Smoke smells/ Paranormal? (nvr)
For the past few days I've been smelling a strong cigarette smoke smell....as if it's coming from the walls or someone is chain-smoking outside the window... My hubby hasn't been able to smell it and it's been driving me crazy. I've had windows open, boiled lemon rinds, lit nag champa, turned on fans to circulate the air...and I still smell it! I know I haven't gone mad because I can smell and differentiate other smells..... I'm not sure if the smell is from neighbors or if the place used to be rented by people who smoked and it's 'in the walls' and as it's getting warmer the walls are giving off the smell? Or.... is this paranormal smoking? I unfortunately grew up with second-hand smoke and absolutely abhor the smell of cigarette smoke so I guess I'm more sensitive to it....I just don't know why only I smell it and where is it coming from? Well...I don't want to freak myself out with the idea of paranormal activity, but the smoke smell is really starting to get old..... it's like polluted air :-X
In the previous house I lived in, I began to smell a funky sulphur-like smell when the spring weather arrived. It freaked me out, too. I did some research online and found out that the particular paint (I believe it was Sherwin Williams) that was used on the walls gave off a smell when exposed to fresh air (i.e., every time I opened the window, the smell would suddenly become really strong).
Your guess about the warmer weather bringing out the smells in the walls might be right.
BTW, I know how you feel about cigarette smoke. When I was a kid my parents smoked (and later all of my siblings), so our place was like a chimney stack. I hated it. I would go to school and kids would tell me I smelled like smoke. Consequently, I vowed never to smoke a cigarette in my life, so I guess some good came out of it. And thankfully each person in my family has quit smoking over the years, one by one.
And the thing is too, we don't have gas just electric, so it can't be a gas leak.... I think maybe I'll burn some sage and hopefully that will 'clear' out the smell!
How is your mineral intake? When I was an adolescent I went thru a period in which I complained that "my nose stank"--I meant I kept smelling a funky odour no one else could. At that time we had an osteopath and he gave me zinc supplements. Took care of the problem! It reappeared a few yrs ago, I remembered the zinc, took some mineral supplements and it disappeared again. So check that possibility.
The building that houses the Texas Tech alumni association offices is haunted and one of the signs that the ghost is around is the smell of cigar smoke. All buildings at Tech are supposed to be smoke free. The building used to be the housing for the university president and the first president died at his desk there. He always had a lit cigar according to the legend. I smelled the smoke in there before I ever heard about the ghost. I hope if you have a smoking ghost that he's as friendly and good as Dr. Paul W. Horn!
Hey, I've heard of the ghost of Dr. Horn! Reminds me of the time a friend of mine from Mannheim, Germany, asked me about Kate Shelley, a local hero where I grew up...turned out he had studied about her in school!
Yabbitgirl :)
How would I know which mineral I'm low on? I take a whole food vitamin w/ minerals and probiotics... Is there a way to test if it's zinc or magnesium etc?
I know what you mean with smelling the tiniest bit of smoke if it's there. I don't know if there really is smoke around your place or if it's paranormal or maybe the wall paint.
I live in dorms right now and while smoking is prohibited anywhere but the "smokers tent", which is far away from my window, my roommate, who is gone right now, would always smoke with her friends at the entrance to the building, which is right next to my window. I've asked her to stop but she wouldn't. Now she's gone and no one smokes out there anymore (phew!). My room would heat up all year even when I had the heat turned off so I almost always had my window cracked open, especially at night. Her or her friends would start smoking and I wouldn't realize until I smelled my room being filled with smoke, at which point it was too late, and it would take hours for the smoke to dissipate.
With that fear of having smoke in my room for hours I have become so incredibly sensitive so smoke. Whenever I smell the tiniest bit I sprint to my window and throw it shut before I even check if anyone is smoking outside. Like I said, since she's been gone, no one smokes out there, but sometimes people will light their cigarette as they walk away and I will smell it even when they are pretty far from the building. Often I smell smoke even when I see no one out the window smoking anywhere. I think I have just trained my nose to be VERY sensitive to it.
Long story short: I can relate. I can smell smoke a mile against the wind now.
Yabbitgirl :)
How would I know which mineral I'm low on? I take a whole food vitamin w/ minerals and probiotics... Is there a way to test if it's zinc or magnesium etc?
I know only by the symptoms, with me lack of magnesium equals night cramps in my legs, lack of zinc is the "phantom smell" we've been discussing here. You might want to talk to an osteopath or other doctor to discuss poss tests.
Oh my goodness, I forgot about this untill tintexas mentioned her ghost, but I have a similar story. First you have to know that I ma one of the LEAST supperstious people ever! I am always trying to sienticialy explain a strange occurance...But there are just tiimes When things can not be explained....Anywasy, I once worked at this nursing home that Used to be an old harm house (up in maine) Many peopel speak of Ghosts there, But I, being teh sceptic that I am, never baught a word of it....So I was not the least bit frightened when the staff told me it was haunted by teh farmer who hung himself in one of the back bedrooms. Most of the staff refused to work night BECAUSE of the ghost. So I didnt mind doing it (and even thought they were all being silly) How ever, after a few weeks there I noticed that I FREQUENTLY hear teh sound of footsteps coming from the attic- and threre is no way a person could break into there without us seeing them. There were no animals yup there becasue it was completely finshed to be used as an office. A few times I cause glinses of him in the hall. But teh Most obvious give away that he was around was that he smelled strongly of "male" or a body odor ish smell and cigar smoke.
Also, somethng that not every one klnows, is that the mentaly hanicaped adn teh elderly can often SEE things that a person of normal functioning cannot.I see this all teh tiem in nursiing homes.I mean, multiple residents will point to teh same place in the ceiling/wall/door at the same time. One of the residence at that home was especially keen to this stuff. and she was totally unable to speak words other than "mom" "da" (for dad) and "bob" (which was teh name of teh man who hung himself) SOmetiems she would point to a certain place in teh room adn shout "bob!"She usually smiled and waved at the place adn start making incoherant speach with it. Othertiems, she would scoul at it. ASnd frequently, at night, shed start screaming in terror but when I dashed back to check on her she would point to where I assume he was tanding and say "bob" I dont know if she was srartled by hiim suddenly showing up, or if he behave meanly. SOmetiems, when I went back after she screamed she would point and say "bob" but smile adn wave to him as if to say "everythings okay, I was just surprised to see him..."IT was down right weird...I ended up staying there over a year- after all ghost may be creepy but Im pretty sure they are harmless.
However...I think that this sort of thing is sure rare...Id belive that you are getting wiffs of old smokers residue. Ive actuall y heard that the smells stay so trapped in the wall that they can turn the inside of the walls black and have to be removed...try not to worry about it...