Smokers stink

[hal]

I never realized how bad the stink was while I was a smoker. It's not the smoke - I actually still like a faint whiff of cigarette smoke, it's the residue left behind. When it accumulates, it's nasty.

I buy used computers, build them up and resell them. Smokey smelling computers isn't much of a problem. But MAN, you sure can tell the moment you break the seal on the box.

I just blow the dust out of the fan and then run them hard for a while. The smell dissipates pretty quickly. If it's really bad, I might clean the surfaces inside or the blase of the fan (VERY rare).

But I've got a puzzler here... a power cable from a mac mini.

It stinks! I sprayed it down and wiped it off. Still stinks... I put it outside to rest in the sun for a few days and get lots of fresh, circulating air. Still stinks.

I just hung it and sprayed HEAVILY with stinky window cleaner. Hours later, the ammonia smell is gone, but the smoke smell is still there.

I might have to throw this one away. Yuck!

I'm convinced that if I really knew that smell BEFORE I started smoking, I never would have started.