Remembering the scents: Rubber bags, soaps

Fond memories indeed. The unmistakable odor that was an integral part of my childhood enema ritual that would evoke both fear and excitement. As I opened the bathroom door the smell was immediate and drew my focus to the sink full of hot soapy water and the rubber bulb, or to the bulging bag with the long hose and black nozzle hanging on the robe hook next to the toilet. Memories.

To paraphrase a quote from a movie, I love the smell of soapy rubber in the morning...it smells like ecstasy.

My memories of the family enema bag was the one my aunt had (actually she had two). When one of them was not hanging in her bathroom drying from frequent use, they were kept in her linen closet. They had a distinctive rubber smell that will immediately bring me back to childhood. The rubber along with the sheets smell starts my engines. The sight of a bar of Ivory soap always jars my memory. Also the old fashioned glass jars of Vaseline also makes my memory go wild. Some of the enemas she gave me were so soapy you could smell the Ivory soap as soon as she entered the bedroom especially if she used the open top enema bag. I remember it vividly. It came in a white case with a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it. The bag itself was amber latex almost see through with a reinforced grey rubber top. It had an amber rubber hose with a metal snap clamp and came with two white nozzles. One rectal and the other douche. The other enema bag she had was a blue looks like an ice bag. It had a white screw top and one cover was just a cover and the other one had a nipple to attach the white hose. The nozzles were also white in color. The bag could be hung upside down when using it for a enema. When she prepared enemas, they ALWAYS had bubbles coming from the top of the open top bag. I MISS those smells and days.

Our bathroom growing up had 2 distinct aromas: Ivory soap for enemas and that unknown purpose of that mystical yellow jar of Massengill resting on the toilet bowl tank cover.

Oh yes, the smell of Ivory soap, the smell of a red rubber enema bag! Have you kissed your enema bag today? hahah - my Vet would ask "have you kissed your cat today?" and while I do kiss the top of his head, I also admit to kissing my enema bag, and so ask "Have you kissed your enema bag today?".... laugh at me if you will..

What causes a smell, any smell, from anything, is volatile organic compounds. or VOCs

No VOC emissions, no smell.

So many of us use equipment that has been in the world longer than we have. It has become so stable after this long that there is no more VOC emission from it

What causes a smell, any smell, from anything, is volatile organic compounds. or VOCs

No VOC emissions, no smell.

So many of us use equipment that has been in the world longer than we have. It has become so stable after this long that there is no more VOC emission from it

Incorrect!

What "causes" smell in humans is having receptors in the olfactory (nerves) that cause and electrochemical stimulus response that we sense as smell. Although we have have many receptors that are sensitive to certain organic compounds, we do not smell all volatile organic compounds. And there are a couple of examples of inorganic compounds that we respond to like ammonia, chlorine, bromine, and even salt (from a salt water enema). And some gases (fluorine, tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene) are so reactive that you would be very unlikely to ever detect whether a smell exists as it it reacts nearly explosively in the atmosphere and other gases that react with water to produce another gas. With the exception of fluorine, all of these are volatile and organic.

No receptors, no smell. We don't know whether some things we call odorless are really odorless. We simply lack the receptors to respond and then to determine the presence of a "smell." Does oxygen have a smell? We don't know. How about nitrogen? We don't know. Only the inert gases (e.g., helium, argon, neon, etc.) that do not react with any other element would be expected to be truly odorless.

Are the non-inert odorless compounds really odorless or is that we just don't have the receptors to smell nitrogen, oxygen, ozone, carbon monoxide? An analogous situation is "light." We see a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum even though there is clearly something else there.

And, for those compounds we can detect, there is a lower detection threshold. Once below the threshold, they may still be present, but not at a level that causes stimulus/response or they trigger a different "smell" response. Some compounds we have extreme sensitivity to like most lighter mercaptans (that are used to odorize methane, propane, and butane where detection thresholds are measured in fractions of a part per billion) and some amine compounds (cadaverine comes to mind). Others we are familiar with like skatole (a crystalline solid with a distinct odor but no vapor pressure).

LisaK is incorrect on many things about enemas!!! Maybe she should stop doing them. I think the water or solutions are going between her ears.

