I usually wash my quilts when I'm finished making them and then put them away. I store my fabrics in plastic containers and they have kept the smoke smell and the cat dander away. I also have a dog, but I don't allow them to smoke or get in the fabrics. I lived with smokers most of my life and I'm so glad to get rid of that horrible smell. I made my husband smoke outside and never near me or my fabrics. I am sensitive to smells as well and migranes, so know how you feel. I just try to make things smell fresh when I use them. Go ahead and sell, but prewash and package for freshness. Keep the smokers out of your area!!!!!

There are a lot of sellers on E-bay that sell large volumes of fabric, but the sellers with good ratings are honest...they always make a note if they have a smoker or a pet in the house, and that if this will bother you, then don't purchase. I think you can still sell your things, but be honest...free choice is what makes the world go round! Good luck to you.

As long as you're upfront...."I smoke and have cats BUT wash everything when you buy it and then package it in a smokefree/catfree room" (or whatever makes sense), I'd say GO FOR YOUR DREAMS!!!!! I hate the smell of smoke, having been married to a smoker for over 20 years and raised by two smokers----but washing something a couple of times takes care of any smell.

I'm a smoker, but smoke outside. Don't like the smell in my house....

Do you smoke where you sew? I saw someone else ask that. Smoke does permeate clothes, and some people are highly intolerant or even allergic to it. If there are particles in the clothing, putting it in a ziploc bag would just seal it in (even after washing). I have read that you can put newspaper in the bag, or non-activated charcoal (found at the drug store) in there, or even put the cloth in the freezer. All of the above helps to remove odors.

I think I would just sew in one room, and go out for a smoke break when necessary.

My friend has cats. She thinks it is cute when her cats come to "visit me" even though she knows I am allergic. The same principle would work. Keep the cats out of your sewing room if you know someone might buy what you sell, or come to visit.

I'm a former smoker and was obsessed with having my house smell fresh and not smokey. Most people said they never knew I smoked, so I don't think my clothes smelled of smoke very much. That being said, my daughter would wash everything that I sent her and I would never have any gift I sent in a room that was smoked in. She wasn't bothered when she lived at home but after she got away from it, she could smell it a mile away. Some people are super sensitive to smoke and others it only bothers a little. And I think it depends what type of cigarettes they smoke also. I used a lot of Febreeze. I'd spray the drapes, the sofa, the carpet, the closets. I'd give selling your stuff a try, if you are doing it online tell them your situation and say you will launder right before you post it and it's up to them if it needs more laundering. And I agree with others I have purchased things at stores that had an odor and washed it as soon as I got inside the house.

Call me weird but I love the perfume/make up department myself! But then again my sister worked at Macy's for Lancombe and I would go see her all of the time. Since it was full of really hot females and they loved it when I came up to see her I was like the bell of the ball. :mrgreen: It seemed like they really liked the males perspective on things and what made them prettier or attractive to guys. I was like a kid in a candy store........

Kinda like me in a fabric store I always have women fawn over me and go out of their way to help me find the things I am looking for.

Billy

Personally, I have never noticed pet smells on anything I've bought. But as for selling, I don't have any pets in the house. So our home is completely smoke AND pet free.

I don't smoke, the smell bothers me, but that isn't going to stop me buying something from a smoker.
When I get my quilts back from the long armer they smell bad.
However, I set them outside use Fabreeze and then a few days later the quilt is fine.
When you buy clothes do you wash them before you wear them? Do you know how many poeple have tried on those clothes or brought them back for return. I work retail,and some of the grossest people are in the dressing rooms.
So if you want to sell your items, make them and we will figure on how to clean it.

I had a cleaning service for years and cleaned for a family who had a couple of smokers in it. They were only supposed to smoke in one room and I must tell you, it doesn't matter if you confine yourself to one room, the smoke travels and it gets to other rooms. I had the hardest time trying to clean walls in one room that they didn't smoke in, and the room they smoked in was awful. Finally they smoked outside on the day I was there to clean.
But smoke travels and so does the smell and it gets into things even behind closed closet doors.

