Smell is a curious thing. As defined by dictionary.com, smell is “to sense the presence of something by the olfactory nerves.”

Everyone can relate to recognizing a familiar and particular smell when entering a friend’s house, or any other building one frequently spends time in.

But out of the 1 trillion scents our nose can smell, why can’t we smell our own house? Why does every individual space develop its own smell? This is a mystery that has occurred in most people’s minds since the beginning of the modern house. Fortunately, the smell of a space is something that can be broken down logically.

Cooking odors are something that the interior of a house will absorb over time. If the occupant prefers foods made with the same spices, seasonings, or condiments, and prepares food in a regular manner, those scents will combine to cause a distinctive smell that will linger. Another would be different perfumes/artificial scents the occupants use. This, combined with the type of laundry detergent used, could cause what becomes the ordinary smell of a person living in that home.

If you are living in a house with all of these smells being perceived by your olfactory nerves daily, the logical conclusion would be to say your nose gets so used to these scents that you stop smelling them all together.