Hey, ER,

Interesting small treatise on olfaction you posted. A small point, but I'm a retired physician at 67 still interested in science (you thought it was only enemas and sneakers, eh?). I was under the impression that even if Lisa's not correct about all odors being VOC's, I thought that for any smell to occur, in fact at least a few molecules from the smelled object or compound had to physically make it up into our noses/brains and interact with the receptors thus producing "smell." Is that correct?

Thanks,

Eric

Human Nose Can Detect a Trillion Smells! Would believe, I'd never have guessed - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/03/human-nose-can-detect-trillion-smells

I always though we were not that good at detection, since by comparison dogs are so good at tracking, etc.. Checking the web I see dogs are 40x better than us...

@ericmacson

Yes, enough molecules of a compound that creates the electrochemical stimulation must make it up to the nerve receptors to cause the stimulus response. For example, the odor detection threshold for ammonia is fairly high as a statistical representation. It ranges between 40 ppb up to 53 ppm.

If you don't smell it, it doesn't mean that it isn't present. It just means that not enough of it is present to stimulate a response that you would call a scent or odor. And for some volatile organic compounds, there is no level where you can smell a scent or odor. And that can be dangerous because there is no safe warning odor. Methyl bromide is another example of a dangerous organic that you can't smell and it can kill you if you are sufficiently exposed.

I teach a course on odor detection and characterization.

Ahhh, you teach a course about olfaction. I wondered where your knowledge came from. What exactly is your line of work?

Eric

Eric,

A chemical engineer that works on all things related to air pollution.

Thanks, ER. How many enemas do you take a week, or does that depend on your race schedule? Do you also do some just for enjoyment, unrelated to racing?

Eric

Thanks, ER. How many enemas do you take a week, or does that depend on your race schedule? Do you also do some just for enjoyment, unrelated to racing?

Eric

There's no set schedule. I'm more likely to give myself one or more enemas during my weekends than during the week.

I have a couple of guidelines. No enemas within four hours of departure (true for weekday work schedule, as well). Prior to a high intensity workout, I'll select a lower enema volume and may also make my enema isotonic. Same is true for race day. I may have a normal bowel movement but I may do a sweep clean out enema to make sure the rectum and Sigmoid are clear.

Mostly for pleasure, there are some benefits to the enemas involving my running. Oh yes, I also keep my digest to be mindful of hyponatremia.

The smell of rubber goods is one of the first impressions that I recall from my youth. The linen closet had a distinct odor of the rubber syringes that were a big part of my upbringing. Just opening the door to the closet and getting the whiff of rubber was enough to bring on both fear and excitement. I recall the odor very well at home and at my grandparents homes from a very early age. Another distinct memory I have is how the hot water smelled when I was little and only knew it for that purpose. The transition to an enema bag was quite an ordeal, and from that point on the smell of the hot rubber and ivory soap is imprinted on my memory.

A large part of our emotional life is determined by smells; consciously and unconsciously. Fragrances that are not consciously perceptible determine interpersonal affections. Scents can awaken memories and trigger emotions.

I can still remember the exact smell when my mother prepared my upcoming enema. also the background noise associated with it, such as the splashing and smacking noises when the soap was washed into the warm water in the sink; excitedly waited for the bubbling sound when the bulb was filled.

Our bathroom was quite large. There was a long bench next to the sink. I then had to get into a kneeling/chest position on it, so that Mom could squeeze the bulb fillings into my colon one by one while standing.

Sometimes mom would place a filled bulb with a tip or nozzle smeared with Vaseline next to my head to quickly lubricate my anus. The sight of this bulb in front of my nose, the sum of the smells of the warm rubber, the warm soapy water and the Vaseline made me shudder at first, but later I longed for it.

Sometimes, even after the work was done, she would put the empty bulb back in the same place next to my head for a moment.

Now the scents from the bulb's nozzle stuck in the ass were added.