I would just like to say, that I am a non smoker, and currently don't have pets. But, there are smokers and pet owners who do shop and maybe they can be part of the group that would buy your things. My mother smoked her entire life (cut short by the smoking but that's another topic) and she stunk, coughed, and we stunk until we moved out. She mostly smoked in the living room or kitchen, but it got all over the place. This was back in the day before such good air filters, fresheners, etc. Now I am very sensitive to the smell of smoke and avoid it completely. Me personally, I wouldn't buy from a smoker, and take the chance the smell wouldn't wash out.

I know the odor lingers, but if you launder things after they are finished, bag them like you suggestred, and put a dryer sheet in the bag they will be nice and fresh. Is there no way at all you can get him to smoke outdoors?

Remember back in the good old days it was normal way of life to smoke. I remember my mom and dad smoked up until I was in high school and then they quit when my grandfather hacked up his lung (coughing up blood) and hemorrhaged at the dinner table. He was way past the advanced stages of cancer. Thank goodness they are making laws to keep folks from smoking in public places and now their cars if kids are in there with them.

So here was the mentality back in my parents day.......

[img]http://www.quitsmokingpainlesslynow....ro%20Mummy.jpg[/img]

[img]http://blueroof.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/smoking.png[/img]

[img]http://www.theironsamurai.com/wp-con...Smoking_Ad.jpg[/img]

Billy

My husband used to smoke, I kept my fabrics on the floor where he never was smoking. I never allowed fabrics to sit on the first floor of the house, would take the bags to my sewing area immedeatly and kept that area closed off. I have never had a complaint about smell in anything.
Now the cat is another story..... :-D

I'm sensitive to smoke and fragrance. Everything I buy is unscented even my detergent and softener. Have you considered one of the hi-tek air filters? They are effective. Can you sew, quilt and store your materials in one room? If so a room air filter might be the solution, plus washing in unscented detergent. Just a thought. Good luck

Amen :thumbup:

I tried convincing my late DH to smoke outside, but he would stand in the doorway with the door open to smoke. The smell of course, made it inside.
:(
So, if you want to make things for others, mention that you live with a smoker and cats. There are smokers out there that wouldn't be bothered by the lingering smell, and aren't allergic to cats.

I must totally agree that full disclosure is your answer. I am one that is extremely allergic to smoke; thankfully not pets! :-) I have on very rare occasions purchased fabric from up-front smokers-I have to have someone else open the package and toss it in the washer though. I recently opened a package that was from a smoking home, and I immediately had to grab my inhaler. I've been happier.
As a seller, I always disclose that I have a pet friendly home. I could no more ban my dog from my craft shed than cut my arm off. She does not have access to my fabric or finished items. Thankfully, 99.9% of my customers are pet owners, so I don't think it's been a hindrance to me.
Give it a try! Just be honest as to what possible allergens are in your house. Have fun, and best wishes! :thumbup:

I am a smoker and I always respect the rights of non-smokers even though I know they can smell me coming. There is no smoking allowed in our house. I am fortunate enough to have a "former" bedroom dedicated for fabric. The cat is not allowed in there, however he is always at my side while I am sewing. I can hardly breathe due to my bad habit, other people's perfume, scented candles, etc..... My husband is also a smoker. We smoke in our garage which is located on the other end of the property. Since I only do charity quilts I buy almost all my fabric at garage/yard/estate sales and the putrid musty stinch from being improperly stored for years sometimes will not wash out no matter what I use. I haven't had any problem with getting cigarette smoke out of fabric but wood smoke doesn't seem to wash out. I have had cats for 62 years and I have never noticed a smell from any of them??? Just be honest about the cat and tobacco and I bet you will sell your items.

Something in that fabric that your allergic to! My eyes water and my nose swells if I get near something I'm allergic to.

LOL @ pass the marshmallows....

My mom smokes in her house and everything does stink when I get home. I just wash with Tide and snuggle fabric softener and everything is fine.

