Why can I smell ashtrays?

[Helenahandkart]

My living room smells like ashtrays/cigarettes. Specifically my end of the sofa. None of my family smoke. We live in a semi detached house and the wall with the sofa on it adjoins next door, but they don’t smoke either. We haven’t had any visitors for several weeks, and anyway they haven’t smoked in the house.

When I say the sofa smells, it isn’t the sofa itself. The cushions don’t smell but when I sit there I can smell ashtrays. I’ve taken the sofa apart, cleaned under it, gone round the room madly sniffing everything. WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?!

I was starting to think I was having a stroke or something, but I can only smell it in that one area. No one else can smell it. If I go outside it doesn’t smell so it’s not coming into the house from outside.

It’s not my clothes, or hair, or the cats, or air fresheners, or candles . Please help. It’s driving me mad.

Can anyone else smell it? In your spot on the sofa or anywhere else?

Seconding coffee! Freshly ground coffee smells just like cigarette smoke to me. Maybe something was spilled on that spot?

Yup I agree with the balcony bags, I was convinced it was fags !!

Sinus infection?

I had this after my first bout of Covid. I was told I wasn't alone with this symptom!

I had this for a good few months, since being put on steroid sinus spray for an ear infection that wouldn't budge, it has stopped, and I have noticed in those areas, there were other smells that my nose/brain was smelling as smoke/ash traysI.
As an example, I could always smell it when laying in my bed, turns out it was a vanilla candle smell, that I can now smell as a vanilla candle smell again, the same thing happened when I had covid the first time.

After Covid I had 'phantom smells' for ages. It's called Phantosmia. It was mostly when I laid down but I could often smell this really strong smokey smell. One time it was so strong, it woke me up in the middle of the night and I was wandering around at 3am checking all the smoke detectors were on and something wasn't smouldering somewhere.

If you search Covid and Phantosmia, you'll see it's pretty common after some types of nasal infections and viruses. Mine passed completely after about 3 months. It was pretty weird!

Yessss! Black bin bags do smell like an ashtray!

I don’t have any helpful suggestions either but I sympathize. When I moved to the US I kept smelling burning electronics near my bed. I drove myself nuts trying to figure it out, especially since it was strong and often woke me in the middle of the night. I was terrified that the place was going to burn down.

Turns out there’s a species of millipede here that, when trifled with, emits a smell just like burning electronics as a predator deterrent. And they’re tiny, so they can wiggle in through all sorts of spots. I kid you not. It’s like these little shits evolved specifically to be infuriating to the human race.

Turns out they were coming in through a tiny space in the window near my bed and then my cat was smacking them around and causing them to emit the smell. I thought she was restlessly warning me of eminent electrical fire. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Good luck finding the origin of your smell, OP. 😂

Is there a chimney in the room?
Outside weather can affect air, eg rain running into chimney or cold air falling and forcing air from chimney.

Ugh - I've noticed this! I switched to white bags as they just seemed to be getting worse.

When we had a dead mouse under our sofa, DH kept going on about this awful burning smell he could smell but no-one else could, and it was only when he was sat on the sofa.

A few days later the smell progressed to the point I could smell it too. Moved the sofa and hey presto, rotting corpse of a mouse. Lovely.

At least we know what it smells like now for next time (for there will definitely be a next time!). ... still, it's preferable to a live one!

Hello from Canada. I have the EXACT same issue! I smell ashtray sitting on my seat on the couch!! My hubby does not smell it. Wondered if you ever got it figured out? I sit right by the wall a fireplace downstairs used to be 20 years ago but we converted into a gas one. The chimney runs up the outdoor wall. Any ideas? Would love to hear how it ended

Do you have flowers nearby? Do you wear a floral perfume?

I sometimes smell ashes in jasmine and iris perfumes. Perfumes like Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue smell of wet ashtray to me sometimes.

If you have something that alters your sense of smell, it won't necessarily be every smell. You can become sensitive to a particular scent.

Covid?
I smelt cigarettes when I had Covid years ago. Drove me mad trying to find out where it was coming from! Doctor told me that cigarette smells were a common symptom.

Air brick? I’d smoke coming in through a vent?

*Is

Also in our old garden we had a buddleia that smelled just like cigarette smoke. Is there one in your garden?

I’ve had this the last couple of days, when I walk into my bedroom, but next door does smoke so I think it’s that ! At first I thought the only logical explanation was the ghost of my grandad who smoked like a trooper lol

No, no flowers near by. No, I don’t have COVID and haven’t had anything like that since 2021. We don’t smoke and live in a totally detached house for 20 years now. Nothing else new except pot lights professionally installed last November.

Perimenopause and weight-loss jabs can both cause this, as well as COVID / long COVID.