Cigarette smoke

Did you know that a refrigerator that has been in a smoker's house smells like cigarette smoke even on the inside of the refrigerator?  Yes, it does.  Open the door, and the smell will knock you over.

Did you know that a mattress that spends just one night in a smokers house will for weeks reek of cigarette smoke?  Yes, it will.  Even after two weeks of leaving it unmade, having the windows wide open and turning a fan directly on it, it will still reek.  Yes, it will still stink even after vacuuming it and spraying it with Fabreeze.  And even with the air purifier (with the odor remover feature) going it will still stink for at least 4 weeks.

Did you know that after 5 weeks, wood furniture, even after washed, will smell like cigarette smoke?  Yes, it does.

Did you know that cigarette smoke stays in a computer and will eventually damage it?  Yes, it does.

Do you know that walls and wallpaper and carpet can hold stale cigarette smoke smell for more than 20 years?  Yes, they will.

Now, why I know these things:

The refrigerator and the wood furniture came from my brother and SIL's house.  These items were in exchange for what they took of Mom's.  The mattress spent one night up there.  Thank goodness, my SIL didn't like it.  They both smoke in the house.  I have worked my butt off to get rid of the smell.  While the smell isn't gone, it has lessened.  I can still smell it when I come in from outside.  One of the best cures turns out to be LOTS of house plants!

The walls, wallpaper, and carpet are in my house.  No one has smoked in my house for over twenty years (previous owners smoked - we haven't ever smoked).  When we come home on a damp cold day and the house has been closed up, it still reeks of stale cigarette smoke - after 20 plus years.  (We haven't changed some things, because the foundation needs to be fixed first.)

My husband works on computers.  Sometimes he brings home the ones that he has to run diagnostics on.  One day after complaining of the cigarette smell, he had me look at the inside...

Why do I care about the smell?  I'm allergic to cigarette smoke.  Okay, I'm not allergic as in I'm going to swell up and die, but I get all stopped up, a sore throat, and a headache - immediately - even before I smell or realize there is cigarette smoke present.   Sometimes the smell even makes me sick to my stomach.  Seems a few family members have forgotten this.  And, I have spent the past few weeks feeling like I have a cold, but it is "just" allergies.  Yes, I know - gripe and moan.