If you are going to wash everything and put in plastic bags, take extra care to ensure everything is completely dried

As someone allergic to smoke, I apprereciate you posting from a home where a smoker lives.Go ahead & sell your stuff, as long as we know, we can deal with it.I wash all fabrics before putting them on my racks.I can walk by a rack of clothes @ a thrift store & know an item was from a smoker home.When my husband was alive, his brother would sneak & smoke in my home & car.Said I wouldn't know it.Funny, my husband & his brother died of severe heart disease!Good luck selling your items.

I have a very sensitive nose. My ex use to try and smoke in my van when I wasn't around. He'd roll down the window, hold the cig out the window and blow the smoke out the window as well. He'd leave the windows down when he got out. I could go out there hours later and still smell it. It took him a while to realize I'd know. I don't let people smoke in my house or my cars. I have cats but they don't come in my sewing room. I leave the door open all of the time but because that and my bedroom has always been off limits they don't go in. They can't come in my bedroom due to cat hairs on my clothes when I go to work. I have met people who are alot more sensitive than I am. If you sell quilts you should let facts about your enviroment be known in advance. Some are also alergic to pet hairs.

Put the smoker in a plastic bag and make away!!!

I have a friend whose husband smokes and she has lots of cats! However, he is not allowed to smoke in the quilting room and she puts my quilts and batting in a large bag and stores it in a room that cats and smoker do not go.

I have allergies to cats and asthma triggered by smoke and my quilts never bother me when she sends them back. I know this works for her because I cannot visit her for more than 30 minutes until she says, "get out of my house, you're rubbing your nose and scratching yourself!" Only a true friend would order me out of her house (for my sake)!

Please note though, if you have central heat and air, you need to block off the vent to that room or the smell will travel.

Keep your fabric and sewing equipment in a room with a door where the cat and the smoker won't go. That way you can go in there and sew without worrying about cat hair or smoke



Not to burst anyone's bubble but keeping your fabrics in ONE room when the smoker or pets have access to all other rooms in the house will not prevent the odor or dander from leeching into the sewing room. I am an asthma sufferer and can pick up the scents immediately from stored fabric or items made of fabric from a smoker's home. I would not want to take a chance of inducing an asthma attack or allergic reaction to something I was selling. Maybe it is because of the condition I have which makes me intensely aware of scents and dander. It is not fun to not be able to breathe! A friend of mine is a long arm quilter and cannot even work on quilt tops where the maker has used fabric softener when washing or dryinging their fabric or quilt tops before they brought it to her to quilt for them. You are so thoughtful to want to be careful when selling your items...storing them in plastic after laundering may help but, as others have said, you cannot store them too long in plastic.

My DH smokes and when I send things to my niece for her babies she has to wash them and hang the quilts on the line to get rid of the smoky smell. DH does not come into my sewing room but it does get into the room no matter what I try to do. So now I will wash everything I make and give away and quickly put it into a garbage bag until the recipient gets it.

there is smoking --and---there is smoking! be honest and see where it goes! I donot smoke, I would buy from you, on that note(a whiff& you tell how much smoke) HOWEVER if stuff is cover w/ cat hair&what is that snell???-I'll pass!

From a non-smoking house, I can tell you that even when washed fabric has the odor from smoking! I acquired some scraps that were from another part of the house, washed and then when I ironed them, I could smell it!

I don't smoke, but unless the odor was horrible, it would not stop me from purchasing something as I know that it can come out of items. If you told me that something was from a smoker's house but that it has been cleaned and removed from the house then there would be absolutely no problem.

The world is full of smoking customers. Go for it!

I'm not fond of using Febreze or of using dryer sheets to try to mask another odor.

I think we do become 'unaware' of the scents that we are constantly exposed to - good, bad, and/or indifferent.

Also, unaware of what fragrances we produce!

.I smoke. I sell. I always wash and iron any( Smallish, totes, wall hangings etc.) item I'm selling after taking out from dryer just before packaging, (I don't iron quilts though) package and mail/deliver the same day. Nobody has complained yet, my sister's family are my best testers: they all absolutely hate cigarette smell but adore my products. Washing takes the stink out.