this week for an office desk. It has a great old dusty, almost musty smell inside that reminded me how cool old cars smell.

I know that smell and I too love it. My uncle's garage is the first place I can recall smelling it and has been the benchmark against which I measure the smell of all other garages. I too hope to one day achieve that smell in my own garage

I remember sticking my head inside the cockpit of a J-3 Cub over 50 years ago. The aroma of that aircraft has stuck with me and I love it.

spitfirebill wrote: I remember sticking my head inside the cockpit of a J-3 Cub over 50 years ago. The aroma of that aircraft has stuck with me and I love it.

There's definitely a unique aroma to old airplanes, same one in almost all of them. Probably a mixture of congealed oil vapor from the open crankcase vents, avgas and sweat.

I think you need at least one classic British car to have a proper smelling garage. My opinion may be biased.

In reply to Wayslow:

Yup, I think the old Spitfire is oozing a lot of that smell.

Lighting off a race car w/ Sunoco GT100, and 2 stroke w/ bean oil now and then helps. I've got a friend who comes by now and then and I don't mind if he smokes a Camel filter just inside the open garage door. It's the only time I find the smell of a cigarette to add something to the general aroma of a room.

My machine shop smells great. The combination of big machines with oil wiped exteriors, way oil, flood coolant, cutting lubricants and the general smells of machining aluminum, stainless and Delrin is excellent.

When my garage was packed with MG's it had the right aroma. Now it smells of fiberglass insulation and drywall mud.

Great descriptions though. I love the smell of a machine shop. And it is interesting how the smell of the right cigarette every now and again puts the finishing touch on it.

I like the sawdusty smell of new garage.

Right now my garage smells like sawdust and spiders. Lots and lots of spiders.

My favorite garage smell is one I associate with northern Wisconsin and Michigan, with multiple boats with at least 1 two stroke engine on said boats. Preferably throw in a lawn mower too to get some grass smell along with everything else. The two stroke oil, gasoline, lower unit oil, and then the general mustiness from being humid but rarely hot. I love it.

Wife unit can tolerate at most 5 minutes in the shop before she wants to leave because of "the smell". I think I got the olfactory ambiance nailed just right.

Gary wrote: In reply to Wayslow: Yup, I think the old Spitfire is oozing a lot of that smell.

My old TR3 was like that. The current Spitfire, not so much.

NOHOME wrote: Wife unit can tolerate at most 5 minutes in the shop before she wants to leave because of "the smell". I think I got the olfactory ambiance nailed just right.

My little cousin ("little", she turned 30 a couple days ago) had her car break down nearby where I work and was freaking out, so I had it towed to us and I stayed late and replaced the fuel pump, and the whole time she was there she kept saying "OMG it is awesome here it smells like gasoline and kerosene and oil and rubber!"