Hi,
We recently purchased our very first home--a townhouse. We moved in early September, and the weather was still warm, we had our windows open. Now it's colder, and the other night, I put our DD (18 mos) to bed in the upstairs room, the windows and door were closed up. When I came in later, I could smell smoke. My husband thought I was crazy, but I have a nose like a bear and can smell practically anything for a long distance! And I absolutely hate cigarette smoke. Luckily my parents didn't smoke, but I was born in 1964so I was around plenty of second hand smoke growing up and it really bugs me, besides being unhealthy. We also have a DS (4 yrs) who sleeps in the other upstairs bedroom.
I realized the neighbors, husband and wife w/o kids--who share the wall with us (they are very nice) have a mother who lives upstairs on the same wall as where I sleep with DD and put her to bed. I have seen the mother outside smoking recently, but did not notice it in the our side of the townhouse until we had to recently shut our windows because of the cold. Now, of course, I seem to be smelling it everywhere. Today I could smell it in our kitchen.
We have a Master Bedroom downstairs that does not share a wall with them and is on the other side of the townhouse. We haven't used it because we still put both kids to bed upstairs and DH and I sleep with DD in upstairs bedroom while DS sleeps in the other upstairs bedroom.
I spoke with our nosy neighbor who lives on the opposite side in a townhouse (not shared with us) and she said that the "mother" does smoke inside the house.
When we bought the home with the real estate agent, I expressed concerns about noise--mostly, and didn't even think about smoking neighbors. There is no noise, but the smoke seems to be more abundant--especially today.
I did express to the agent the possibility that the neighbors might smoke, but she didn't think so--I don't think she ever saw the mother and didn't know she lived there. The mother looks horrible, like she is on her last legs, always dragging on a cigarette outside. The neighbor told me that she thinks the husband and wife used to smoke, that's why they allow their mother to smoke in the home.
I don't want to have to buy a air filtering ionic thing and other things I've read about online that don't seem to work...but I might have to. I'm ready to speak to the "mother" or the hubby and wife and let them know in a kind way--but what are they going to do? Make mom smoke outside in the cold in the coming winter? Not likely to happen. They were not afraid to tell us that they can sometimes hear our very hyperactive DS when he pounds on the floor, but we try to minimize sounds--especially after 8 pm.
I guess we could move downstairs to our Master Bedroom and leave our son to sleep on his own in the relatively unaffected bedroom--he needs to start sleeping on his own anyway, I'm just mad I would have to do this in my own house. DH has practically no smelling capabilities (damaged smell) but we have both been having a bit of trouble sleeping in the new house. I hope it's not related to this.
Thanks for any advice you can give or similar situation...by the way, we are in Idaho, and I don't believe there are any homeowner laws governing this.
Minaret
We recently purchased our very first home--a townhouse. We moved in early September, and the weather was still warm, we had our windows open. Now it's colder, and the other night, I put our DD (18 mos) to bed in the upstairs room, the windows and door were closed up. When I came in later, I could smell smoke. My husband thought I was crazy, but I have a nose like a bear and can smell practically anything for a long distance! And I absolutely hate cigarette smoke. Luckily my parents didn't smoke, but I was born in 1964so I was around plenty of second hand smoke growing up and it really bugs me, besides being unhealthy. We also have a DS (4 yrs) who sleeps in the other upstairs bedroom.
I realized the neighbors, husband and wife w/o kids--who share the wall with us (they are very nice) have a mother who lives upstairs on the same wall as where I sleep with DD and put her to bed. I have seen the mother outside smoking recently, but did not notice it in the our side of the townhouse until we had to recently shut our windows because of the cold. Now, of course, I seem to be smelling it everywhere. Today I could smell it in our kitchen.
We have a Master Bedroom downstairs that does not share a wall with them and is on the other side of the townhouse. We haven't used it because we still put both kids to bed upstairs and DH and I sleep with DD in upstairs bedroom while DS sleeps in the other upstairs bedroom.
I spoke with our nosy neighbor who lives on the opposite side in a townhouse (not shared with us) and she said that the "mother" does smoke inside the house.
When we bought the home with the real estate agent, I expressed concerns about noise--mostly, and didn't even think about smoking neighbors. There is no noise, but the smoke seems to be more abundant--especially today.
I did express to the agent the possibility that the neighbors might smoke, but she didn't think so--I don't think she ever saw the mother and didn't know she lived there. The mother looks horrible, like she is on her last legs, always dragging on a cigarette outside. The neighbor told me that she thinks the husband and wife used to smoke, that's why they allow their mother to smoke in the home.
I don't want to have to buy a air filtering ionic thing and other things I've read about online that don't seem to work...but I might have to. I'm ready to speak to the "mother" or the hubby and wife and let them know in a kind way--but what are they going to do? Make mom smoke outside in the cold in the coming winter? Not likely to happen. They were not afraid to tell us that they can sometimes hear our very hyperactive DS when he pounds on the floor, but we try to minimize sounds--especially after 8 pm.
I guess we could move downstairs to our Master Bedroom and leave our son to sleep on his own in the relatively unaffected bedroom--he needs to start sleeping on his own anyway, I'm just mad I would have to do this in my own house. DH has practically no smelling capabilities (damaged smell) but we have both been having a bit of trouble sleeping in the new house. I hope it's not related to this.
Thanks for any advice you can give or similar situation...by the way, we are in Idaho, and I don't believe there are any homeowner laws governing this.
Minaret
