Some smells are so specific that they can send you straight back to a moment you forgot you even remembered. Household odors might seem ordinary, but many of them are emotional time machines in disguise.
Here's a list of classic kitchen aromas from American homes that stir powerful memories of mid-century meals and family traditions.
Here's a list of nostalgic childhood items that had strange, sometimes unpleasant smells — but we loved them just the same.
Certain cafeteria smells have a way of instantly taking you back to school days, when the simplest scents stirred up the strongest memories.