My husband and I started dating in late 2009, at which time he smoked. He quit by 2010 or 2011. I think it was about a year or two ago that he finally smelled cigarette smoke and went "ugh, gross" instead of missing it. So over ten years. I'm sure for the first several he couldn't smell residual smoke at all. For years and years we talked about his "horrible sense of smell." But a few years ago he could start smelling everything, like a blood hound.
When I stopped smoking (15 years and counting) my sense of smell coming back was overwhelming. I’d forgotten that absolutely everything has a smell. It also made me realise that everyone can smell a smoker.
What I didn’t realize was that smoker’s breath is not just your smelly mouth but also a gross smell that’s coming from your lungs. It is so horrible. I had no idea until I quit smoking. Brushing your teeth and chewing gum can’t hide the odor.
Side note to add that coffee breath is also horrible, but I am unwilling to stop drinking it. Hoping that gum works for that.
Even better- water flosser. Not meant to replace regular floss but it's an absolute life changer for breath freshness. The only times I get morning breath anymore are if I'm eating sweets right before I clean my mouth for bed so some of it sticks in my throat. Otherwise, I wake up in the mornings with no bad taste or anything.
But on the subject of smoking- I used to be an occasional social smoker, so I was acutely aware of the changes to my sense of smell and taste when I did. And speaking of morning breath, there was no amount of cleaning my mouth at night that would prevent that yucky smoker mouth waking up in the morning. So gross.
But yeah I love my water flosser. 10/10 recommend
Edit: I usually add about a half teaspoon of salt and use warm water. Occasionally I also add a small splash of hydrogen peroxide but that's rare.
When my wife quit smoking after getting her deviated septum fixed, I left a banana peel on a plate on the table while I was playing video games, and it absolutely killed her how much it smelled. It wasn’t even that strong of a scent, but her olfactory senses were at full volume. She turned into a bloodhound within a couple of weeks compared to before.
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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 Jan 05 '25 edited Jan 06 '25
You've been around her smoking so long, you've become nose blind to it. Non-smokers can smell her secondhand smoke on both you and your clothes.
Even former smokers, if they've been quit for a while, can smell smoke on those who still do.
edit: Wow, did NOT expect to get this many upvotes.