I love all these smells and still make me horny today

I grew up in a small midwest town when I was young. My sense of smell was very good then and it’s still better than average now. The rubber enema bags from the 50s era had a distinctive sent to them. Enemas were very common then and every one received them. My mom used to store her enema bag in a drawer with the family swimming suits and as a result the swim suits would also pick up the same odor for a while until you jumped into the swimming pool and then everything smelled like chlorine. Air conditioning was a luxury then so the community swimming pool was where everyone in the town went to cool off. I remember being at the swimming pool at the start of the swimming pool season in the morning when all the other children and their mothers were there waiting to get in and everyone smelled like enema bag’s! 😄 Obviously all the other moms in the town also stored enema bags and swimsuits together. Some moms didn’t get into the water and had a suntan lotion /enema bag smell throughout the day. I enjoyed the scent of rubber enema bags, bulbs and other items then it gave me a pleasurable nice loving feeling. If I pickup the same scent today I still have the same pleasurable feeling.

@Silver_Bullet

yes, I feel the same way and I have to say, it excites me even more today than before.🤗😎

Because of the rubber smells in the swimsuits: the rubber caps for the swimming pool smelled similar😎

I always remember seeing mom's Amber latex bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door, just seeing the bag and the smell Of the rubber got me aroused.

@Silver_Bullet said,

The rubber enema bags from the 50s era had a distinctive sent to them. Enemas were very common then and every one received them.

Then @rip_rap said,

I always remember seeing mom's Amber latex bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door, just seeing the bag and the smell Of the rubber got me aroused.

Growing up in the nineteen fifties, enemas were commonplace along with douche/enema bags hanging in bathrooms. At home, we normally received two or three enemas a month, but when we were staying at grandmas, we received weekly enemas on Saturday evening. By age seven, my brother and I were getting a hard-on whenever we got an enema. It got so, that whenever we heard the word “enema” or “smelled” an enema bag with its distinctive odor, we started getting hard. Something that wasn’t missed by our sister or two young teenage aunts.

Grandma, having given her two younger daughters the responsibility for our evening bath as preteens. Used the downstairs bathroom, because it was big enough an equipped with a dual vanity, linen closet, long bench along one wall, toilet, and large walk-in dual head shower. Making it convenient for the girls to put us in the shower together, then get in with us, to keep order while they bathe us.

With the linen closet in the bathroom and grandma's various douche/enema bags stored there, plus one or two always hanging in the shower. You could smell the enema bags whenever you used the bathroom. So, on evenings when we knew the girls were going to give us a couple of enemas, my brother and I were already starting to get hard by the time we walked in the bathroom. Once in the bathroom with the door closed, all it took was the scent of the enema bags to make us rock hard, even before we took off our clothes. As we all got undressed, that was something the girls didn’t miss, mischievously teasing us about it once we were naked. And like us, both girls were nude. So, whenever they spanked or gave us enemas laying across their lap, like us, they were both naked.

I was six years old, when the girls first started giving us enemas. Long before I started getting a hard-on whenever I got an enema. At that age, the girls put us across their bare lap naked. So, when I first started getting a hard-on during an enema, they couldn’t miss feeling it. Like us, both girls were naked, because they got in the shower with us afterwards. I first started getting hard, when they did a digital recital exam, to lubricate our anus before inserting the adult recital nozzle. It wasn’t long after that, I was getting hard in the bathroom while taking my clothes off, just anticipating getting an enema. Then finally, on evenings we knew the girls were going to give us enemas, I was getting hard before the girls even took us to the bathroom, just anticipating the coming enema. Then, all it took, was to see and smell the enema bags, to make me rock hard.

Something else started happening alone the same line, as we got older. Part of the girl's responsibility of taking care of us, was spankings when we got out of line or got into something we shouldn’t have. Sometimes, we knew when we’d get a spanking during evening bath time, and other times, we didn’t. The funny thing was, when we knew we’d be getting a spanking, my brother and I both got hard-as-a-rock anticipating the spanking before being taken to the bathroom. But as soon as the spanking started, laying naked across their bare lap, the hard-on went away. Only to return, while standing in the corner afterwards, listening to a rinse enema being fixed. Then, it was back across their lap, for a larger than usual rinse enema. The worst part was, getting a digital recital exam and sitting on the toilet afterwards, with a sore bottom.

Then, when I was around ten, something totally unexpected happened after getting spanked. I was laying naked across my aunt's bare lap, holding a larger than normal rinse enema with a long-curved douche nozzle buried deep in my behind. When something really weird started building up deep inside me. At the time, it felt like it would last forever. But then, all of a sudden, it was gone in a flash. I didn’t realize it then, but I’d just experienced a dry orgasm.

