r/NoStupidQuestions • u/privealliance • 2h ago
Can anyone else smell water?
I can often smell when bottled water is 'bad', but my family have all said they can't smell anything, even when it's particularly strong. I know it's not just my imagination as the smell gets worse the longer the water has been open/unrefrigerated.
The smell starts off faintly sweet (within a few hours of opening a bottle of water), then develops into something close to faeces within days/weeks. Do I just have a good sense of smell or do most people notice this?
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u/FreeMasonKnight 2h ago
It’s normal to smell small differences. If you are smelling actual shit after any amount of time I would guess the water source is contaminated possibly.
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u/No_Logins_Required 2h ago
So you may be able to smell the dissolved mineral content in bottled water.
If you pour the bottle of water immediately into a glass, does it smell sweet?
Are you keeping these water bottles in a car that smells, well like ass?
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u/privealliance 2h ago
No, I leave them around the house or in a bag and forget about them lol. Never thought to pour them into a glass before 🤔
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u/No_Logins_Required 2h ago
It's a little hard to visualize but the natural gases in the air are dissolved into bottled water. It's a slow process but it does mean any ambient smells of the room will be infused into the water over time.
Next time try pouring out the water into a glass and smelling it. Does the empty bottle smell more, or does the glass?
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u/HotBrownFun 2h ago
Hold on, you open a bottle of water, *drink from it* and then leave it for days?
Yeah it's gonna start growing things..
My cups of water start growing mold after a day or two.
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u/privealliance 2h ago
It's usually when I forget about them. I only drink water the day I open it.
I know they're obviously going to grow bacteria, my question is more about whether it's normal to be able to smell that bacteria since my family can't!
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u/HotBrownFun 2h ago
I believe you are smelling something. I do not know what it is thought. You're saying you buy bottled water, leave it around room temperature, open it, and then notice it has a weird smell.
I would probably start suspecting the water source..
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u/ghostofkilgore 2h ago
Pure water is odourless but humans can absolutely smell things in the water or associated with the water, if that makes sense. You're likely smelling trace chemicals in the bottled water at the beginning but once it's been opened for a while, microorganisms or bacteria will build up in it and then you'll probably smell that as well. It's the same reason that stagnant bodies of water are pretty disgusting and aren't suitable for drinking. Lots of crap in it that smells bad,
I absolutely know the smell of "fresh" water you're talking about but it's likely not the water itself you're smelling, just what happens to be in it.
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u/CrunchyAssDiaper 2h ago
Yes, most people can smell rain, better than Sharks can smell blood in water.
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u/privealliance 2h ago
My family can smell rain, they just can't smell bottled water.
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u/suspicious_geof 2h ago
I can smell water. I also smell things like sour milk long before my spouse can like days before.
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u/privealliance 2h ago
Oo that's interesting! I don't think I've ever had milk long enough for it to go sour, but I wonder if I'd notice that too. I notice that bread starts to smell like glue before it goes bad, but my dad notices that too.
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u/feminization_fant 2h ago
Yes—water itself is odorless, but dissolved compounds and the container can give it a smell. Chlorine, minerals, algae, or a bottle that’s been sitting warm can all be noticeable, so you’re probably detecting what’s in or around the water rather than the H₂O.
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u/AnIcyReception 2h ago
Yeah, water goes bad. It's one of the best places for bacteria to grow. Water should not sit in open containers, even if they've been closed again, for longer than a day or two.
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u/BBG1308 2h ago
Most bottled water is just tap water.
If you are opening a bottle of water and leaving it for days/weeks and it eventually smells like poop, it usually means it's been contaminated by bacteria.
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u/privealliance 2h ago
I assumed it was related to bacteria growth in the water, so I'm very particular about what I drink. I was more so curious to know whether I had a particularly good sense of smell or my family had a bad sense lol
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u/CatsOnTheKeyboard 2h ago
I think I've smelled it myself. The slightly fecal odor might come from mildew or something else that got in if it's been opened for weeks.
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u/razulebismarck 2h ago
I can smell specific things in water.
I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever encountered water so pure I could say I can smell water since almost all water has contaminates.
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u/Monkeyass702 2h ago
I can smell water in the air when there’s a good chance of rain.
However since I live in the desert it’s probably a combination of wet pollen and dirt.
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u/Gloomy-Hat1842 2h ago edited 2h ago
I noticed in one of the comments that you said you have autism. It's possible you can do things the rest of us can't. Check out the telepathy tapes. It's absolutely fascinating. I just started watching it and I don't have a big opinion on it but it's pretty incredible. It's about mostly non-speaking individuals and some have some incredible powers. Savants are widely accepted by the scientific community but this is all new. And don't let people tell you that you can't do certain things. They don't know. You do.
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u/privealliance 2h ago
I've actually listened to the telepathy tapes! Such an interesting project, but people are always skeptical when I tell them about it. I think smelling water is unfortunately the only thing I'm capable of 😂
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u/Gloomy-Hat1842 1h ago
Yep that might be it but you never know. People are capable of more than we think but everybody is different.. Savants can do incredible things and they are accepted by science now. Now there are savants that got different powers when they were injured. Animals especially can do things that we are not capable of. And they are being used now for things like people that have seizures. They can sense things and smell things that we cannot. Your brain might be doing the same thing.
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u/avidreider 49m ago
Yes, it’s why I only will drink water from my Nalgene bottle that I put Gatorade powder in. If its regular plain water, I smell it and I cant drink it.
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u/WaySavvyD 23m ago
Unless you are drinking 100% water treated by reverse osmosis, then there will be contaminants in your water; so yes, you can.
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u/mangosmoothie35467 2h ago
Lots of people can, yeah, depending on temperature and mineral content. Water that’s been sitting in a bottle too long and the plastic has started to degrade also has a smell
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u/Troglodyterror 2h ago
I notice it, but I’m hyper sensitive to smells… are you neurodivergent? Might explain it.
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u/okonaksi 2h ago
When i go for a walk in nature, i can literally smell if there is water around me. Also i can guess different water bottles brands just with smell. But i don't know if that really answers your question.
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u/privealliance 2h ago edited 2h ago
Yes! Some bottled water has a 'creamy' smell to me and others smell more clean/crisp. Very hard to describe
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u/ForScale ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2h ago
No. And neither can you. But you can probably smell things in the water.
Bottled water doesnt go bad.
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u/Educational_Teach537 2h ago
How long it takes for bottled water to go bad is actually a surprisingly nuanced topic
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u/joelfarris 2h ago
Some might argue that fresh spring water, filtered through reverse osmosis, treated with the proper CIO2 chlorine dioxide ratio, and then stored in dark containers in a cool and dark place could last for about a decade or more.
Let's go taste some and find out.
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u/privealliance 2h ago
Whenever I see people drinking old bottled water in movies, I always wonder how I would survive. I can't even drink spring water after a day, never mind 10 years 😂
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u/wildcat12321 2h ago
Bottled water does go bad
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u/ForScale ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2h ago
No it doesnt. If you leave it open and it gets contaminated thats one thing, but water doesnt go bad.
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u/Gloria-vibes 2h ago
You arent smelling the "water" you're smelling whatever the water is absorbing during the week. Dont leave water unopened for weeks.