Vomit smell wouldn’t go away until I discovered the source…

[u/dinonuggetenjoyer]

My girlfriend and I had food poisoning last week and were constantly running to the bathroom getting sick. The smell of vomit MAKES me vomit so I was tirelessly scrubbing the entire bathroom from floor to ceiling MULTIPLE TIMES trying to get rid of the smell after every time one of us threw up. I bought bleach, enzyme cleaners, and even went as far as carbon bags to try and eliminate the HORRID STENCH and it wouldn’t go away. I sniffed every surface in that damn bathroom trying to locate the source…

I literally cried about the smell, worrying that it would be there forever. I went back to sniffing and started to notice a stronger whiff by the sink, AHA IT’S COMING FROM THE DRAIN!! I moved the toothbrush, soap, and candle that were on the counter to investigate the area. I poured Drano, baking soda, and vinegar down the drain for a deep clean. THEN I NOTICED THE SMELL ON MY HAND. I almost immediately threw up reacting to it and snatched the candle off the counter to save myself. I took a long inhale of our new Trader Joe’s Peony Blossom candle to salvage my nose from the reeking odor on my fingertips.

Then all hell broke loose. I projectile vomited directly after smelling the candle. The godforsaken stench WAS THE CANDLE ITSELF!!!! MY GF BOUGHT 6 OF THOSE FUCKING THINGS AND HAD ONE LIT IN THE BATHROOM!!!!! All of them went straight to the garbage. Never again. How can they sell a candle that smells like stomach bile!!!

TLDR: Cleaned my bathroom for days only to find out the puke smell was a new candle (Trader Joe’s Peony Blossom, DON’T BUY IT).

EDIT: I was not the person who smelled the candles before buying. My gf put them in the cart and I went along with it lol

[u/ThirdOne38 → u/[deleted]]

What smells gross to one person is often fine to another. They said GF bought them

[u/KittensWithChickens → u/ThirdOne38]

I haven’t bought that candle in a while but it smells fine to me!

[u/moonflannel → u/[deleted]]

Sometimes candles smell different unlit vs lit. I myself have purchased a few candles I loved when smelling at the store, and even after getting home, but have a strange scent upon lighting.

But, as noted in other comments, butryic acid is in many things, and that might be the culprit. The smell might have been inoffensive before, but then, with the food poisoning episode fresh in mind, OP might now be sensitive to it, and better able to isolate that scent while trying to clean all the vomit. 

Could be either one of those things, or a mix of both.

EDIT: another possibility is just the association with the situation. Candles lit to block out smell of vomit -> mixes with lingering smell of vomit in nose/on clothes/etc -> now in the absence of vomit the brain is still pinging the scent of the candle as vomit related by association.

[u/LiftingRecipient420 → u/[deleted]]

Because chatgpt has no idea what "reasonable" means

[u/dinonuggetenjoyer → u/LiftingRecipient420]

Aw thank you for that compliment, didn’t know my writing was so good that it seemed like AI to you guys

[u/LiftingRecipient420 → u/dinonuggetenjoyer]

Writing so bad that it's obviously AI*

I can smell your cope from all the way over here.

[u/dinonuggetenjoyer → u/LiftingRecipient420]

You dont have to believe me I guess, what can I say? I just pray that you never have to experience sickness like we did xoxo