# Everything smells like cigarettes, WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602 "2013-02-07T16:43:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/1 "2013-02-07T16:43:37Z")
I’ve been sick with everything but the flu, going on 2 months now. Just one thing after another. Right now, besides a little sinus congestion, I detect the everpresent faint scent of cigarette smoke. It’s been going on for about a week, it happens everywhere, and there’s nobody smoking near me, so I’m certain that it’s some kind of symptom. I despise the smell, so it’s driving me nuts. Bearing in mind that you are not my doctor: 1. What the heck is this about? 2. Can I do anything about it? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/2 "2013-02-07T16:49:11Z")
A sinus infection can make everything smell bad, really _really_ bad, like rotting food everywhere bad. Stale smoke doesn’t seem too much of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/3 "2013-02-07T16:54:38Z")
My friend is going through the same thing right now. Dealing with sinus issues, constant faint smell of smoke, not a smoker and not around smokers. He googled it and decided it was common and not anything to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/4 "2013-02-07T19:17:14Z")
Excellent advice so far. To remedy the issue, try flushing out your sinuses with a neti-pot. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/5 "2013-02-07T19:21:18Z")
Alternatively, your house could have mice. Mice who smoke. Check your baseboards. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/6 "2013-02-07T20:37:03Z")
I have experienced this too. I can’t remember if it was just my regular seasonal allergies or a rhinovirus that brought it on, but it was disturbing and lasted a number of weeks, despite medication and frequent sinus irrigation. It resolved on its own. Yuck, hope it never comes back. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/7 "2013-02-07T21:46:37Z")
Oddly or not, I am a smoker and when I have a cold, cigarette smoke doesn’t smell like cigarette smoke ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/8 "2013-02-08T01:55:52Z")
I had a sinus thing going on recently and I smelled…human poop. For a LONG time. Long enough that I finally cornered my best friends and made them smell me, to see if it was me, because I could NOT get away from it. It drove me crazy for a couple of months and gradually faded as my sinuses cleared up. So my guess is, it’ll go away. (But it’ll drive you crazy in the meantime!) ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/9 "2013-02-08T13:09:35Z")
Parosmia. Who knew? Once again, a seemingly uniquely weird phenomenon turns out to be relatively common. It’s nice to know I’m just smellucinating and not cracking up. Thanks guys. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/10 "2013-02-08T13:58:36Z")
I had rhinitis that resulted in perceiving bad smells (including a sort of burnt-hair aroma). The doctor prescribed a steroid nasal spray, saying this should cure it in a couple of weeks, but it actually cleared it up almost immediately - which suggests it may just have been the non-pharmaceutical ingredients that did the trick. A long while later, after a bad cold, I had a repeat case of the same symptoms, so I just went and bought a pure saline nasal spray (intended for use on infants with blocked noses) and used it once a day. It cleared up the problem just as quickly as the steroid spray had done. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-smells-like-cigarettes-wtf/649602/11 "2013-02-08T14:07:49Z")
Do be a bit cautious with the irrigation. It can spread an infection farther up and in, if you have one. It does help clear out the nasty-smell phenom, though.