It’s still amazing to me that just thinking about or knowing something, hearing a word, or getting a scent of something can actually do to a male penis.

Our sense of smell evokes memories of bygone times🥰 I caressed my 4 qt. Klystra black rubber bag filled with a J&J and warm water reveling in the scents of baby shampoo, rubber and enemas past😍🤪😈 That was last Sunday and tomorrow will be another enema playday😃

Humans have some forms of memory; These include, among other things, a memory of taste and smell.

There were fewer stimuli from the bulbs, but when mom first rinsed them with hot water and then filled them with the soapy water, I could smell the scent of the upcoming enema; initially associated with fear and discomfort. But that went away...

The bags smelled more strongly of rubber. Mom also washed the bags with hot water before filling them with the amount of warm soap solution intended for me. According to my perception, the bathroom was filled with a mixture of rubber and soap aromas. I began to love these scents, they even subconsciously triggered a kind of excitement that was still foreign to me at the time.

The love for rubber, latex and soap scents has accompanied me throughout my life to this day and still triggers these mysterious emotions...

For me, rubber, soap and enemas form an inseparable symbiosis.

I have to totally agree, the smell of the rubber bag and the soapy water just added to sensory overload that an enema is. They make candles with all kinds of crazy scents, they should make one with that fragrance. I’m sure you it would bring back a lot of memories, childhood and such.

Hi, you probably already know me. My name is Elena and I don't like enemas as much as you do!

So, the smells associated with enemas or with the procedure itself. I became acquainted with the love of enemas at a fairly mature age, I was almost 22 years old. I have several persistent images associated with enemas. My husband already had at that time (in my opinion) a huge collection of enema bags and enema bulbs. Including very old ones from the 1930s. Made of solid transparent glass with a glass tip. But I was struck by the multi-colored rubber bags. They emitted an incredibly strong, persistent smell of rubber. In my childhood, the smell of new shoes with thick rubber soles that had just been brought from the store and taken out of the box was so strong. I remember it made me smile a lot. My husband was of course very scared (as he later told me) he thought that I would turn around and leave him home. And two more things that I remember inextricably. I'm not sure if you understand me.

First.

It is the specific smell of Vaseline. It is a product of petrochemical production, in the Soviet Union it was used, among other things, for cosmetic purposes and for anal sex. But, without a condom, since the chemical composition could easily destroy the integrity of the condom. My husband used Vaseline to lubricate the glass nozzle and the anus, respectively. A viscous, semi-transparent substance, vaguely reminded me of highly concentrated sperm (well, that's my perverted brain). I'll try to attach a photo album to my page. I'll put photos of enemas in it, I'll try to find OURS with my HUSBAND ((they're gone, they all burned in the fire)), a bizarrely shaped jar of cosmetic Vaseline and a box of medicinal herbs.

Second.

It's the smell again. And it reminded me of a pharmacy. I can't explain it. But I'll try anyway. When I asked to show me how it happens, and gave my consent to participate in the role of assistant. I didn't expect that it was a whole world. Or how else can you call it? No, rather a certain kind of ritual. The room was very dimly lit and smelled...strange. No, you perverted bastards, not what you might think. I could clearly distinguish three smells. The smell of rubber, (or rubber soles of shoes), the smell of Vaseline and the smell of a pharmacy. This pharmacy was a chamomile enema. At that time I didn't know what it was and thought that it was special additives or flavorings. No, it was the usual medicinal chamomile. To soften the effect of the enema on the mucous membrane.

Phew, I don't think I forgot anything. It was damn scary, but it was also exciting. I can compare it to the aesthetics of horror.

So, the bottom line. For me, these are three smells. The smell of a rubber enema bag, the smell of Vaseline, and the smell of a solution for enemas based on medicinal chamomile.

Later (over the years) completely different, new associations appeared... but that's for another time.

Please be understanding.

With respect, Elena.

I had a similar experience, only without Vaseline. I liked the red rubber hose that came with it, but today they don't put in kit anymore.

My mother almost exclusively used Ponds Cold Cream as the lubricant of enemas. That smell takes me back to the days I was bent over the tub waiting while she coated the nozzle!

Ahh, the memories!