This Weird Disk Triggered Memories
I was actually helping a friend clean her grandma’s garage. And we turned over an old coffee table and there it was. A strange little round thing hanging from the bottom. My first thought was that it was a hidden latch, or perhaps a stash spot.
Nope. It tended to be an old Airwick Stick air freshener.” Instant flashback.
The Little Disk That Could
You saw these all over if you grew up anytime between the 60s and the 80s. They were small white-plastic disks with a screw-top cap. Pull it out and twist just slightly and there was a whisper of lavender (or lemon) in the air. Twist it to full, and all of a sudden the room smelled of pine cleaner.
My mother had one that was wedged behind the bathroom toilet. Subtle? Not at all. Effective? Oh yeah. Every time someone opened the bathroom door, it slapped you with “Fresh Linen.”
Stick It. Forget It.
The Airwick Stick was low-maintenance. No batteries, plugs and sensors. Peeled off the sticky backing, slapped it wherever, twisted the cap, done.
In closets, under sinks, behind doors — my uncle even had one under the driver’s seat of his ’79 Chevy. I’m fairly sure it fought years of spilled coffee and old french fries, but it gave its all anyway.
Scented Memories
These weren’t subtle. Lemon strong enough to raise the dead. Pine so powerful it was like someone jammed a Christmas tree in your face.
But comforting. Walking into a house to the olfactory pleasure of an unmistakable Airwick Stick felt like home. It was just part of life.
What Happened to ‘Em?
Then late ’80s and they started to go away. Aerosol sprays got fancier. Plug-in air fresheners took over. Then came the motion-sensor gadgets. The screw-top, felt-pad Airwick Stick disappeared.
An orb today feels like a time capsule unearthed. You turn an old table on its side, glimpse that plastic disk you grew up with, and wham: You’re 10 years old, sitting on grandma’s shag rug, watching The Price Is Right.
One Twist Away From Nostalgia
Or something that simple can open the floodgates for memories. Nothing but a felt pad and a lid you could twist open.
If you hit upon one — wedged under a cabinet or inside an old dresser, say — don’t throw it out. Twist it just a little (if the lid is still working). Take a sniff. You might even breathe in the good old days.
